Look Who is Found on CreativeGround! Tips to Search, Find, and Contact

Posted May 2, 2024

Did you know that there are over 100 ways to search the nearly 30,000 artists and organizations on CreativeGround? You can start with very specific results in mind or browse around and get inspired. Find and contact potential collaborators, services, and venues such as artists, arts centers, libraries, or any of the other of our 58 Institution/Business Types included on the site. 

CreativeGround is the only regional arts and culture directory in the U.S., giving all New England artists and arts and culture organizations visibility and the opportunity to connect with each other, with community leaders, and with everyone, anywhere. CreativeGround is also uniquely a dynamic research database that NEFA has made available online, so anyone can explore the user-generated and maintained profiles on CreativeGround and get a real-time picture of the broad spectrum of creative people and places at work in the six New England states and the important connections between them. The opportunities for learning about and contacting each other are almost endless!

Search Tips

The Search Filters are dynamic and will automatically update as you make more selections. You can even combine keywords and filters! The top of the Search page shows the options you’ve selected, allowing you to add or remove them easily. There are options for how you view your search results – either in a list or a map view, and you can change the way they are sorted with the options in that drop down menu. Get technical help in the Search FAQs.

The information on the profiles is almost all searchable – grouped into these Search Filter menus– expand them each to see additional options! (For specific ideas on how you might search, check out the Dig In As...pages that give tips customized to different roles.)

Institution/Business Type (include entities that create, educate/train, and support and distribute creative work - from artists/creatives to schools of the arts to cultural heritage organizations)

Professional Discipline (major categories and hundreds of sub-genres)

Activities/Services (includes Artistic/Creative Activities, Support Services, Teaching/Training Activities, Technical Activities, Professional Services, and Public Activities)

Special Designations (include NEFA grant recipients, State Arts Agency Roster Artists, NEST grant-eligible artists, Native American Artists, New England Presenter (NEP) members and more)

Location (options for state, county, city/town, postal code and distance from postal code)

Community/Audience Services (include languages available, accessibility of services, and venues for rent)

Make Contact

Click on the profiles in your search results to learn more - view their images and videos, who they've worked with, their affiliations and accomplishments and more. If you want to connect, click the Contact this Profile button and reach out! The profile will receive an email and know that you found them on CreativeGround.

How Do You Search CreativeGround?

Users have shared how they Search CreativeGround in their Journeys and we update the sample searches like the ones below on the homepage every few months. Let us know how you like to explore! What do you want to be #FoundOnCreativeGround? Let's shine a light in every corner of our rich and varied creative community. Connect with Creative New England!