Nine Teams to Reimagine More Just Possibilities for Public Artmaking

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) announces nine grants totaling $54,000 through the Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice (CISJ) awards. Each team receives a $6,000 grant and participates in a six-month learning cohort.

CISJ grants support teams of Massachusetts-based creatives and community members to do the important work of imagining how public artmaking can support more just futures for public spaces and public culture.

“The Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant is essential – it's a rare opportunity for us to fund and for our grantees to participate in imagination, collective dreaming, and relationship building with the intention of creating more just and vibrant public spaces. We’re thrilled to support the nine teams who will embark on their imagination journeys this year,” shared Harold Steward, NEFA executive director.

The nine imagination teams encompass a broad range of participants, including residents, artists, local organizational leaders, municipal staff, and more from geographically diverse regions across the Commonwealth. Despite such different contexts for their work, each team is committed to exploring new possibilities for fostering a sense of belonging, engaging complex historical narratives of place, and envisioning more inclusive and transformative opportunities for creative expression in our public spaces. The nine CISJ teams are:

• 50 Arrow Gallery, Easthampton, MA
• The Baryo Collective, as supported by Kwentu, Somerville, MA 
• Candida Rose Baptista, along with Iva Brito, Ana Paola Songs, Dr. Aminah Pilgrim, & Lori Tolentino, New Bedford, MA
• Center For Peace Through Culture, Housatonic, MA
• Huckleberry Elling, Sabrina Allard, Marina Dominguez, Pittsfield, MA
• Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzmán, Gerardo Beltran, and Rolando Oliva, New Bedford, MA
• Punto Urban Art Museum, the arts program at North Shore CDC, Inc., Salem, MA
• Rachel TonThat and Miyabe Shields with the North Shore AAPI Coalition, Salem, MA
• Sharon Leshner, Lisa Iglesias and the Children’s Museum at Holyoke, Holyoke, MA

“These CISJ imagination teams are diving into pivotal questions: how to preserve cultural narratives, support immigrant communities, sustain public artmaking for youth, and reimagine systems of belonging in public spaces,” said Kim Szeto, senior program director, public art. “Through the cohort model, these teams will gain collective strength, fostering innovation and equity through shared learning and collaboration.” 

Since 2020, NEFA has invested $158,400 into fostering collective imagination for spatial justice across Massachusetts through 35 CISJ grants. The Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice grant is made possible with generous funding from the Barr Foundation.

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation.  NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org.