Greenfield and Erving are primed for a more colorful future with their acceptance to Making it Public: for Massachusetts Municipalities, a selective annual program that grants $15,000 and trains town officials to more fruitfully seek artists for public art projects.

This year’s program, organized by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), spans 11 municipalities across the Commonwealth. The free 5-week virtual training is “designed to equip administrators in strengthening local capacity to support, create, and promote more vibrant and just public art making,” according to the MAPC website. Once training is complete, each municipality is given the opportunity to host a “Call for Temporary Public Art” funded by NEFA and assisted technically by NEFA and MAPC.

Erving’s participation in the program follows what Town Administrator Bryan Smith deemed the town’s first public art installation in over a decade: August’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for local sculptor Jon Bander’s 6.5-foot-tall great blue heron sculpture at Riverfront Park. Smith referenced this installation — and its “extremely positive” reception — when citing “public art” as one of the biggest and brightest developments to look forward to in Erving in 2023.

“I think for small rural towns, public art is an opportunity to share fun, creative ideas,” said Town Planner Mariah Kurtz, who will train alongside Library Director Abby Baines within the Making it Public: for Massachusetts Municipalities program.

Kurtz said she and Baines are unsure of what art project they would look to pursue during the “Call for Temporary Public Art” period toward the program’s conclusion. A wide range of options are on the table, including audio-based works, Kurtz continued.

“We’re hoping the program will inspire us and guide us through deciding that,” she said.

Baines said while she also doesn’t have a specific vision for what artwork she’d like to procure, the Erving Public Library would be a “really optimal place for art to be on display,” given its abundance of open space visible from the road and its community-centric nature.

“Every time we partner on something, it makes the town of Erving stronger,” Kurtz said of working with the library.

“I know that public art is really important to Franklin County as a whole,” Baines added. “I’m from Greenfield and there’s a lot of public art, even in just the structures.”

In Greenfield, Crossroads Cultural District Chair Caitlin von Schmidt and Grant Program Assistant Christian LaPlante will attend the training series.

“One of the great things about this grant is it includes workshops on procurement,” said von Schmidt. “The Cultural District Committee has already been talking about what are the ways we can broaden our reach to increase the diversity of candidates … to make sure we see all the candidates we want to see.”

Von Schmidt said the grant would allow the city to expand its focus beyond the downtown area, in terms of where to place art.

“The Cultural District money we get is bound to the Cultural District, which is most of downtown,” she said. “It’ll be nice to have art somewhere else.”

Another workshop, geared toward artists, will be offered simultaneously, according to a city press release. This workshop will train artists to be better prepared to respond to calls for temporary public art projects.

“Public art not only creates a sense of place and community, but also contributes to the economic vitality and vibrancy of Greenfield,” said Community and Economic Development Director MJ Adams. “Greenfield has done great with the bee sculptures and murals throughout downtown, and there’s more to explore about Greenfield and celebrate through art. This grant will give the city the resources it needs to engage and showcase the work of our local artists.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com. Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

]]>