Gloucester Daily Times
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/
Published: March 12, 2008
A Talk on Community Art
By Gail McCarthy
Staff writer
The importance of public involvement in creating art will be the focus of a community talk on March 13, sponsored by the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.
Jerry Beck, a nationally recognized artist and artistic director of Lowell's Revolving Museum, will lead a community discussion on how public art projects impact a community.
The organizers want to encourage residents, artists and business owners to take part in the discussion about the potential of community-based art on Cape Ann.
Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco of seARTS explained that the concept of "community art" can take many forms, including dance, literature, media, music, public art, theater and visual arts.
"It is usually associated with a specific social context such as education, the environment, or community development," she said. "The artist may be trying to connect to the local community's specific history or set of current events. An artistic performance or an artist installation may facilitate a conversation between the artist and the community. You might call it a 'conversation starter.' "
From the beginning, seARTS and the Massachusetts Cultural Council have funded programs like Partner with an Artist and the Gloucester New Arts Festival. These programs seek to connect art to the Cape Ann community, sometimes working with local businesses as well as local cultural institutions.
"Partner with an Artist specifically aims to connect the art to the Cape Ann community through local businesses — using art to showcase how the business is intimately tied to the community and raising awareness about how these businesses form the foundation of our local economy," said Ganim-DeFalco. "Such programs fall directly in line with the seARTS mission of community arts education and cultural economic development."
Past seARTS programs that have showcased community art include the Paul Cary Goldberg installation of photographs at the Gloucester Marine Railways and Lara Lepionka's "Attention Shoppers" installation at Shaw's supermarket last summer.
"These are good examples of blending our local culture with artistic talents to bring the art directly into the heart and soul of the Cape Ann," said Ganim-DeFalco.
The Beck talk is intended to demonstrate the ideas using the Revolving Museum in Lowell as an example of how this art form can take hold with community support.
Kate Seidman of the Art Room in Gloucester invited Beck to speak because she saw what he did for Lowell, where she taught art. The museum's success stimulated a variety of cultural activity there.
"We are continually looking for artists to come forward with ideas to make people think about the relevant topics or issues facing the community, but expressing them in unique art forms," said Ganim-DeFalco.
The Revolving Museum is described as "an evolving laboratory of creative expression for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities." The idea is to promote artistic exploration and appreciation through public art, exhibitions and educational programs.
Community-building and urban revitalization are central concerns of the Revolving Museum.
"One of the museum's goals is to start a conversation with people who've been alienated from the arts," said Beck in a press release. "We're trying to build bridges, bring artists and the public together in adventurous ways, and push the boundaries of what art can be."
Arts and the community
What: Kick-off event for seARTS' 2008 Speaker, Film, and Salon Series featuring Jerry Beck, artistic director of the Revolving Museum in Lowell.
When: Thursday, March 13. The reception starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the program at 7 p.m
Where: Gloucester House Restaurant at 63 Rogers St.
How: Tickets are $5 for seARTS members; $10 for adults; and $7 for seniors and students. Reservations are required. Visit www.searts.org/programs.html to reserve a space or call 978-281-1222. The seARTS Speaker Series is funded in part by the John and Abigail Adams Art Program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, with corporate support from C.B. Fisk Organ.