Massachusetts Council to Discuss Creative Business Growth in Framingham

The CreativeNEXT tour, a statewide opportunity for the Massachusetts Creative Economy Council to hear from creative economy businesses, organizations and individuals, will come to Framingham today, July 31 at the Dandforth Museum of Art at 2. The public is invited.

“Our Commonwealth’s thriving creative economy plays a vital role in our continued economic success,” said Governor Deval Patrick in a press release. “I urge industry leaders to connect with us through the CreativeNEXT tour so that we may better work together to grow opportunities across the state.”

The Patrick-Murray Administration’s Creative Economy Industry Director Helena Fruscio and Creative Economy Council are meeting with businesses, organizations, and individuals working in design, film, media, publishing, visual and performing art, music, architecture, and video games to join in a discussion about the creative economy and its future in Massachusetts.

“Our Administration is committed to cultivating and strengthening the creative economy in all regions throughout Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray in a press release. “The CreativeNEXT tour will further promote partnerships with businesses and organizations within the industry and foster opportunities that will strengthen the industry’s economic future across the Commonwealth.”

“There is a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained and untapped opportunities to explore for the creative economy businesses and organization from around the Commonwealth,” said Fruscio “We hope to give voice to this industry in every part of the state. I am interested to see where we are, but also what is next for the creative economy.”

Twenty-one CreativeNEXT events and roundtables are planned for July and August to connect to the $1 billion creative economy industry, which currently employs over 100,000 Massachusetts workers, according to a New England Foundation for the Arts study. The tour will help the Council gain valuable insights concerning the growth and sustainability of creative economy business and organizations within the state of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Creative Economy Council is an advisory Council to the Legislature and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and is designed to develop a statewide strategy for the enhancement, encouragement, and growth of the creative economy in Massachusetts. Working with Fruscio, the CreativeNEXT listening tour will help to guide the future priorities of the Council. Once all the events are completed the finding will be generated into a report that will help guide the Council’s priorities.

The events are hosted in collaboration with regional and industry partners all invested in the growth and development of the creative economy in Massachusetts.

“The MetroWest region is fortunate to have a rich diversity of creative economy businesses. From artisans to writers, museums to cultural attractions, we have it all. We applaud the Creative Economy Council and Creative Economy Industry Director Helena Fruscio for bringing this opportunity to partner, listen and learn as we move the creative economy forward for MetroWest,” said Bonnie Biocchi, President and CEO of the and chair of the board for the MetroWest Tourism and Visitor’s Bureau.

The two organizations worked together to facilitate the discussion which will be held at the in Framingham.

During the forum participants will be asked a number of questions relating to the size and scope of their businesses with a focus on opportunities for growth and development. Focus areas will include identifying what sets a creative economy business or organization apart from others, where are opportunities to grow and what support is needed for that growth, and how can the Council help facilitate what is next for the creative economy in Massachusetts.