MassArt’s CACP brings together artists, designers, students, and the wider public to co-create and learn from one another, using art and design as powerful tools for community building and social justice. Through dynamic partnerships with local organizations, CACP facilitates innovative programs like the annual Haley House Souper Bowl, Wee Free Black Mamas with Wee the People, and Radical Imagination for Racial Justice Boston.
From creating over 300 handmade ceramic bowls to fundraise for food and housing justice, to public art tours in Roxbury, CACP connects creativity with community impact. These collaborations are rooted in inclusivity, offering opportunities for learning, engagement, and transformative action.
I am interested in what art can do beyond the individual in the studio. This event affects my life in such a positive way because I can see the power of organizing artists to work for the benefit of others.Gustavo Barceloni '17 BFA Ceramics on working with Haley House
Each year, MassArt students create over 300 ceramic bowls for Haley House’s Souper Bowl fundraiser, supporting food and housing justice programs. Attendees select handmade bowls and sample soups from local organizations.
Leading up to the event, Haley House community members are invited to make and glaze bowls at MassArt, while MassArt collaborators are invited to cook in Haley House’s prep kitchen.
Wee Free Black Mamas is a mass creative action for kids and families. The event honors Black mothers who cannot afford bail and are separated from their kids, awaiting trial. This is part of a national effort to bail out Black mothers in time for Mother’s Day. Along with Families for Justice as Healing and the Emancipation Initiative, together these organizations raise funds to reunite Black mothers with their families.
Since 2020, RIRJ Boston has worked with BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists to imagine and create racially just futures with their communities. This collaboration between MassArt’s CACP, the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and the Surdna Foundation has funded over fifty BIPoC artists living & working in Boston with financial and technical resources. Civic Design courses, created in collaboration with the Design Studio for Social Intervention’s Design Gym, have supported artists and organizers in building practices at the intersection of art and culture, politics, and movement building.
Each fall, these tours invite MassArt first year students to experience extraordinary public artworks in Roxbury, hear from local public artists, and deepen their awareness and appreciation for all Roxbury has to offer.
Our Partnerships celebrate the power of art and design to inspire change– join us in making an impact.
Local community artists or organizations interested in collaborating with us, please complete our Partnership Inquiry Form.
MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) partners with people and communities within and beyond MassArt to radically expand access to transformative creative experiences.
Connect with Us
