The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, was one of the few cultural districts selected as a host venue for the MCC Power of Connection Tour launch. Today’s gathering includes city and state officials: Mayor Romeo Theken, Senator Bruce Tarr & Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester.
Guests are just arriving for the welcome reception. I will post all we glean from MCC new grants and updates. Gloucester has two districts: Rocky Neck and downtown Harbortown. On the walls at Rocky Neck center–the holiday group show is installed upstairs and a John Nesta tribute downstairs. I am looking forward to the upcoming poetry night featuring Jay Featherstone, Suzanne and others.
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Monday, Nov. 27, 10 am, JOIN MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL POWER OF CONNECTION TOUR at Gloucester’s Rocky Neck Art Colony, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, with Mayor Romeo Theken, Senator Bruce Tarr & Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester. RSVP here.
November 29, 2017 Dogtown Public Presentationand Meeting- archaeological survey and pursuit of National Historic district designation
December 17, 2017 Cape Ann Cinema & StageOscar winner Chris Cooper will personally host a screening of the role that won him the Gold for Best Supporting Actor…horticulturist John Laroche in Spike Jonze’s superb, darkly comic 2002 drama, “Adaptation.” The evening benefits The Jesse Cooper Foundation.
Anita Walker, director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, welcome address October 2017 MCC cultural district convening held at IDEO Cambridge headquarters.Congrtulations to the original cultural districts– all renewed designation
Message from Anita Walker the Power of Culture- MCC has a new logo for its 50th year
Mayor Romeo Theken always shares art news immediately! Please share. Dealers, tell your artists! Family and friends, encourage someone you know should try.
Here’s the announcement and deadline from the Massachusetts Cultural Council:
The Massachusetts Cultural Council 2018 Artist Fellowship program opportunities have been announced!
“Mass Cultural Council will accept applications in Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Painting beginning December 15, 2017. Application deadline: January 29, 2018…Visit the MCC redesigned ArtSake blog, our online resource to support new art and Massachusetts artists. Every week, we round up a list of opportunities for artists – a way to find your next contest, artist residency, call to artists, publication, and more.”
Gloucester artist, Erica Daborn, was awarded an MCC fellowship grant in 2016.
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Sculpture Garden outside Paul Manship residence/studio Lanesville village of Gloucester, MA (photo taken after 1943 when he bought 14 acres abandoned quarry)
How did Gloucester stack up? $375,500
From the release (May 18, 2017 – New Bedford, MA) –
“The Baker-Polito Administration and Massachusetts Cultural Council today announced $9.3 million in new awards from Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF), celebrating over $100 million in total cultural sector investments since the fund was established ten years ago. An additional $10 million in funding was included in the Baker-Polito Administration’s Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Budget Plan released last week…Over $100 million in CFF awards since 2007 have supported 772 building projects in the nonprofit arts, sciences and humanities, with total development costs of $2.6 billion, driving cultural tourism, job growth, and community vitality in cities and towns across Massachusetts. Over ten years CFF-funded projects have supported 8,512 full time jobs and $492 million in wages, employed 23,778 architects, engineers, contractors, and construction workers, and created 2,092 new permanent jobs…The new round of awards today includes 61 capital grants totaling about $8.9 million and another 18 planning grants totaling nearly $400,000. Grants range from $7,000 to $300,000, and must be matched one-to-one from private and/or other public sources. Learn more about the CFF.”
Scroll on to see the state’s Cultural Facilities Funding (CFF) totaling $367,000 plus Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) totaling $8500 breakdown for Gloucester. Along with the categories below and others, make sure and think about next year’s application categories including the new festival grant category OPEN NOW.
