WESTFIELD — The Mass Cultural Council has designated Westfield as one of three new cultural districts, along with Holyoke and Watertown, capping a recent two-and-a-half-year effort by city officials, area arts organizations, individual artists and the Westfield Merchants Association. For some, the effort goes back more than a decade.
“This is something we’ve been working on for a long, long time. I’m excited to cross the finish line,” said Community Development Director Peter Miller. “I feel like we’ve accomplished something.”
Miller said while this latest effort goes back two and a half years, he first applied for the designation 12 years ago on behalf of the Business Improvement District, and has been focused on the downtown ever since. He said the new designation will help to promote Westfield with more cohesive marketing.
“This will build upon the work that so many groups have done on their own,” Miller said, naming ArtWorks, Westfield on Weekends, Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield Woman’s Club, Westfield Theatre Group and the Westfield Merchants Association as some of the groups that have been involved in seeking the designation.
Bill Westerlind, president and founder of ArtWorks of Westfield has been one of those partners.
”Since inception in late 2015, ArtWorks Westfield has dedicated itself to enriching downtown Westfield and our community through art and cultural experiences that foster vitality, vibrancy, and inclusiveness. We are thrilled to contribute to the renaissance of downtown Westfield and the creation of the new Downtown Westfield Cultural District,” Westerlind said about the designation.
“The enduring collaborative partnerships between municipal leaders, arts and cultural organizations, and local small businesses attracts creators, community members, tourists and visitors from around New England to Westfield, fueling a thriving creative economy that benefits the entire city, making Westfield a very attractive place to live, work and play,” Westerlind added.
In the announcement of the designation, the MCC said the Downtown Westfield Cultural District has “an inclusive blend of historic buildings with three centuries of architecture, restaurants with various cultural cuisines, creative for-profit businesses, retail stores, and nonprofit organizations, all highlighting the city’s rich history of whip manufacturing and education institutions while showcasing its present artistic and cultural assets.”
The announcement went on to describe downtown Westfield as “a picture of the classic New England downtown main street; the area has key pieces of infrastructure including a public plaza, public art exhibits and a multi-use bike/pedestrian rail trail. A new plaza, located on Elm Street, was once a vacant gravel parking lot and is now a space for festivals, performances and gatherings.”
“Over the last few years, our downtown corridor has welcomed restaurants, boutiques, and small businesses that foster a sense of diversity and walkability,” said Mayor Michael McCabe.
“Together with these businesses, our dedicated cultural programming partners and the city’s commitment to providing clean, welcoming public spaces, we look forward to this new partnership that will help our community achieve new heights.”
Part of the application process was a visit in May by representatives from the Massachusetts Cultural Council who reviewed the application at City Hall, followed by a tour of the proposed district, stopping at the Westfield Woman’s Club, the Athenaeum, Elm Street Plaza and the Westfield on Weekends Creative Arts Center.
Bob Plasse, founder and board member of Westfield on Weekends, took part in the tour and said they also visited the Old Burial Ground on Mechanic Street.
“It’s validating to know that we now have an official cultural district in Westfield’s city center. As a member of the committee that worked with the generous MCC representatives throughout the past year, Westfield on Weekends has enjoyed the process. Through that work, I think the committee was able to have confirmed what we have always known and celebrated — that Westfield is filled with cultural treasures and that nonprofit cultural organizations, a committed business community and dedicated volunteers are vital to our city’s future,” Plasse said.
“With the initial financial support and future opportunities that will come with this governmental recognition, we will be better able to market the many events and activities that our organizations produce. In challenging times, we can double underline the values of collaboration, diversity and community, as we bring people together in celebration of our similarities and differences,” Plasse added.
Miller said one of the benefits of the designation is that Westfield will become more competitive for state grants, and will receive an initial $15,000 to provide projects and programs to boost the introduction to the downtown as a new cultural district. He said the designation will also help with a number of different private grants as well as the Endowment for the Arts.
According to the MCC announcement, state law stipulates that state-designated Cultural Districts are eligible to benefit from programs, services and economic development tools offered by state agencies, constitutional offices, and quasi-governmental agencies. “This year the Healey-Driscoll administration advanced this notion by adopting policies prioritizing grant applications submitted to the Community One Stop for Growth portal with projects located within Cultural Districts. Similar language is included in the pending economic development bond bill for the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism’s Destination Development Capital Grant Program,” according to the announcement.
With the addition of Holyoke, Watertown and Westfield, the Cultural District Initiative now encompasses 58 districts in communities statewide.
