Artist Enclave Blossoms Along the Banks of The Merrimack by Susan Currie

Home

Artist Enclave Blossoms Along the Banks of The Merrimack by Susan Currie
. Please Note --> This is a Past Event!! .

Date: 4/29/2013 TO 5/31/2013
Time:

Phone:
(978) 686-0900

Event Description: History in the Making... Artist Enclave Blossoms Along the Banks of The Merrimack by Susan Currie Step inside the Red Factory in Zurich Switzerland, once a working silk mill and now a progressive cultural center, and you’re at once engulfed in a tapestry of music and theater among makers of all sorts of medium. The former factory, so named for its red brick construction and once slated for demolition, has in a relatively short span of time evolved into one of the largest and most diverse artistic and cultural centers in all of Europe. A genuine tale of success, it’s rebirth was powered by a determined group of artists and other cultural leaders. Haverhill, MA painter Federico Bachman says he senses the seeds for a similar creative renaissance being planted along the banks of the Merrimack River in downtown Lawrence, Massachusetts. A painter in oil and acrylics, Bachman spends his days in his sun-drenched studio on the fourth floor of the historic Washington Mill at 250 Canal Street. It is here that he finds the space, the community and the inspiration in which to create his Israeli themed works on paper. “I paint during the daylight when we have this gorgeous sun pouring in through these high windows and ceilings. Across the hall, we have a theater company and down the hall a few musicians. Over here a carpenter. For me, I enjoy the community or ‘sangha’ that comes in the company of these other artists. I believe together we could build on this and create something special like the Red Factory right here in this space.” After its warehousing and manufacturing uses declined in the 20th century, over time everything from factory outlets to restaurants to luxury condos have sprouted up within Lawrence’s historic mill district. The 2005 opening of the McGovern Transportation Center coupled with the re-opening of the Union Street (Duck) Bridge have dramatically improved access and helped ushered in fresh energy to the neighborhood. Among the new tenants are a stream of folks in pursuit of their creative passions while at the same time hoping to contain their costs. Much like the now defunct Cold Castle in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, sites such as 250 Canal Street sensibly meet such dueling demands and quietly become home to growing populations of artists priced out of the more trendy zip codes. With its reinforced concrete floors, wide bays and exceeding electrical capacity the raw industrial space of the mills at 250 Canal Street have long attracted a steady stream of industrial tenants, but the mill’s “creative” seasons tend to be a bit more cyclical in nature. Based on his experience, Property Manager Mike Broomfield believes these loops go hand in hand with the economic climate. “At one point back when the economy was strong, we had twelve or so artists housed in this building - many of them coming from their basements and taking their craft out of the home. When the economy took a dive, unfortunately many of those artists took their work back home. As a result, we again have some tremendous space available - space ideally suited for artists.” “Better sets.” says Dave Cook, Vice President of Acting Out Theater Company, a Washington Mill tenant. “This huge space allows us to build better sets. No question, better sets allow us to attract better talent. When our talent pool expands our reputation spreads and we become that much stronger financially and otherwise.” Cook goes on to emphasize the non-profit nature of the art world... “We are a non-profit in the strongest sense of the word. One of the things that makes this space so inviting is having other theatrical companies here as our neighbors. We share a great relationship with Pentucket Players (down the hall) pooling resources such as sets and costumes as needed.” A few doors down on the Mill’s fifth floor crafting office “solutions” are the folks who own and operate The Office Manager, Inc. They make the most of the building’s high ceilings and loading bays in their work refurbishing office cubicles. Formerly headquartered in North Reading, the company relocated to Canal Street in Lawrence in 2004. In sharing his reasons for staying put for some fifteen years the company’s Jim McDade sang the praises of the Mill’s resident “fixer”, “Among other things, the twenty-four hour access and top-notch on-site management are the added value for us. Given the nature of our work, we have deliveries coming and going at all hours. Jim Callahan (the building’s superintendent) is a huge help in facilitating these for us. He takes care of every one. You just don’t find that anywhere any more.” Just a few doors down from the creative hub on Canal Street sits the non-profit Essex Art Center (www.essexartcenter.com) where local artists design and also teach after school and evening programs. A longtime community treasure, the Center focuses on empowering children to explore their own creativity. With the economy showing some small rays of light, there is every reason to believe that this humble arts community just off of routes 93 and 495 will continue to blossom. Bachman is looking to the springtime when he hopes to open up his studio doors and share publicly the work he creates along the banks of the Merrimack. And just as the city along the river, rich in history and charm, was once brought to life by pioneers on a mission to manufacture goods, he believes in the great potential of makers of another sort to spark a re-birth right here.

Directions:

Need more information?
If you need more information about this event, please complete the fields below:

Your Email Address:

Please enter email address

Your Name:

Question / Comment:

For general inquiries email us at: office@merrimackvalleychamber.com

EVENT SPONSORS

LINKS

Event Location Map
Current Weather

SET A REMINDER

Your Email Address

Remind me day(s) prior to the event date.

Artist Enclave Blossoms Along the Banks of The Merrimack by Susan Currie .wc-legacyPageTitle, .GeneralHeader, .HeaderStyle1, #wc-eventDetailsPageTitle, #wc-eventRegistrationPageTitle { display: none!important; }