MCC ARTIST FELLOWSHIP -$0
MCC BIG YELLOW SCHOOL BUS – $400
O’Maley and Veterans $200 each for an educational field trip
CULTURAL FACILITIES FUND (CFF) – $367,000
Driven by the Boston Foundation, MA Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities (MAASH), the MCC and others after many years, this big pot that funds so many projects was part of legislation passed back in July of 2006. Complete list of the winners announced May 18, 2017. Gloucester received 3 awards:
Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, Gloucester Project: Fire Safety and Detection Systems
Grant: $130,000 About the Facility: The Federal Style edifice, completed in 1806, is the largest, oldest and last remaining historic Meetinghouse in Gloucester. It serves as a welcoming civic center, distinguished concert hall and hub for community events. About this Project: The Cultural Facilities Fund awarded the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation $130,000 for the installation of a comprehensive fire-sprinkler system, fire-proof insulation and new detection systems.
Manship Artist and Residence Studios (MARS)Gloucester Project: Acquisition and Establishment of New Artist Residency Grant: $207,000 About the Facility: Manship Artist and Residence Studios will preserve a local treasure with national significance and continue the legacy of Cape Ann’s historic community of artists by establishing an artist residency program at the renovated 15+ acre property of sculptor Paul Manship. About the Project: The Cultural Facilities Fund awarded Manship Artist and Residence Studios $207,000 to purchase the Manship property in Gloucester, which will be transformed into an artist educational facility and gallery place. In 2016, MARS received $30,000 to conduct a feasibility study for the renovation of the Manship property as an arts and culture center with an artist residency program.
Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester Grant: $30,000 Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grants About this Project: The Cultural Facilities Fund awarded the Cape Ann Museum $30,000 for architectural studies and strategic planning assistance to explore expansion and facility improvements, informed by programmatic need and a 2016 Systems Replacement Plan.
MCC CULTURAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO- $0
MCC JOHN AND ABIGAIL ADAMS ART PROGRAM – $0
FESTIVALS PROGRAM– $500
St Peter’s Fiesta
–NEW GRANT OPEN–Festivals Taking Place September 1, 2017 – February 28, 2018
Online application available: June 2017
Preliminary funding decisions begin: September 1, 2017
Application deadline: September 15, 2017 at 5 PM (ET)
Grants announced: October 2017
MCC LOCAL CULTURAL COUNCIL (LCC)- $7600
Allocation Gloucester $7,600 Thanks LCC volunteers on the committee for processing the applications every year
Alicia Quintano, Lucille LePage and
2017 / 2016
$911 / $450
Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe
$295 / $348
Cape Ann Symphony
$200
Community Band, Cape Ann
$500
DiPrima, Jay
$300 / $250
East Gloucester Elementary School PTO
$500 / $300
Ethnic Arts Center
$400 / $400
Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library
$500 (1 grant) / $964 (2 grants)
Gloucester Writers Center
$300
Mark Chester Diversity Project and MIRA Coalition, a 501(c)3
Read dishy brief updates from downtown, marketing opportunities from MOTT, and trending topics from across the state. The arts scene in Gloucester and Cape Ann has so much going on and sets such a high, high bar for the state. We needed a calendar and GMG did it! Reminder: If organizations want to be featured on the essential GMG calendar and weekly arts round-up, they should email their listings to James Eves! Triple check the calendar before planning any major scheduling dates.
The City of Beverly and The Cabot hosted a Massachusetts Cultural Council north shore cultural district meeting today. The theater was getting ready for tonight’s sold out Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan and they still made time for the districts. Mayor Cahill welcomed the group. The current exhibition installed in this sunny space is a solo show by fine artist and commercial sign maker, Andrew Bablo.
Cultural districts and organizations coming together for this meeting included the following: Beverly Main Streets and the BAD district; Montserrat College of Art; Chris Sicuranza, Gloucester’s Director of Communications & Constituent Services,Office of the Mayor; the two Gloucester cultural districts, and local cultural council; Rockport’s cultural district; Essex Historic Society and Shipbuilding Museum and district; Historic New England and Cogswell’s Grant; Lynn’s district; Haverhill’s; and Concord’s. Concord will be hosting their regional meeting tomorrow. Currently there are 35 cultural districts across Massachusetts with 40 possible by the end of June. Salem may come on next year. Interactive MA cultural districts as Google map.
