🔒Editorial: Worcester needs space for artists

Much can be said of Worcester’s economic trajectory over the last decade, its highest-in-New-England population growth, and its ability to finally attract outside investors and developers who are accelerating new growth in the city. While there have been a number of factors leading to the record growth, there is no question that a big part of that special sauce has been the contribution of a vital arts scene. which has reached an inflection point amidst a larger cultural shift in the city.

The organization formerly known as POW! WOW! Worcester has added immeasurably to the city’s culture through five street art festivals over the past six years. Those festivals have resulted in a collection of about 200 large public murals painted on buildings throughout Worcester, which have reshaped the urban landscape. Prior to the first festival, Worcester could still fall into the stereotype of a rundown industrial city still trying to find its footing. These oversized world-class murals, appearing in every neighborhood, sent the message Worcester is a place where innovation and creativity can thrive, that creativity can happen everywhere, and where a community of people can work together to achieve something awe-inspiring.

After five festivals and 200 murals, the organization, which has rebranded as Worcester Walls, is taking a break, as its all-volunteer committee is taking the time to regroup, sorting out how to maintain the creations already been installed, while finding new ways to infuse the city with creative displays of public art. This pause coincides with Worcester’s own changes in its arts and culture industry, where the hot development market has led to a reduction of the spaces available for up-and-coming artists to do their work.

Rising property values and rents throughout Worcester, along with a growing need for other types of land use, further tightens the market for affordable artist space. The Bridge arts and community center on Southbridge Street in Worcester has closed, as the property was sold to two Boston developers eying a housing project for the site. The Sprinkler Factory Art Gallery on Harlow Street had to shut down due to building code issues, and and the couple who ran that gallery are now seeking to reestablish themselves in The White Room events space in the Canal District.

Luckily, organizations like ArtsWorcester, El Salón, the Jean McDonough Arts Center, and the Creative Hub Worcester and festivals like stART on the Street still feed the city’s creative juices, so support systems remain in place. Still, for Worcester to thrive as an economic and cultural center, the arts need to be supported with both financing and adequate space to grow. In the effort to fulfill basic needs such as housing and jobs, let’s not lose sight of the special sauce delivered by the creative community that makes Worcester such an attractive place to live and work.