For more than 12 years, Capasso has led the Fitchburg Art Museum and its efforts to re-establish the North Central Massachusetts city as a regional center of arts and culture.
That was all part of the deal when Capasso got the job, and since then, the museum has worked collaboratively with the City of Fitchburg, bringing in more than $200 million in arts and culture capital projects, training, programming, and leadership development from public and private funding sources. This, Capasso said, has led to a revitalization downtown, including new restaurants and market-rate housing near Fitchburg State University and the Fitchburg Intermodal Transportation Center.
At the museum, visitors will find work from contemporary New England artists and pieces from the historical collections. The museum offers educational programs, supports public art projects, and invites community participation and partnerships. Notably, the museum was one of the main stakeholders behind the Fitchburg Arts Community, a $45-million, 68-unit campus of mixed-income artist-preference housing and workspace in three former municipal buildings downtown, across from the museum. The project has one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, and it was a joint project between the museum, the City, and nonprofit developer NewVue Communities, among others.
Laura Finaldi is a former WBJ reporter and current freelance writer.
