A Celebration of Joy and Inspiring Creativity
The MassArt Common Good Awards celebrate the profound role that art and design play in solving problems, building empathy, and inspiring collective progress.
View Past RecipientsMassArt Common Good Awards
About the MassArt Common Good Awards
The MassArt Common Good Awards honor individuals and organizations who use art, design, and creative leadership to strengthen communities, advance education, promote social justice, and enrich civic life.
As the nation’s first and only independent public college of art and design, MassArt has long championed the role of creativity in shaping a more equitable, vibrant, and connected society. These awards highlight those who embody that mission—using the arts to make lasting, positive change.
Submit a NominationNominations
The MassArt Common Good Awards are open to individuals and organizations whose work embodies the College’s mission to create, engage, and transform for the common good. Nominations are now open for the 2026 MassArt Common Good Awards to be held on Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 12pm, and we invite you to help us identify this year’s honorees.
About the Nominations Process
About the Nominations Process
For the purposes of nomination, arts and culture should be broadly defined, and include visual and performing arts, literature, film, fashion, design, advocacy, administration, creative economy, etc. We seek to think differently and surprise people with what might be considered arts victories. We look for nominations that are highly intersectional to illustrate the intrinsic value of arts and culture in our lives. Nominations are being solicited from the MassArt community as well as the broader arts community in Massachusetts and beyond.
- You may nominate more than one person, but please use one form per nomination.
- You may self-nominate.
- Preference will be given to individuals, organizations and ideas with Massachusetts ties.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Celebrating a MassArt graduate whose creative work exemplifies excellence and impact.
- Nominee must have attended MassArt.
Frances Euphemia Thompson Award For Excellence in Teaching (one award): Honoring an educator or alum who advances the power of art education.
- Nominee must be a current or retired art teacher in a K-12 setting in Massachusetts.
- Nominees in this category do not need to have any MassArt affiliation.
MassArt Common Good Awards (multiple awards): Recognizing outstanding contributions to community, culture, and civic life through art and design.
We ask nominators to think broadly about individuals and organizations doing great work at the intersection of art and civic life. For instance, awards could be to an architect or landscape architect who worked on a public project or successfully incorporated public use into a private project; a public artist; an elected or appointed public official who has advanced the sector in a meaningful way; a designer who made something for a public purpose; someone who took a bold stand related to arts and culture; a youth artist working in community; someone working to address artist displacement; someone working in arts and health; an innovator, etc. Nominees in this category do not need to have any MassArt affiliation.
Please note: While there is one specific alumni award, alumni may be nominated in any category.
About MassArt
As the nation’s first and only independent public college of art and design, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) has been a catalyst for envisioning the role of art, culture, and design in all aspects of life. We honor those who use creativity as a force for community, equity, and joy.
Arts, culture, and design are everywhere, embedded in all facets of our lives. As a public institution, we exist at the nexus of service, civic life, arts, and culture.- Dr. Mary K. Grant, MassArt President
