Work of art

By Sean McCarthy

For more than two decades New Bedford has been experiencing a renaissance, and its arts and culture have played a major role. First published in December 2018, the city’s Arts and Culture Plan has been a significant catalyst for that progress, supporting and advancing arts and culture in this unique seaport metropolis.

New Bedford is gaining international attention for what it has to offer and it shows no signs of stopping. The establishment of “New Bedford Creative” has become a vital stimulus for that prosperity.

“Arts and culture is the best way for us to market this city as a great place to be,” says Derek Santos, Executive Director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council. “People want to know if this is a good place to live, to visit, and to hang out in general. We can showcase the city as a place with a lot going on – people are out and great stuff is happening. That type of vibe says that this is a place where coming together is important, where culture is important.

“Artists are small businesses, they’re a part of our business community,” Santos says. “They produce a product and they get paid for that product. Arts and culture has a way of contributing to other sectors of the economy – it’s a community development tool, an economic development tool, and a great-place-to-live tool.”

In 2012, New Bedford found itself in the company of San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles when Richard Florida of The Atlantic magazine ranked it as the seventh most artistic city in America. In 2016, the Massachusetts Cultural Council recognized New Bedford as the most creative community in the state.

The city took steps to take advantage of their creative community when Mayor Jon Mitchell proposed the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund in the spring of 2016. The fund allocated revenue generated from the city’s lodging tax (from city hotels) to be a catalyst for managing growth in its cultural and tourism sectors. A group of local volunteers from the community would soon come together to draft “New Bedford Creative,” a 10-year initiative with the slogan, “Our art, our culture, our future.”

“If you look at the people who were involved in the creation of the plan you’ve got a diverse group of folks,” Santos says. “The people involved in this see it as a valuable thing. Getting all those folks in the room for that period of time, and coming together for an overall vision, was an exceptional project. The folks from the community who came out to do that work is what made that product so good in the end.”

The Arts and Culture Plan led to the formation of two bodies: New Bedford Creative, and the New Bedford Creative Consortium.

New Bedford Creative is a funded, threeperson group located in the offices of the New Bedford EDC on Purchase Street. The group is led by Creative Strategist Margo Saulnier, a New Bedford native with a background in performing arts and the music industry. Saulnier lived in Boston and New York before returning to the area to spearhead New Bedford Creative.

“New Bedford has always been a creative city with creative people, and we’re building, expanding, and supporting the creatives that are here and doing excellent work,” Saulnier says. “We want them to continue to thrive within a collaborative environment.

“There are many unique elements to New Bedford,” Saulnier says. “It’s a seaport city with a working waterfront, there’s a history of whaling and fishing, lots of people with different backgrounds who bring their culture to the city and make it continually interesting. It’s a culturally rich place to live and for a creative person to work.”

Functions of New Bedford Creative include managing grant programs, promoting artists, maintaining their website and social media, acting as a liaison to many of the city’s public art and placemaking activities, and collaborating on programs of training and development for artists and cultural organizations.

The New Bedford Creative Consortium is a board of 24 community volunteers that meets no fewer than four times a year to oversee the execution and implementation of the Arts and Culture Plan. Facilitated by Saulnier, the group establishes long- and short-term goals and devises planning to make them happen. Members represent areas such as the arts, education, business, museums, and other local organizations and interests.

The Consortium is comprised of three “squads” that focus on Public Art & Facilities, Placemaking, and Fundraising.

“Margo is providing great leadership and New Bedford Creative’s outreach has grown, people are becoming more aware of it,” says Patty A. Thomas, co-founder and Artistic Director of Culture Park, a local theatrical company devoted to new plays that represent themes aimed at resonating with the community and region. Thomasis the Chair of the Consortium’s Public Arts & Facilities squad.

“Our audience has increased through the awareness provided by New Bedford Creative,” Thomas says.

“New Bedford Creative can help bring your ideas to life,” says New Bedford based artist Kat Knutsen. They’re movers and shakers, they make things happen. They see potential and vision and they support it and fuel it. They provide information and connect artists to resources, we’re extremely lucky as a city to have them.

“Artists often operate with their right brain, and New Bedford Creative is providing the left, logical side. They’re helping to bring economic success. The emails that they send out are always giving access to information on opportunities, grants, and resources that artists can heavily benefit from.”

