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The dedication of the Concord River Greenway Park in downtown Lowell, MA, is the culmination of more than five years of community-based planning and collaboration with local and national artists. With the public art component led by the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, the Greenway project was envisioned as a way to rebuild civic connection to the place and its history while revitalizing and reclaiming an urban green space that was for many years overgrown, fenced off, or paved over. Art elements inspired by the natural esthetics of the river are installed along a 1.7 mile section of trail along the river in sculpture, benches, bridges, and displays.
Efforts to incorporate art in the project began with a planning grant from NEFA’s Fund for the Arts, with additional support for community engagement, design, and fabrication provided through other public art programs at NEFA. “NEFA’s support has been critical in enabling us to leverage local and national funding, as well as in providing technical support, to integrate public art into the project,” said LP&CT executive director Jane Calvin.
Public Art programs at NEFA support projects that pair artists with community-based nonprofit organizations to address community, social, educational, and environmental needs. Through professional development, network-building, and focused grantmaking, NEFA plays a leadership role in the field of public art.
About Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust
With a mission to improve the quality of life for the people of Lowell through the creation, conservation, and preservation of parks, open spaces, and special places, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust is a private non-profit land trust located in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts. Membership supports projects that provide people opportunities to remain connected to the land on which the city was built.
About NEFA
NEFA creatively supports the movement of people, ideas, and resources in the arts within New England and beyond, makes vital connections between artists and communities, and builds the strength, knowledge, and leadership of the region’s creative sector. NEFA is a 501 (c)(3) that operates with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England state arts agencies, and from corporations, foundations, and individuals.
NEFA also administers grantmaking programs of regional, national, and international scope that support the performing arts and Native American artists, and leads projects and initiatives that range from the analysis of the impact of the creative economy to the creation of online tools which link and advance the cultural community. For more information, visit nefa.org or call 617.951.0010.
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