OUR HOSTS photo L-R: Kevin Harutunian, Chief of Staff, Beverly; Aaron Clausen, City Planning Director, Community Development, City of Beverly; Gin Wallace, Director Beverly Main Streets; Meri Jenkins, MCC; J Casey Soward, The Cabot, Beverly; Steve Immerman Montserrat College of Art, Beverly; Annie Houston, MCC
Cosgwell’s and Historic New England;Lee Spence Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum, Essex Cultural District; Suzanne Rocky Neck Cultural District; Rose Sheehan Gloucester local cultural council; Jenny Arndt Haverhill Cultural District
Fine artist and commerical sign business: Andrew Bablo exhibit at Cabot contact steezdesign.com or instagram @steezmagazine
Cabot director – J Casey Soward generous on a busy day!
Readying for Celtic Sojourn tonight at Cabot
Mayor Beverly welcomes MCC and North Shore districts
Chris Sicuranza, Meri Jenkins, Annie Houston
Suzanne and Rose
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So the 2016 Mayors Arts Challenge to tape a video submission highlighting art and culture was announced September 26th.
The deadline is October 14th.
What’s a city to do?
#MaMayorsArtsChallenge #GloucesterMA
The last Mayors’ Arts Challenge was in 2010. You can view various past submissions on the Massachusetts Cultural Council YouTube channel including Peabody (600 views), Pittsfield (3710 views), and Gloucester (24,877 views). Pittsfield won in 2010.
Guidelines for 2016:
The Gloucester 1-3 minute video needs to be sent to the State by October 14, 2016
October 17 – videos across the state go LIVE and voting commences
November 1 – voting stops
After November 1st – videos from 3 cities with the most “thumbs-up” are sent to the MCC selection panel. Winner announced soon thereafter and will be showcased at the State House February 17, 2017 as part of the Commonwealth Awards, the state’s highest honors in arts and culture. In 2015 Gloucester and Plymouth received Commonwealth Awards as creative communities “that demonstrated the central role of arts and culture in building healthier, more vital, more livable communities.” Gloucester was honored specifically “for providing leadership, funding and infrastructure to places where art and culture are presented.”
Gloucester is huge on enjoying, boosting and celebrating creative folks working here. Everyone has a phone. Help your artist-friend, business, restaurant, or organization that’s big into the arts.
Snap a photo, shoot some video. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. No matter what tag it #MaMayorsArtsChallenge #GloucesterMA then share, share, share before October 7th, one week prior to the State’s final deadline. Those tags –or one of them– could be a video.
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Read on to see the state’s Cultural Facilities Funding (CFF) totaling $221,000 plus Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) totaling $88,200 in Gloucester for 2016. It’s a safe bet that each resident in the City benefits from at least one of these 2016 projects. Along with the categories below and others, make sure and think about next year’s application categories including the new festival grant category that will be due September 2016 for 2017 programming. Congratulations to all the recipients!
MCC ARTIST FELLOWSHIP -$12,000
Artist Erica Daborn, for artistic professional development. $12,000
MCC BIG YELLOW SCHOOL BUS – $600
Beeman School, O’Maley and Veterans$200 each for an educational field trip
CULTURAL FACILITIES FUND (CFF) – $221,000
Driven by the Boston Foundation, MA Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities (MAASH), the MCC and others after many years, this big pot that funds so many projects was part of legislation passed back in July of 2006. Maybe it will be increased by it’s 10th year anniversary summer 2017? Across the state over the past 9 years, “CFF has awarded grants of $91.9 million to nearly 700 projects across the Commonwealth. Demand for CFF grants continues to outpace supply…The new round includes 68 capital grants totaling $8.9 million and another 23 planning grants totaling just over $400,000. Grants range from $7,000 to $300,000, and must be matched one-to-one from private and/or other public sources.”
