7/29/2023 0 Comments Fitchburg sentinelThis project is in alignment with the work city leaders have done with Fitchburg State University and the Fitchburg Art Museum on several creative economy initiatives to increase revitalization and development. The City initiated the Main Street Arts Project with the goal of activating the downtown corridor by placing a series of 4 temporary public art installations at key intersections. There was a need to increase the pride among these groups of residents and cultivate a stronger sense of belonging to the greater Fitchburg community. City leaders were also looking for opportunities to reach out to socio-economically challenged communities who commonly travel downtown to access social services and work. With vacant storefronts and desolate sidewalks, leaders and residents felt a “negative pride” about the area, explained Eugene Finney, Director of Marketing and Community Relations at the Fitchburg Art Museum. LOCAL NEEDS:Ĭity leaders felt the need to revitalize the downtown core, especially the economically depressed Main Street. Roughly 30% of the Fitchburg population is located within a five-minute drive of downtown and 35% of all households within this radius make less than $35,000 annually. Today the area continues to attract a large immigrant population and so in the 1990s the city developed a broad network of social services. But even with its changing economic conditions, the population size in Fitchburg has remained unchanged since 1920. With around 40,000 residents, Fitchburg has a large population of new Americans, and its racial diversity is reflected in the student population of Fitchburg Public Schools (FPS), including 41% White, 42% Hispanic, 7% Black, 6% Asian, and 4% multi-race, non-Hispanic. Over the past 40 years, Fitchburg has been a place in transition and is continually trying to redefine its identity and strengthen its economy. With the paper industry’s decline, the city has seen an increase in medical equipment manufacturers, turbine designers, machine tool makers, and print technologies. Once a historic manufacturing community in the earliest days of the American Industrial revolution, the city became known in the 19th century for its paper industry, which employed a large proportion of European immigrants in the area. The City of Fitchburg is a small municipality located along the Nashua River in northern Worcester County, with a land area of 28.1 square miles. To revitalize and activate its downtown, the City of Fitchburg−in partnership with the local art museum and university−initiated a public art project to install several pieces along the Main Street corridor that would help to reflect the changing face of the city and the challenges faced by many of the city’s low-income residents. Photo by Alexandra Moore How can a public artwork enhance the community’s experience of the downtown while reflecting the nature of a city in transition?
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