One of New Bedford Creative’s most significant offerings is their website, newbedfordcreative.org. It offers an in-depth guide to the city’s arts and culture opportunities, and includes a copy of the Arts and Culture Plan, a creative directory, a calendar of events, a listing of grant programs, a toolbox for artists, and a description of the city’s cultural districts.

“Everything about the plan is right there. It’s beneficial to artists, patrons, and visitors,” Santos says. “It can help answer a lot of questions and it will get you to what you want. When someone jumps on the site and sees what’s going on it looks like we have our act together – because we do. It’s great for those who are visiting and want to know what’s going on, or if someone wants toretain an artist. It’s super helpful.”

The website’s creative directory is a free and open catalog for those affiliated with the creative economy including visual arts, film and multimedia, food and culinary, music and performing arts, written works, and history and preservation. The Tool Box provides resources and opportunities for individuals or companies looking to expand and develop their skills, networking, or funding.

Every other month, New Bedford Creative issues an email with a bevy of information and opportunities for artists and cultural organizations.

“New Bedford Creative creates paths to give artists opportunities to make more work and succeed. I recently received a grant based on an email I received from Margo,” Knutsen says. “The website has become a central platform for resources,” Thomas says.

New Bedford Creative’s influence can be seen throughout the city in a variety of ways, not just downtown, but from the north end’s Acushnet Avenue to the south end’s Fort Taber. Some examples of their support include murals and public art, events, and design work. Knutsen was recruited to design the “Jazz Wall,” a 49-by-34 foot mural on a wall of the Fiber Optics Center on 23 Centre Street, devoted to internationally recognized jazz artists who found a home in New Bedford. The project incorporated the input of the New Bedford Historical Society, SuperflatNB, and the Fiber Optics Center. The mural “Postcards To New Bedford” was created by SuperflatNB under the creative direction of Greg Pennisten and is displayed on the back wall of 674 Pleasant Street.

A lighting design at Wings Court in downtown was designed and created by students at UMass-Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, under the direction of Professor Stephanie McGoldrick, in partnership with the City of New Bedford Planning and DPI. New Bedford Creative has also contributed support to the Reggae On West Beach summertime event and the Guatemalan Festival held in September.

“When we are at our best, we are connecting people, developing partnerships, and being a catalyst for projects that shine a bright light on New Bedford’s strengths,” Saulnier says.

This upcoming summer, New Bedford Creative will help support an array of events, including 3rd EyE Youth Empowerment’s hip-hop events, BuyBlackNB’s pop-up market on Juneteenth, the New Bedford Symphony’s “Music In the Streets,” Fitzcarmel LaMarre’s “New Deadford” art youth workshops, and the traveling artMOBILE which provides activities for children.

New Bedford Creative is responsible for facilitating two annual grants – Art is Everywhere, and Wicked Cool Places.

The Art is Everywhere grant aims to support creative ideas that impact a current challenge facing residents, visitors and/ or businesses in New Bedford’s neighborhoods – supporting the advancement of diversity, equity, inclusion and access. Grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and are funded by MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative, and the Barr Foundation. It was first awarded in May of 2020 to 3rd EyE Unlimited for its “Your New Bedford” project.

Wicked Cool Places grants are used for creative placemaking that helps transform New Bedford’s overlooked or undervalued places, enhancing community development.

In February 2021, Wicked Cool Places provided a donation of $50,000 to various artistic groups in the city.

The first Wicked Cool Places grant awarded $82,000 in October of 2019.

“The amount of grant funding that goes back into the economy is quite impressive and important,” Santos says.

Santos claims that the next 36 months in New Bedford are going to be “very interesting.” He anticipates an explosion in the arts and culture sector, which will have a beneficial effect throughout the city.

“We’ve always had amazing artists in New Bedford, artists of national renown,” he says. “It’s all about vibrant, safe, wonderful places to gather and be with other people. Nothing is better equipped to make that happen than arts and culture – it’s a unifier.”

“The future role of New Bedford Creative is to not only be the arts and culture hub of the South Coast, we believe we are a global destination,” Saulnier says. “The talent is here and we want the world to know.”

“A lot of people are returning to New Bedford and saying, ‘I can’t believe that all this is happening, this is amazing!,” Santos says. “I like the idea of improving the place where I live.”