Maritime Gloucester To construct a Student/Visitor educational Center on Harbor Loop. $116,000
Gloucester Stage CompanyTo replace aging and limited lighting system with a state-of-the-art lighting grid, equipment and controls, and supporting electrical rewiring. $50,000
Manship Artist Residence and Studios (MARS) To conduct a feasibility study for the renovation of the Manship property as an arts and culture center with an artist residency program. $30,000
Rocky Neck Art ColonyTo install an acoustic ceiling treatment, a second AC unit, lighting upgrades, and integrated A/V projection and sound equipment to its Main Hall. $25,000
MCC CULTURAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO- $23,000
Cape Ann Museum to celebrate the art, history and culture of the region and to keep it relevant by offering quality exhibitions and programs for our communities, and beyond. $11,500
Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, Inc.to establish, maintain, and operate a non-profit civic symphony orchestra in the Cape Ann area to foster, promote, and increase the musical knowledge and appreciation of the public through the performance of music at concerts and other functions; to provide an opportunity for Cape Ann area musicians to play as an orchestra; and to assist and encourage the musical development of Cape Ann students. $3,800
Maritime Gloucester to promote Gloucester’s maritime heritage as a platform for teaching maritime skills and marine sciences, and for encouraging environmental stewardship. $8,700
MCC JOHN AND ABIGAIL ADAMS ART PROGRAM – $21,000
Rocky Neck Art Colony establish an Office of Cultural Development in the City of Gloucester to champion innovation in arts and culture, provide support for private and public cultural development, and invigorate the City’s cultural tourism agenda; to develop an inclusive, collaborative cultural plan for Gloucester to strengthen historic links between the city’s maritime culture, community and the arts. $21,000
MCC LOCAL CULTURAL COUNCIL (LCC)- $7600
Allocation Gloucester $7,600 Thanks Rose Sheehan and the LCC volunteers on the committee for processing all the applications every year! This year’s 21 winners
Annisquam Historical Society
Preserving Gloucester History
$450
Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe
Season 2015-2016
$348
DiPrima, Jay
Henry David Thoreau Lecture
$250
East Gloucester Elementary School
Rob Surette and His Amazing Hero Art
$300
Harcovitz, Ruth
Songs of World War II
$250
LePage, Lucille
Stories, Songs & More
$571
Lundberg, Christine
The Art & Craft of Folly Cove Designers Film
$500
Manninen, Wendy
Singing and Signing
$300
Maritime Gloucester Association
Off to the Races! Exhibit
$700
Music at Eden’s Edge
Connecting Kids to Classical Music
$500
Northeast Mass. Youth Orchestras
Youth Orchestra Honors Concert
$350
Phyllis A Marine Association
History Sharing Program
$500
Rockport Music
Jasper Quartet
$400
Sawyer Free Library
Printerbot Learning
$464
Sawyer Free Library
Cape Ann Reads
$500
Sheehan, Rose
Welcome Yule – Midwinter Celebration
$500
Sheehan, Rose
Cape Ann Contra Dance
$450
Swift, Sarah Slifer
Trident Live Art Series
$400
Van Dyke, Juni
The Note Card Project
$350
Waller, Susan
The Fiesta People’s Mural
$250
Windhover Foundation
Quarry Dance 5
$700
MCC CULTURAL DISTRICTS City of Gloucester – $9000
Gloucester’s downtown Cultural District. $4,000
Gloucester’s Rocky Neck Cultural District. $5,000
MCC YOUTHREACH- $15,000
Maritime Gloucester and Action to provide hands-on marine and physical science instruction to at-risk 16-20 year-olds in collaboration with Action, Inc. $15,000
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Fred with Peter Webber, Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, and Ronda Faloon, Cape Ann Museum.
Since 1993, the Massachusetts Cultural Council Commonwealth Awards have been given every two years and celebrate achievement in arts and culture. Specifically,
“The Commonwealth Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions made by the arts, sciences, and humanities to education, economic vitality, and quality of life in communities across the state.”
