Mission

Founded in 2009, Artists in Context[AIC] is a project of The Arts Company, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, MA.  The purpose of the project is to support the research-based, multidisciplinary, embedded practices of contemporary artists and other creative thinkers who seek to invent alternative approaches to existing societal challenges.

Structured as a 10-year initiative, AIC is a timely and relevant endeavor to cultivate the visions, concepts, plans and projects of contemporary creative practitioners at an historic moment of transition and necessary change. The project initially leverages the intellectual, creative and activist underpinnings of four New England areas --Greater Boston, Rhode Island, Maine and the Pioneer Valley, MA– and organizes situations for conversation, research and artistic production among individuals involved in the arts, architecture, sciences, humanities, commerce and communications.   AIC is a creative platform for the generation of ideas and real-world projects that move us closer to a sustainable future.

AIC has two major program components: Connected and Consequential and the Artists’ Prospectus for the Nation.  Connected and Consequential is the learning and discussion side of AIC; within this program, we sponsor OneBooks,  talks, lectures, performances, film screenings, workshops, walks, studio suppers, and conferences that promote conversation, learning and networking regarding integrated and collaborative practices at the intersection of art and other fields. The Artists' Prospectus for the Nation is a multimedia publication that positions artists as active participants in society and documents their innovative plans for re-thinking issues of health, nature, shelter, learning, belief and justice, among others.  Broadly accessible and widely distributed, the Prospectus aims to be a resource for public conversations as well as policy making.