Your source for local arts, culture and creativity.

Experience Creativity in Essex County

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Creative County is proud to support our local arts and culture community.

 

This work...

  • CREATES a regional voice for arts, culture and creative expression in Essex County.
  • PROMOTES transformative community and economic development.
  • ELEVATES arts and cultural experiences that celebrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and access across communities.
  • INVESTS in artists and the creative economy in an environment of rapidly changing demographics.
  • CELEBRATES Essex County as a vibrant place to live, work, create and collaborate.

Artists, nonprofit leaders, educators among new cohort of ECCF Creative County ChangeMakers

Artists, nonprofit leaders, and educators among the new cohort of ECCF Creative County ChangeMakers Danvers, MA — Essex County Community Foundation’s investment in a growing group of creative leaders supports a more inclusive and sustainable regional arts and culture...

Unleashing Musical Talent: NMYO’s Symphonic Summer Sessions in Topsfield

Unleashing Musical Talent: NMYO's Symphonic Summer Sessions in Topsfield This summer, the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (NMYO) is excited to announce its fourth annual Symphonic Summer Sessions, held from July 29 to August 2, 2024, at the scenic Trinity...

Moving the Needle on Systems Change in Arts Philanthropy 

Moving the Needle on Systems Change in Arts Philanthropy ResearchArticle Lisa Payne Simon, MPH, Stratton Lloyd, MBA, and Karen Ristuben The field of place-based arts philanthropy is at an inflection point. Place-based foundations are being asked to lead and do more to...

ECCF, MVPC Welcome New Merrimack Valley Arts & Culture Specialist

ECCF, MVPC Welcome New Merrimack Valley Arts & Culture Specialist News & Announcements | Press Release Haverhill resident Jenny Arndt to lead critical efforts to strengthen the creative sector One month into her new Merrimack Valley Arts & Culture...

ECCF’s Creative County ChangeMakers program graduates 11 Creative Leaders

Lawrence, MA – Eleven artists, municipal leaders, and creative business owners graduated on Oct. 26 from Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County ChangeMakers program. The eight-month leadership support program – which includes facilitated and project-based...

Cape Ann Plein Air Unveils Exciting Plans for Its 7th Annual Festival and Sale

Cape Ann Plein Air (CAPA) is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated 7th Annual Festival and Sale, taking place October 8 -15. This week-long celebration of art will gather 37 nationally and internationally acclaimed outdoor painters who will capture the scenic...

Newburyport ArtWalk Hosts Fall Events on Sept. 30

Newburyport ArtWalk: A Day-Long Festival of Art and Community Newburyport, MA, is a city that has long been known for its vibrant arts community. On Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the city will once again celebrate its local artists and...

Celebrate 40 Years of Artistic Brilliance with Cape Ann Artisans: The Ultimate Fall Tour

Special 40th-Anniversary Events: A Close Collaboration with Cape Ann Museum and Rocky Neck Art Colony The calendar says it's fall, but Cape Ann Artisans have added an extra hue of celebration this year. Marking their 40th anniversary, the artisans have truly gone...

The Butterfly Mural Migration: A Community-Led Journey in Art and Ecology

Sponsored by the Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative "I've been working as an artist for a couple of decades and trying to figure out how to tell people about the environmental crisis that we're a part of, not to scare them but to offer a...

The PEG Center Hosts “A River Called Justice: Evidence, Experience, and What We Can Do” at PRNWR Visitor Center  

Newburyport, MA, Aug. 10, 2023 – Climate justice, its connection with racial inequality, and the impact of community action will be the topic of as special event hosted by the PEG Center for Art & Activism at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor...
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Learn more about what Creative County has to offer...

Your source for local arts, culture, and creativity.

Learn about the creative work happening in Essex County and learn about the people and organizations in our creative ecosystem.

Public art & creative placemaking grants

Funding for new, collaborative placemaking and public art projects.

Cultural planning

Engaging communities in municipal planning that is inclusive of arts and culture.

Capacity building

Opportunities for artists, arts leaders and culture organizations to further their missions, compete in our creative economy, and deepen their community-centered work.

Convenings

Bringing all parts of the sector together to learn, network, inspire and thrive as one united ecosystem. 

Communications and connectivity

Helping artists and organizations reach new audiences, grow financial support and connect with each other.

Videos

From our video channel

Art is
essential.

"Art inspires us. It spurs us to innovate and drives us to imagine the impossible. Culture grounds us. It connects us to our past, brings us together, and lifts us up."

- ECCF Executive Director Beth Francis

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The work of Creative County ...

  • CREATES a regional voice for arts, culture and creative expression in Essex County.
  • PROMOTES transformative community and economic development.
  • ELEVATES arts and cultural experiences that celebrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and access across communities.
  • INVESTS in artists and the creative economy in an environment of rapidly changing demographics.
  • CELEBRATES Essex County as a vibrant place to live, work, create and collaborate.