Our Mission

The mission of the Arts & Business Council is to strengthen a vibrant arts community by providing quality direct legal and business services and ongoing educational programs to the artists and cultural organizations within Massachusetts.

Why We Matter

In Boston there are more arts and cultural organizations per capita than in any other metropolitan area in the country; the number of visual artists is in the thousands and there are over 16,000 independent musicians. Therefore, our work is vital to sustaining and growing this very important sector of our economy.

Our Programs

• Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) - Celebrating our 25th year of service, we provide $1.5 million worth of quality pro bono legal services and educational programs to the Commonwealth’s arts communities each year.
• Essential Training for the Arts (ETA) - Our professional development webinars, workshops, conferences, and programs serve artists and administrators alike. We have graduated over 200 artists from our Artist’s Professional Toolbox, a nine-month professional development program that empowers artists with the skills and confidence they need to master the business challenges of their careers. We have launched similar programs for musicians and filmmakers.
• Business on Board (BOB) - We train business professionals to serve on nonprofit boards of directors. To date, we have graduated over 300 business professionals, many of whom are currently serving in new board positions.

Our History

In 2000, a small group of Boston business leaders established the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston to create opportunities for professional and creative development for artists and arts organizations as a means to bolster Boston’s economic health as a whole. A&BC became the 15th affiliate in the nationwide network of Arts & Business Councils. In 2005, the national office merged with Americans for the Arts, a public sector advocacy organization.

In 2008, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston merged with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts (VLA), an organization originally formed in 1989 by a dedicated team of lawyers, law firms, state and local government agencies, and legal foundations with the goal of providing free and reduced-fee legal services for the local arts community. Since founded, the VLA has assisted, educated and advised over 4,000 artists, providing over $20 million dollars worth of pro bono legal services to the arts community.

The merger between the A&BC and the VLA in 2008 has helped strengthen the two organizations. It has increased our effectiveness, efficiency, and long-term viability. We look forward to the future as we look to explore and develop programs that further strengthen the arts community.

The artwork on this site

The artwork featured throughout our site is courtesy of several graduates of our Artist's Professional Toolbox program: Aimee Empey, Lei-Sanne Doo, Kathy Soles, Christine Destrempes, Katherine Borkowski-Byrne, and Valerie Spain.