Community

Creating Connection Cohort Launched

Live Painting at the Co-Creative Center event with Superflat New Bedford and local New Bedford artists / Photo by Steven Froias

New Bedford, MA – Developed by Arts Midwest and Metropolitan Group, Creating Connection is a research and messaging initiative that helps creative organizations connect their efforts to existing community values.

The program’s broad goals are to make creative expression, arts, and culture a recognized, valued, and expected part of everyday life. Eight arts and culture organizations’ 2022 resolution is to use creativity to create a healthier and more connected community. Already, members of the Creating Connection cohort have held virtual workshops to collaborate and take action. New Bedford Creative will be sharing the cohort’s journey throughout the year.

Organizations went through a process to be among the eight finalists chosen to take part in the project. The eight nonprofit organizations representing New Bedford in the Creating Connection cohort are 3rd EyE Youth Empowerment, Buy Black New Bedford, New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!, DATMA Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute (DATMA), New Bedford Historical Society, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford, and the Co-Creative Center.

The Barr Foundation is funding Creating Connection as part of its investment in the city’s arts and culture sector. New Bedford Creative is funded by the city’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Fund, with additional support from Bristol County Savings Bank, Mass Cultural Council, and MassDevelopment’s “TDI Creative Cities Initiative.” It is housed at the New Bedford Economic Development Council (NBEDC).