Dear Partners and Supporters of Gloucester’s Harbortown Cultural District,
We have received a $4,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council which we are going to use to develop the “Harbortown Arts Festival” over Memorial Day Weekend – first of many, we hope!. We will be re-granting these funds to our members to help animate the Cultural District through creative placemaking projects and programs.
We will be asking local businesses, restaurants, coffee/tea houses, galleries and artist to hang new shows and open their studios on Saturday, May 28 so we can create a true downtown art-walk vibe the first night of the Festival.
For Saturday and Sunday, we will be opening the Call for Entries process where our downtown partners can apply for up to $500 to develop a creative placemaking project or program. These proposals must:
Happen on private, not public, property
Involve public engagement/participation in the planning or implementation of the project or program.
Partner with an artist – preference will be given to artists of Cape Ann.
Projects/programs must occur within the Cultural District boundaries and be completed by Monday May 30.
More information about these guidelines and how to apply will be available in early March; awards will be announced in April. The creative placemaking projects should be non permanent and they can be performance-based, multimedia, or digital. The creative placemaking programs can be hands-on activities, interpretive tours, presentations/lectures. We really want to be as broad as possible so we can see what our amazing creative community comes up with to celebrate what makes Gloucester, Gloucester.
We hope you are excited as we are about this new festival, which will bring more visitors, families and people downtown over Memorial Day Weekend. We hope it will become an annual event and grows each year.
And, we’re going to need your help to do so! For now, please mark your calendars. When you get the email for the Call for Entries, please help spread the word about this great opportunity. When the Festival Program is finalized in April, please help promote it to everyone and all!
Stay tuned!
Filed under: gloucester Tagged: Harbortown Arts Festival, Memorial Day Weekend 
