Practicing artists and creatives, governmental officials and community leaders were seated at five tables and encouraged to step out of their traditional silos and think collaboratively. Discussions circled around several key themes: Living a Creative Life, Sustainability in the Creative Community, Partnerships and Opportunities, Tourism and Festivals and Advocacy and Governmental Affairs. Roundtable discussions were vibrant and infused with the spirit of active listening, open-mindedness and mutual respect.

PEM and Creative Collective were honored to have Carolyn Cole from Mass Cultural Council, Pedro Soto from Mass Development, Emily Ruddock from Mass Creative and Massachusetts State Senataor, Joan Lovely, as active participants lending their perspective of the broader activities happening in the Commonwealth. Locally, the event benefitted tremendously by having Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo serve as an engaged and highly effective moderator for the Advocacy and Government Affairs discussion.

Those at the Partnerships and Opportunities table started off with an icebreaker. David Snider, PEM’s Director of Learning and Community Engagement, invited each participant to write a one-word answer for the question, “what is most needed for a successful partnership?” Heads down, pens and post-it notes out, the responses came in: intent, transparency, communication, humility and trustworthiness.

The groups also discussed art as an essential economic driver that institutions and community members have a responsibility to support. According to a 2024 study by the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts, the arts and culture sectors, both for-profit and nonprofit, contribute 4.31% to the nation's GDP. These sectors support more than 5.2 million jobs and represent a $1.02 trillion industry — more than either the construction or the transportation sectors.

The questions stakeholders were asked to wrestle with were anything but simple. The arts community loves to fashion compelling places that people love. Whether it’s Lynn’s open studios, Beverly’s Montserrat College of Art or Salem’s robust schedule of festivals, the North Shore is fueled by creatives. Yet, those same people often struggle to afford the cost of living in the communities they help build. So, how do we set a better expectation and pay creatives enough to be able to stay and participate in the local economy? For starters, with collective advocacy.

This cross-disciplinary roundtable format was experimental but impactful. The room buzzed with energy as new connections were forged and fresh ideas circulated. A recurring theme was how rare and valuable it is to bring together such a wide range of creative stakeholders to tackle old challenges from a fresh perspective. Caroline Watson-Felt simultaneously represented Salem’s City Council and its theater community. In a moment of animated problem-solving, she exclaimed, “We’ve been talking about that problem for 20 years. Now is the time, let’s get it done!”

Curiosity, art and creativity — like food, water and air — are essential ingredients for quality of life. But why is creativity so difficult to pursue? At one table, a PEM board member and a Salem City Councilor listened to a group discuss the challenges they face living a creative life. Self-advocacy can be exhausting, the group agreed. Pricing your services, paintings or workshops can be challenging when everyone is dealing with this area’s high cost of living. One idea that emerged is to change how people view what is offered by the creative community, which includes how the community talks about itself.

A wide range of topics came up over the course of the evening. The group discussed how organizations and government entities don’t always know what it takes to be an artist — and that artists don’t always understand the processes of organizations and government entities. Representatives from smaller arts organizations expressed their frustrations with competing with larger, more established organizations in the grant funding reimbursement process when they couldn’t readily front a large amount of money.

Artists advocated for each other, offering advice for how to establish relationships and advocate for yourself, how to foster accountability with a contract and how to get away from a scarcity mindset and ask for resources. Supporting young artists in a changing world and creating a central place to share community partnerships and resources were also hot topics across the room.

The event also touched on the complex matrix of challenges facing the North Shore’s many immigrant communities: breaking down language, transportation and financial barriers is also key to helping all community members access art. From there, the group discussed how to address the needs of specific BIPOC communities to create more opportunities in art and culture.

Participants shared optimism that the upcoming 400th anniversary of Salem and “Salem 400” series of events could center around efforts to be a better community, building out programs that support residents.

At times, problems were solved right at the table, simply by sharing information about opportunities, such as within the City of Salem or the Salem State University community. An identified need for Spanish-to-English translation turned into the Superintendent of Salem Schools offering to help. “This is the greatest bridge right here,” said Michelle “La Poetica” Richardson, a spoken word artist who works in community engagement at Raw Art Works in Lynn.

The Creative Ecosystem Roundtable was a follow-up to last November’s Networking Breakfast and Leadership Forum, also held at PEM and organized in partnership with Creative Collective, that also offered another platform to delve into the opportunities and challenges that face our creative community. These events are part of a series that will continue in the fall of 2024.