The Future of Collective Action for the Arts and Culture Sector
May 8, 2025
On Thursday, May 8, community members and arts sector leaders joined the Boston Foundation at The Foundry in Cambridge for a panel discussion on collective action. Catherine Morris, Director of Arts and Creativity at the Boston Foundation, opened the evening by emphasizing the arts’ vital role in shaping the future. She invited the audience to reflect on their personal approach to collective action, whether through educating others, putting on a show, writing a letter, engaging with local officials, or sharing a meal with someone new. “Remember,” Morris said, “the choice is yours to make.”
Moderated by Emily Ruddock, Executive Director of MassCreative, the panel discussion featured Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of the Theater Offensive; Bella Desai, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Artist Employment Program at Creatives Rebuild New York; Joyce Linehan, Assistant to the President for Special Projects at Massachusetts College for Art and Design; and Quanice Floyd, Executive Director of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.
Ruddock began the discussion by asking the panelists how they define collective action, prompting varied responses with a central theme: coming together across differences. Desai noted that while collective action must include a large artist turnout, it also requires working across sectors. Desai acknowledged how artists can bridge sectors, saying, “Artists are also parents; artists are also gig workers. Artists are also facing all of the precarity that many other folks are facing,” making them a powerful voice for change.
Linehan noted that many experience isolation even while working toward a shared goal, reminding the audience that “an imperfect ally is not an enemy.” She urged the audience to focus on collaboration over ideological differences, saying, “It doesn’t have to be completely common ground. There are ways to work together."
Agenda
Welcome
Catherine T. Morris, Director of Arts & Creativity, The Boston Foundation
Panel Discussion
Giselle Byrd, Executive Director, The Theater Offensive
Bella Desai, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Artist Employment Program, Creatives Rebuild New York
Quanice Floyd, Executive Director, National Guild for Community Arts Education
Joyce Linehan, Assistant to the President for Special Projects, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Emily Ruddock, Executive Director, MassCreative
To Byrd, collective action is ensuring mutual survival and recognizing our interconnectedness. “Everyone plays a role in our lives, and we can’t forget that, from the person who handles your bank deposits to the person who helps you try on that dress that you know you should not buy,” Byrd said. “It’s collective action bringing all those people into one room and saying, ‘How do we uplift each other? How do I give you the thing you need in order to survive?’”
Floyd addressed the competitive culture of nonprofits, especially when it comes to securing funding. “We are all in competition with one another, and it’s always been happening,” Floyd said. “There are advocacy organizations who are each hosting their own events about advocacy. Why can’t we all come together and have one national advocacy event?” Floyd stressed that the only way to achieve change through collective action is to band together by any means necessary, and to work toward “building something that’s bigger than any of us can imagine as a single person, building something bigger than any of our communities can collectively think of.”
When Ruddock questioned the panel about the role of data in arts advocacy, Desai pointed to the importance of amplifying artists’ stories. “We have had this data for a long time. But it’s the stories and it’s seeing the art and seeing the way art moves people that’s actually what’s making the change happen.”
Linehan agreed, noting that while data is great for reaching certain people, we must meet people where they are to make an impact. Ruddock briefly stepped out of her moderator role to agree with the panelists, recognizing that we cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach to advocacy. “Sometimes, I think we want to use the same argument for every audience.” She cited situations in which she needs to prove her case with data but said when it comes to “movement building and collective action, it is about winning over the hearts.”
Byrd touched on the influence action and speaking up can have on others. “There are people who you don’t know who are watching everything you do, and they need you to say something.” However, Byrd acknowledged that statements themselves are not collective action. “Collective action is getting on your feet or getting on that phone or computer or picking up something and getting someone engaged,” she said.
In closing, the panelists shared how the audience should engage in collective action:
- Linehan encouraged becoming a resource to those in power. She cited “making yourself helpful to elected officials, making yourself the kind of person they call,” as a powerful means to creating change.
- Floyd advised against overthinking and warned that it often leads to inaction. “Don’t think too hard about it, just do it,” Floyd said. At the very least, “do something.”
- Byrd recommended a bite-sized approach to advocacy. “Take ten minutes out of your day. Pick that one thing you want to fight, do something about it,” Byrd said. “Send an email, make a phone call, write a letter, do the thing.”
Morris returned to the stage to close out the event with a final call to action: “Start your movement, call somebody, break bread, learn something new,” she said. “But whatever you do, don’t stop.”