See the full list here. Yo-Yo Ma (1997) and David McCullough (1999) are two notable past recipients. Prior city or town wins include:
Somerville (1993)
Northampton (1995, same year as Aerosmith)
Boston via Clara Wainwright (1999 First Night, Quilts—including Gloucester)
Springfield (1999 Library and Museums)
Cambridge (2003)
Worcester (2009, same year as Peabody Essex Museum)
Haverhill (2011)
Barnstable (2013)
Gloucester (2015) and Plymouth (2015)
Maritime Gloucester, Cape Ann Museum, Art Haven, Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library, Rocky Neck Art Colony, Gloucester Stage, Cape Ann Cinema, HarborWalk, the City Archives, the partners of the two Cultural Districts, and more all mentioned this special day.
Joey and guests summed up the honor on Podcast 120: “Without having the narrow blinders of us living in this community, can you really think of another community (other than Boston and one that’s our size)…Where else would have as vibrant an arts community?” Well, nearly that quote. Hmmm. Nominate GMG for 2016 in media?
David Cox took a few photographs at the HIVE during the Harbortown Cultural District second annual meeting earlier this month. He is a founding partner in the downtown district, along with Joey/GMG and Fred Bodin. Kim Smith is a NEW partner!
Art Haven generously offered the HIVE spaces as a host venue and opened up their Window Gallery for a pop up group exhibit. Please remember to support *Art Haven and all its efforts!
Harbortown Cultural District Partners group exhibit featured:
*David Cox, *Fred Bodin, *Joey Ciaramitaro, *Loren Doucette, John Sarkin, represented by Ken Riaf’s Law and Water Gallery, Juni Van Dyke, Ken Riaf, Beth Williams, goodlinens, Belle + Me, and *Ten Pound Studio (artists Susan Quateman, Muriel Lee Steele,Stephen Bates, and Chris Gauthier Kelly). Founding Partner *Island Art & Hobby has rotating art exhibits; they featured a wonderful painting by Eileen Patten Oliver for the Harbortown Cultural District event. Jason Burroughs was one of many artists with work exhibited on site at our host,*Art Haven’s HIVE space. You can find Burroughs at Island Art & Hobby, and see more of his art on display at Pleasant Tea and Latitude 43. *Founding Partners
12 NEW Harbortown Cultural District Partners:
Designer and start-up Jo-Anne Chirico’s goodlinens
Designers Ann Malvaux’s and Lisa LeVasseur’s Belle + Me
Reminder Gloucester’s Harbortown Cultural District
The 2nd Annual Meeting and celebration
Wednesday, November 5th, 2014
At the HIVE 5-7pm
Meet the new partners. Surprises, special performance, and…
2014 Windows Gallery at the HIVE
Featuring Harbortown Cultural District Partner group exhibit
On exhibit November 5, 2014
David Cox, Harbortown Cultural District *Founding Partner, photograph
Fred Bodin, Harbortown Cultural District *Founding Partner, photograph
Joey Ciaramitaro, Harbortown Cultural District *Founding Partner, photograph
Loren Doucette, Harbortown Cultural District *Founding Partner, painting
John Sarkin, represented by Ken Riaf’s Law and Water Gallery, Harbortown Cultural District Partner, drawing
Juni Van Dyke, Harbortown Cultural District Partner, painting
Ken Riaf, Harbortown Cultural District Partner, box constructions, mixed media assemblage sculpture
Beth Williams, Harbortown Cultural District new Partner, artist & downtown proprietor, handmade glass beads and jewelry
goodlinens, Harbortown Cultural District new Partner, artist and entrepreneur JoAnne
Chirico downtown textile business
Belle + Me, Harbortown Cultural District new Partner, designers Anne Malvaux and Lisa LeVasseur, French inspired custom scarves with jewelry
Ten Pound Studio, Harbortown Cultural District Partner, artist and a Ten Pound founder, Susan Quateman, silk painting; artist Muriel Lee Steele, silk painting scarf
BEYOND THE WINDOW! Art Haven is a Harbortown *Founding Partner
Check out HIVE, TAG, and other artists including Jason Burroughs currently on exhibit within all Art Haven’s amazing artistic community spaces. Sign up for classes! Use TAG services: printing and design, graphics, digital printing, screen printing, and more!
