Arts & Entertainment

Worcester Business Journal has been honored by the New England Newspaper & Press Association for coverage of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, along with Polar Park, opinion commentary, editorial cartoons, and special sections on Worcester’s 300th anniversary and the 40 Under Forty awards.

Fitchburg State University, Creative Hub Worcester, and Southborough Historical Society were among the largest recipients of $7.6 million in Cultural Facilities Fund grants statewide from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Of the 21 corporate sponsors who initially signed on as Founding Partners for the Worcester Red Sox ahead of their inaugural season, 16 have so far committed past the initial three-year term to renew their relationship with the team until at least 2025.

Local brokers are optimistic they can fill that space as the industry experiences a post-COVID resurgence and innovative new concepts for retail space are hitting the marketplace.

An academic paper has used the $160-million Polar Park in Worcester as one of two examples of the problem of the pro forma model, saying the ballpark will saddle the city government with fiscal deficits up to $60 million.

Boston coworking space company Workbar, LLC  will open its Framingham location on Aug. 1. It was previously announced it would open on July 1.

Framingham State University named T. Stores as its new dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, replacing Marc Cote, the founding dean of that college.

Sarah Smongeski, executive director at Pakachoag Music School in Worcester since 1992, will retire this June.

Fitchburg State University received $500,000 from a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant to support the construction of a 250-seat black box theater adjacent to a historic theater in downtown Fitchburg.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council granted $2,500 each to 69 Central Massachusetts organizations as part of $1.85 million doled out statewide in 2023 Festival Grants Projects.