Ashley Occhino

My approach to community-building is rooted in the lessons of resilience, reciprocity, and artistic expression I’ve seen modeled in underrepresented creative communities 

This ethos guides everything I do: I create spaces that center historically excluded voices, build bridges across disciplines and sectors, and elevate the arts as both a mirror and a tool for collective change.

I support and lead collaborations with artists, cultural organizations, municipalities, foundations, and community stakeholders. From securing millions in arts and culture funding to revitalizing globally reaching programs at the Textile Society of America and launching place making based initiatives in Gateway Cities across Massachusetts, I specialize in co-creating programs, strategies, and partnerships that are deeply rooted in community needs and cultural context.

I believe every artist, place, and community carries vital histories and imaginative blueprints for the future. My work draws on those truths to shape programs and policies that are equity-driven, accessible, and designed to endure.

Whether reimagining a national arts nonprofit’s governance model or building a local creative economy from the ground up, I approach the work with strategic insight, grounded humility, and the belief that equity lives in the details.

I’ve partnered with well known institutions like the Mass Cultural Council, RISD Museum, Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, and many other grassroots groups across New England. My consulting practice, AAO: Arts Action & Opportunity, helps organizations expand their impact through community engaged programming, operational realignment, and working to develop culturally responsive strategies.

Previously, I served as Executive Director of the New Bedford Art Museum, where I led a dynamic era of growth and transformation. During my tenure, the museum produced major exhibitions such as Pete Souza: Two Presidents, One Photographer, and Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design. I also launched and secured endowment funding for the Art Museum’s beloved artMOBILE a mobile art program that is bringing art education directly to neighborhoods across New Bedford.

Before that, I was the founding Director of the Fall River Arts & Culture Coalition (FRACC), where I designed and implemented an inclusive local arts infrastructure, reinvested over 80% of funds into the local creative economy, and supported dozens of artists and cultural projects on the South Coast. I currently serve as Executive Director of the Textile Society of America and as a board member of the Mass Cultural Council.

I believe real transformation happens when we listen deeply, take risks, and redesign structures that no longer serve us.

Across all my work, I champion the power of imagination, intention, and infrastructure to help communities not only survive, but thrive.