CITY OF GLOUCESTER AND METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL TO HOST “THE POWER OF ARTS AND CULTURE PLANNING” EVENT

GLOUCESTER, MA – The City of Gloucester, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), will host “The Power of Arts and Culture Planning: What Could a City-Wide Arts and Culture Plan Do for Gloucester?” on Tuesday, October 6, from 6PM to 8PM at the Kyrouz Auditorium in City Hall.

The community meeting will explore how a city-wide arts and culture plan could help support Gloucester’s vibrant arts and cultural community and strengthen the role of arts and culture in the City’s future. This would be a first for the City, as Gloucester has never created a formal arts and culture plan. 

The event will open with a reading from Gloucester’s Co-Poet Laureate Heidi Wakeman, and will provide an opportunity for residents, artists, cultural organizations, businesses, community leaders, and other interested community members to learn more about arts and culture planning and share their ideas about what such an effort could mean for Gloucester. Discussion topics will include what an arts and culture plan is, why it is important for a city to have. Speakers will include Mayor Paul Lundberg, Chair of the Gloucester Committee for the Arts Karen Ristuben, and Gloucester’s Arts, Culture, and Events Coordinator Miranda Aisling. 

This will be a community discussion that includes a question and answer segment so members of the public can ask our city staff and MAPC staff about what an arts and culture plan in Gloucester would look like for them. MAPC staff will help facilitate the conversation and share examples and lessons from arts and culture planning efforts in other communities.

Residents and community members are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion. RSVP is requested.

What: The Power of Arts and Culture Planning: What Could a City-Wide Arts and Culture Plan Do for Gloucester?
When: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, 6PM – 8PM
Where: Kyrouz Auditorium, City Hall, 9 Dale Ave, Gloucester, MA
RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW9q2EoPefMYkeEj-2husNkLSy7G25sx6ZACnNZiVWfCYp0w/viewform?usp=header