🔒Cultural leaders see Worcester’s arts scene thriving with collaboration and optimism

Even in the coronavirus pandemic, the heart of Worcester and its cultural and arts institutions are optimistic and committed to supporting and growing the community.

“The excitement is real, and that’s what allows us to be where we are now,” said Che Anderson, assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations at UMass Medical School in Worcester. “The resilience is real and that’s what afforded the arts an opportunity to still move and thrive and pivot in a way that other industries haven’t been able to during the pandemic.”

This message rang loud and clear during the second installment in the Worcester Emerging webinar series this spring from Worcester Business Journal and the State House News Service, describing the changes taken place in the second largest city in New England over the past half decade.

Joe Mathieu, anchor and executive editor of WGBH Morning Edition, moderated the panel featuring Anderson, who is a co-founder of the annual street art event POW! WOW! Worcester; Dani Babineau, CEO of Redemption Rock Brewing Co.; Laura Marotta, co-founder and executive director for Creative Hub Worcester; Stephanie Ramey, president of Worcester Railers Hockey Club; and Troy Siebels, president and CEO of the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Worcester’s cultural history and foundation situates the city well to continue the growth it had pre-pandemic into the future, said Anderson.

“Looking back, Worcester has a long history of innovation and creativity. All of the amazing things that are coming now are just quite literally standing on the tops of giants that came before,” he said.

And a lot of the city’s creativity stems from community members themselves. Worcester’s growth is unique, said Babineau, because of the impact Worcester’s citizens themselves have made.

Worcester’s art and cultural scene comes from artists who came to the city before the cultural expansion the city is currently experiencing.

“It’s really important to remember that typically artists and creativity and creative entrepreneurs and innovators are the first people to be in the city before a city re-blossoms,” said Marotta. “It’s about the new people that are coming in and the new investors and the new developments that are coming in, but it’s also about retaining the culture and the art that has already existed.”

Not only is each panelist optimistic about Worcester's future, but they are excited about the commitment and dedication from all city leaders and citizens. The collaboration between organizations allows positivity and growth to spread, said Siebels.

“The cultural world in Worcester is very collaborative. We’ve always been collaborative, and that’s a really positive thing,” he said.

“We’re all very excited. We’re a very cohesive group,” said Anderson, “We all understand that even if it doesn’t impact our institution specifically, if it impacts the city for the better, it impacts us all.”

This communal positive impact organizations have on one another was emphasized by Ramey.

“All of our goal is to not isolate our visitors and our residents to a single institution,” she said. “I don’t want people to just go to a Railers’ game. I want them to go out to dinner. I want them to hop over to the beer garden downtown. I want them to really experience the city.”

Babineau’s commentary on the expanding brewery industry specifically exemplifies this idea. She commented on how it’s not saturation but competition and options allowing Worcester’s growth.

“As the city grows and becomes the Worcester that we know it [to be] today, what really has been driving [it] is more options and more opportunities,” she said.

In addition to arts and cultural institutions, Ramey said Worcester’s small business community is another unique aspect of the city, giving authentic meaning that supports tourism.

“It’s important and really drives well with modern day tourism. It’s this idea of experiences and having a backstory and meaning beyond what you’re doing,” she said.

Despite all of the ways Worcester continues to expand and how strong its cultural base is, the pandemic has definitely posed challenges.

“We’ve had to be creative, but we’ve all got to be optimistic. You’ve got to look forward and find ways to serve your mission, fill your need, and reach your audiences,” said Siebels.

Cultural organizations have been able to find grounding in the community and its support. Siebels discussed how the Hanover Theatre utilizes virtual platforms to increase community connection and continues its programming with schools during the coronavirus pandemic.

Similarly, the Creative Hub has stayed focused on its community-centered mission and provides support for the low-income community it serves. Redemption Rock Brewing Co. relies on a loyal customer base and utilizes a small mobile canner to create revenue and continue its connection with customers.

Another challenge for Worcester is the deep need for walkability and public transportation in the city. Babineau said how though there are great neighborhoods emerging, connecting them and having a working public transit system is vital. It would increase equitability in the city and help businesses.

“When you have a city that’s built for pedestrians and [has] a public transit station, people are going to walk by more businesses. That ends up being more development opportunities for some of those businesses on the street. More feet on the street also leads to a perception that the area’s safer,” said Anderson.

Creating and keeping equitability in Worcester isn’t confined to transportation.

“We try to make sure that we’re not only financially accessible and locationally, but also that we’re culturally, socially, emotionally accessible,” said Marotta.

As Worcester’s cultural scene blossoms, and leaders and citizens alike continue to support its growth, staying focused on the community is necessary.

“We want new people to come in and we want the city to experience all that vibrancy and positivity,” said Marotta. “The biggest question is how do you do it in a really genuine way that is citizen-centered and community-centered and human-centered.”

CORRECTION: A chart in a previous version of this story incorrectly said the 2019 attendance at Mechanics Hall in Worcester was 22,500. The correct figure is 225,000.