Fitchburg has received a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for its Main Street Art Project. The project will feature public art installations and performances in vacant buildings downtown on Main Street.
The city, in collaboration with Fitchburg State University, the Fitchburg Art Museum and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, received one of 80 NEA Our Town grant. The awards have been given in 44 states and Washington, D.C., and total nearly $5 million with the goal of supporting creative projects that help transform communities into “lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core.”
The Fitchburg project will include collaboration with 10 local public, educational, nonprofit and community organizations. Artists will participate in month-long residencies to conduct workshops with youths and create art that explores a range of Fitchburg-related themes. According to a press release, the workshops will look at issues such as cultural identity, preservation of historic architecture and creative problem solving through the arts. The goal is to increase business activity on Main Street and inspire youth and entrepreneurs to view vacant properties as sites with creative possibilities.
“This is an amazing opportunity for the city to work with local artists to promote arts initiatives throughout downtown,” said Mayor Lisa Wong. “The Main Street Arts Project will bring together experienced artists and our public school students to use art to help reinvigorate the downtown area.”
