NEWS
Posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 4:18 pm
CULTURAL DISTRICT COMMUNITY MEETING
Easthampton City Arts+ invites the public to a Cultural District Community Meeting on Thursday, November 1, 2012.
Who: Open to the public. Partners and Interested Community Members are encouraged to come.
Where: 2nd floor of the Municipal Building at 50 Payson Avenue, Easthampton
Agenda
4:30 p.m.:
Refreshments and Meet & Greet
5:00 - 6:45 p.m.
- Overview of MCC Cultural District
- Presentation by Meri Jenkins
(Program Manager, Massachusetts Cultural Council)
- Partnerships descriptions and responsibilities
- Subcommittee's draft plans presented
- Subcommittee's draft five-year plan presented
- Input from Community
6:45 p.m.: Closing Information, meeting ends at 7:00 p.m.
The City of Easthampton plans to apply for Cultural District designation created by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. All are invited to learn more about the process, how it benefits our community, businesses, artists, organizations, and our economy.
In September, the Easthampton City Council approved and signed a resolution for the proposed Easthampton Cultural District designation. “When I moved here in 1979, I was told Easthampton was a bedroom community,” City Council Daniel Rist said before the council voted to support the application. “Thirty-three years later, I think Easthampton is wide awake with this kind of culture and I am enthusiastic that we can now be called a destination community.”
The MCC cites that a cultural district is a specific geographical area in a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. It is a walkable, compact area that is easily identifiable to visitors and residents and serves as a center of cultural, artistic, and economic activity. Easthampton, a small mill city in Western Massachusetts that has recreated itself as a vibrant arts and cultural community, offers a wide array of amenities to visitors. The proposed district includes a densely populated area of Main Street, a portion of Union Street, part of the Manhan Rail Trail, to Payson Avenue up to Cottage Street to the corner of Holyoke and Cottage Streets, with proposal for expansion in the future.
In addition to the community meeting and city council resolution approval, the application process by the city includes a proposal for a five year plan by partners, completion and submission of the application, and a site visit by MCC representatives.
Partners and stakeholders will create initiatives and combine efforts to promote the city’s cultural assets. Those interested in becoming Easthampton Cultural District partners please contact ECA+ at info@easthamptoncityarts.com or call 413-527-8278.
The MCC is a state agency supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. The council pursues this mission through grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. The MCC is funded primarily by the state and through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and others.
