New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks! Curator Jamie Uretsky (left) and Executive Director Ashley Occhino create portraits in one of two new pop-up studios inside the downtown museum.
Through the Universal Participation (UP) Initiative, Mass Cultural Council aims to break down barriers and bring full civic participation in Massachusetts’ cultural sector. Both a movement and a designation, our UP Initiative creates opportunities for leadership, peer networking, and education in universal design principles, audience engagement strategies, and ADA compliance.
Kudos to the 10 organizations accepted into the UP Innovation and Learning Network (ILN) and the eight new UP Designated Organizations in 2021. These organizations are committed to embracing access as a system that anticipates and responds to our human diversity.
The UP Designation is a badge of distinction. Organizations with UP Designation work to ensure equitable participation is always front of mind.
The ILN includes a series of webinars, meetings, evaluations, and audits to steward the implementation of an access plan for participating cultural organization. Program activities, designed in partnership with the National Center for Accessible Media, Partners for Youth with Disabilities, and Open Door Arts, began in February and go through May 2021.
Part of a suite of plans developed by the Agency and its stakeholders to center equity as a guiding principle and a strategic practice; directing advancement and investment