by Glenn C. Koenig, Webmaster at Town Wide Mall Maynard, MA - This Saturday, Oct. 5th, 2024, at Maynard Fest, residents of Maynard can see how far Artspace has come since leaving their previous building, back in the Summer of 2023.
According to Executive Director Suchitra Mumford, "In the summer of 2023, ArtSpace moved to 74 Main St. in downtown Maynard. As an arts organization we almost didn't survive. It took the dedication of our community and Board Members to make sure we continued and we have!"
"We continue to offer art studios for rent as well as opportunities to engage and promote the arts." according to Director Mumford. In addition, the organization is now running classes and workshops for anyone age 16 or over. "Through the help of grants, donations and program income, we are on our way to becoming a sustainable arts center in Maynard," she explained. Carolyn Wirth, ArtSpace's Administrative Arts Manager on staff, authored an article in Artscope Magazine about the revitalization of ArtSpace in Maynard, in the September/October issue. Although the bulk of the article is behind a paywall, the first few paragraphs can be seen at the magazine's web site here: https://artscopemagazine.com/2024/09/determination-rewarded-artspace-returns-to-downtown-maynard/ (See the Background section, below for more.) ArtSpace has it's own web site with more complete information about the organization: https://artspacema.org The show "Source" that opens this Saturday is also highlighted on the Discover Maynard web site: https://discovermaynard.com/event/source-the-artspace-fall-exhibit/2024-10-03/ Maynard Fest runs this Saturday, 3 October 2024, from 9:00 AM until 3:30 PM in downtown Maynard, along Summer, Nason, and Main streets. All three streets will be closed to traffic during extended hours, in order to allow organizations to set up their tables and booths, as well to take them down at the close of the festival. The festival is sponsored by the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce. More information about the festival is also posted on the Discover Maynard web site: https://discovermaynard.com/event/14145/ Background For many years, the word "ArtSpace" was synonymous with the building at 61-63 Summer Street, where it was housed. The organization was permitted to use the building, the former Fowler School, by the town, essentially for no cost, as long as the organization took care of maintenance and utilities. The building, built in 1911 clearly had some significant problems but the artists, along with the Acme Theater, managed to work within the building's limitations. Then, some time in 2022, an attempt to do renovation work on the building exposed numerous fire code violations and the building was eventually declared uninhabitable. In mid 2023, the artists and staff had to vacate the building.
(See https://www.bradfordmill.com/artscape-studios for details.) With all these setbacks, the board had to work diligently to find new space. There was nothing as big as the Summer Street building, so they had to start small and go from there.
(Disclaimer: I am a dues paying artist member of ArtSpace, with a photograph of mine mounted in the current show in the gallery. Town Wide Mall is free for anyone to read and carries no advertising, so our only means of support is from donations. Please consider helping with a donation of any amount. Click on the Donate button, below, to see the options.
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