Founding Partner Art Haven has generously offered the HIVE for Harbortown Cultural District’s 2nd Annual Meeting and partner celebration which will be the perfect setting! Join us in celebrating a spectacular year filled with museum openings, special events, national press, and other landmark programming and happenings. Plus…meet the new Harbortown Cultural District Partners! Here’s a link to the current partners list (http://www.gloucesterharbortown.org/partner-profiles) Thanks to founding partners: GMG for helping us connect and spread the word, and to Fred Bodin, Maritime Gloucester and the Cape Ann Museum for hosting our 3 previous Harbortown Partner Events.
RSVP
Carol Thistle, Gloucester Community Development Director
If you’re traveling in MA–or anywhere across the US that has cultural district designations–they’re a good place to investigate ahead of time for planning.
The summer Butterflies exhibit at the Berkshire Museum that includes Kim Smith’s work is nearby 5 western ma cultural districts and ideally situated for visiting Tanglewood or whatever Berkshire art and trail you envision.
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Harbortown Cultural District will be included in an upcoming AAA publication featuring 10 cultural districts! Also look for some breaking tech news. Our Harbortown cultural district joined forces with the 3 other Cape Ann Cultural Districts (Harbortown, Rocky Neck, Rockport and Essex) to apply for a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant to help us towards some exciting shared marketing. We found out that YES we were awarded a grant, and are looking forward to creating a new mobile APP.
We’re also crossing our fingers this week, waiting to see if an amendment to the state’s supplemental budget happens or not. The MCC is asking for an amendment that will include $500,000 to market the state’s cultural districts through advertising on commuter rail lines, the subway and on busses in the Boston area.
GMG contributor and the ever affable Main Street proprietor Fred Bodin is one of our many talented founding partners. During our August event at the Cape AnnMuseum, he multi-tasked. The good photos from the event are his! Visit http://www.gloucesterharbortown.org
Cape Ann Museum Director, Ronda Faloon, outlined the museum’s impressive next steps and guided us on a mini tour. Cape Ann TV –also a founding partner—was filming. The Fresnel lens is gorgeous! I can’t wait to see it in its new location when the museum re-opens. Look at the scale of this thing (see photo with Bob Whitmarsh, Co-Chair, to get an idea of size—)!
We followed up with a discussion of our district goals led by Bex Borden.
We are so grateful to Cape AnnMuseum for hosting and the lovely appetizer spread and beverages. They also set up and readied for our visit and meeting. Harbortown founding partner, Lise Breen, and other members also helped set and clean up for this double billing. What a spot to have it. Check out the large Gordon Goetemann oil on canvas From a High Place Nice!
More party photos
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Here’s a few photos from Fred Bodin’s coverage of Tuesday’s May 28 kick off Celebration for the Harbortown Cultural District. The party was held in the Gorton’s gallery of Maritime Gloucester and it was packed! Check out the special cake –it very nearly covered a 4 x 6 table.
Gloucester from its water’s edge and beyond: the center for all! Like the “Harbortown” name, the cake was a mash up of two flavors, too. Lise Breen and Judith Hoglander worked with Jim’s Bagel and Bake Shoppe for this classic riff of Saul Steinberg’s famous 1976 New Yorker cover, a favorite motif for him.
Music filled the rooms and welcomed everyone. One of the Harbortown event’s surprises was the talent of musicians Zach Bridges & Steve Lacy from Henry Allen & The New Swingset. Here’s Henry Allen (on the steering committee for Harbortown) visiting with Mayor Carolyn Kirk and Karen Ristuben (Rocky Neck Cultural District) Gloucester ’s Rocky Neck Cultural District is a partner. Mayor Kirk spoke twice.
