Creative Minds Out Loud Mass Cultural Council

Improbable Players uses theater performances and workshops to address addiction, alcoholism, and the opioid epidemic. The troupe is comprised of actors who are themselves in recovery from substance addiction. Their former Executive Director Andy Short shares what it means to do destigmatizing and prevention work in schools. “Theater people, we love to believe that the … Continue reading "Episode 115: Decreasing Stigma Around Addiction and Recovery"

In late 2019, we spoke to Doneeca Thurston, the newly-named Director of Lynn Museum/Lynn Arts. The 29-year-old Lynn native said her new role felt like a homecoming. She shares her vision for how the museum can be a champion for its majority minority community and ensure that local artists feel respected and celebrated. Doneeca Thurston … Continue reading "Episode 114: Reflecting the Community in Art Spaces"

Sandra Bonnici is a Senior Diversity Fellow for the American Alliance of Museums and a diversity and inclusion consultant. She says that doing the work to make a cultural organization diverse and inclusive requires deep and constant reflection. Institutions need to challenge their processes by asking, “For whom does this work? For whom does this … Continue reading "Episode 113: Unpacking Bias and Privilege in Cultural Organizations"

Sue Dahling Sullivan is an independent consultant with more than 30 years of nonprofit management experience. We spoke to her about strategic planning when she was the Boch/Wang Center’s Chief Strategic Officer and ArtWeek Lead Champion. She believes that you have to be flexible in strategic planning because things do change. It’s an art and … Continue reading "Episode 112: Don’t Just Measure Numbers, You’ll Lose the Real Story"

Dell Marie Hamilton is an artist, writer, and curator. Her work uses the body to investigate questions about personal memory, citizenship, history, and gender. Last fall, she shared what it’s like to have a creative practice in an era of toxicity, and emphasized the importance of self-care and continually learning from other artists. Dell Marie … Continue reading "Episode 111: Mindfulness as an Action"

Dr. Deborah Buccino and Adrien Conklin, BSN RN of MACONY Pediatrics discuss the addition of social prescription – prescribing cultural engagement as a protective, healthy habit – to their collaborative care work in the Berkshires. “We can give prescriptions for medicine. We can give prescriptions to see a neurologist. But we can also give a … Continue reading "Episode 110: Prescribing Cultural Engagement as a Protective, Healthy Habit"