Thriving Together: A Vision for Arlington Center for the Arts
I'm Mary-Liz Murray, and I'm delighted to introduce myself as the new Executive Director.
I'm just over a month into this role, and while I still have quite a bit to learn (including all the great iced coffee spots in town!), one thing has already become clear: Arlington Center for the Arts is a special place because of the people who have made it one.
I've jumped right in, from Town Day and the Great Northeast Jug Band Festival to our recent Annual Meeting and gallery opening. Along the way, I've met artists, students, teachers, volunteers, and neighbors. Some have been part of ACA for decades. Others are just discovering us. What strikes me most is how deeply connected people feel to this place and to one another.
That's what I love about community arts organizations. People don't simply participate in them. They help shape them, building relationships and traditions that become part of the fabric of a community.
A Lifelong Connection to Community Arts
I'm a Greater Boston native whose creative journey began in a small, community-driven arts program, not so different in spirit from Arlington Center for the Arts. That experience stayed with me through college and has helped shape my life.
Early in my career, I pieced together a life as a working artist, balancing my creative work with teaching and part-time arts administration. (Anyone who's worked in the arts knows that wearing several hats is almost always part of the job description.) Along the way, I became interested in creating opportunities for other artists and bringing people together around creative work. That led me into fundraising, marketing, and eventually nonprofit leadership.
Through it all, the arts have remained a constant thread.
I believe deeply that the arts aren't an extra. They're part of what makes a community a good place to live. They help us express ourselves, understand one another, and feel connected.
That's what drew me to ACA.
A Vision for the Future
When I interviewed for this position, I was asked to share my vision for the future. I called it Thriving Together.
The idea was simple: a thriving organization isn't necessarily one that's always getting bigger or doing more. A lesson worth remembering in a sector where we're often asked to do both with less.
Thriving means having the people, relationships, resources, and sense of purpose to do meaningful work well.
As Arlington Center for the Arts approaches its 40th anniversary in 2028 (yes, 40 years!), I see three priorities: honoring what we've built, remaining open to change, and strengthening the foundation that will sustain us for another 40 years.
That means celebrating our history while asking thoughtful questions about who we're reaching, how our community is changing, and what opportunities lie ahead. Because a thriving arts center doesn't happen by accident. It happens when a community believes in what it makes possible and chooses to invest in its future.
Building Community Through the Arts in Arlington
At our recent Annual Meeting, I asked people to reflect on what Arlington Center for the Arts has meant in their lives. Hands went up as people shared that they'd made friends, learned new skills, discovered new interests, and even learned something about themselves.
It's a wonderful reminder that what makes ACA special isn't simply the art we create or the programs we offer. It's what happens because of them.
It's the child who discovers a creative outlet that builds confidence. The friendships formed around a studio table. The artist who finds a community of peers. Or the neighbors who leave an event feeling more connected to the place they call home.
These experiences ripple outward, enriching individual lives while making Arlington a more vibrant, welcoming, and connected community.
As we approach that big 40th birthday, I want to celebrate and share these stories while creating opportunities for more of them. When I imagine a thriving Arlington Center for the Arts, I don't simply imagine more people coming through our doors. I imagine more people finding connection, discovering something new, and feeling, “this is a place for me.”
Looking Ahead: Join the Conversation
One of my goals as I step in to lead is to make space for more conversation about our work, our community, and the ideas shaping our future.
That's why I'm writing this first blog post. I hope to return regularly with updates, observations, things I'm learning, and perhaps a few behind-the-scenes glimpses of what goes into making it all happen.
I'd also love to hear from you. What brought you to Arlington Center for the Arts? What keeps you coming back? What do you hope we'll build together?
Whether you take a class, attend an event, volunteer, share your talents, or support our work, I hope you'll see yourself as part of ACA's future.
Here's to the next chapter, and to thriving together.