Leadership here and at the state level are advocating for the arts in a big way. The Harbortown Cultural District would not have happened without the support and commitment from Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Harbor Planning Director Sarah Garcia, Chief Administrative Officer James Duggan, all the Gloucester City Councilors, Senator Bruce Tarr, Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council representatives. The party filled up quickly. There was bountiful conversation and energy buoyed by appetizers and drinks thanks to so many wonderful partners and stakeholders. Here’s one of Fred’s crowd photos peeking through Maritime Gloucester’s display–what an apt framing for the themes of connection.
One of the first surprises on the evening’s program was a presentation from Harbortown partner, the Gloucester Public Schools. Teachers Kurt Lichtenwald’s and John Barry’s S.T.E.A.M. (science technology engineering, Arts and mathematics) classes feature students’ and made, engineered musical instruments. David Puglisi came to the event and showcased his handmade plywood electric guitar see his youtube video!
Co-chair for Harbortown Cultural District, Judith Hoglander looks on.
Anita Walker, executive director for the Massachusetts Cultural Council gave a wonderful speech about Gloucester , this district, the arts and maritime connections. She spoke to the legacy of the continuous involvement of youth and fostering stewardship through generations. She took a moment to recognize a contribution completed for the application.
Fred captures the authentic spirit of Anita Walker in this one and sheer fun. The MCC is passionate about Gloucester and the arts across Massachusetts . Sarah Garcia surprised Walker with an iconic Gloucester southwester. They visited Nelsons on Main Street on the day of the site visit, and the classic yellow slicker hats and ancillary businesses of the fishing industry were obvious topics. To the left of Walker, Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library Director, Carol Gray enjoys the moment.
More photos to come; David Cox, local media, and co-Chair Bob Whitmarsh were all snapping away at different points. By the way, one of the best Facebook pages in town, Fred Bodin may have some posted https://www.facebook.com/BodinHistoricPhoto
Happy New Year! The Massachusetts Cultural Council has reviewed the Downtown Gloucester cultural district application and let us know January 7, 2013 that we have “been moved to the next stage of the application process which is an MCC site visit”. We are sharing this good news and readying for the site visit at the end of February! The MCC will spend a day downtown in roundtable discussions, big walk around touring all-over, lunch, fun stops. Let’s do this Downtown!
Please Email: dgcdinfo@gmail.com (or judith@nii.net subject line DGCD) for info or to participate.
About the Downtown Gloucester Cultural District committee:
A volunteer- based steering committee made up of neighbors, stakeholders, property owners, business representatives, arts and culture representatives –committed to the establishment of a downtown cultural district designation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council by 2013. The DGCD will foster links between economic development and the arts, and will support the downtown Gloucester community. The Co-chairs: Judith Hoglander (Chair CFTA) and Robert Whitmarsh (Downtown Development and Historical Commissions)
Visit Website: Downtown Gloucester Cultural District website:
Bob hand delivered the Downtown Gloucester Cultural District required support material (two complete sets) to the Boston offices for the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), the last step in the application process. We hope Gloucester will be the first town in MA with 2 cultural districts and that the DGCD will soon join the other excellent cultural districts on the North Shore !
Please check out the photos of the binders being presented by Bob to Meri Jenkins and Kylie Sullivan of the MCC.
Next steps: The MCC will arrange a site visit and will go over our application in detail before a recommendation can be made to go forward with establishing the DGCD.
The November 13, 2012 CITY COUNCIL vote was UNANIMOUS to endorse the establishment of the proposed Downtown Gloucester Cultural District.
The DGCD coordinating group thanks the Councilors, our City Clerk, and the more than 30 partners and stakeholders who sent in letters of support and spoke at the hearing. Have a peek at a few: Cape Ann Museum , the Gloucester Public Schools , and Gorton’s.
Next steps: Send in the application and support materials and wait for word, guidance, and a visit from the Massachusetts Cultural Council!
Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation
Manship Artist and Residence Studios (MARS)Gloucester
Good Morning Gloucester 