Springfield Cultural Partnership, Springfield Cultural Council and THE OFFICE performing arts + film are excited to announce an open call for artists to apply to ARTISTS AT WORK (AAW), a workforce resilience program designed to support artists and their communities through artistic civic engagement, that will bring a new opportunity for four artists to work with community members and organizational partners in the Mason Square neighborhood in Springfield, MA.

Beginning on July 1, 2024, Artists At Work will offer 4 local Springfield-based artists a salary and benefits for the period of one year. In addition to continuing their own artistic practices, selected artists will work with local partners within the Springfield TDI District – focused around the Mason Square neighborhood – on artistic civic engagement projects that engage youth around community priorities laid out by the Mason Square TDI Partnership for the area’s future, centering on identity, history and belonging, and community safety and wellness.

These engagements will be led by the selected artists with the support of community partners MLK Jr. Family Services and two local cultural organizations, the Springfield Armory and Springfield City Library, Mason Square Branch. While the exact form of projects will evolve over the term in collaboration with local youth, community, and partners, public-facing programming and projects will amplify and advance MLK Jr. Family Service’s mission and existing services while activating the cultural partners’ space and resources in service of the Mason Square community.

We invite Springfield-based artists of all backgrounds and disciplines to apply and take advantage of this unique opportunity to expand their artistic practice and contribute to the vibrant cultural landscape of their community.