The mission of Arts for Learning Massachusetts is to educate, inspire, and empower the youth of Massachusetts through the arts. We believe that the arts are an essential component of both formal education and youth development, and that creative expression opens worlds. We recognize the transformational power of the arts for social justice and healing. We are committed to providing youth of all ab
ilities, identities, and backgrounds access to the rich educational opportunities and sense of belonging inherent in arts learning. We acknowledge the impact of colonization, systemic racism, and white supremacy on Massachusetts and the United States, and are on a learning journey to become a fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization. Our office is located on the traditional territory of the Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), Pawtucket, and Naumkeag people, and we recognize that the land we live, work and create upon has been occupied and stewarded by these and other indigenous communities long before European colonization. We support the Black Lives Matter movement, and acknowledge that the society we share was built with the stolen labor of Black people. Providing a platform for historically and currently oppressed/marginalized artists to share their art is just the beginning of our shared responsibility to build a racially just and liberated world. We value and amplify diverse voices and actively recruit, champion, and support our roster of more than 100 performing and teaching artists and their mastery of traditional and contemporary art forms from the United States and around the world. We collaborate with artists, schools, and organizational partners to ensure our programs are equitable, inclusive, anti-racist and culturally responsive. We are committed to arts access and equity and have prioritized expansion of our Expanded Arts Access programming in our strategic plan.
