THINGS TO DO
Event of
EVENTS
The pandemic may be viewed by some as an opportunity to reassess how we do things – from the routines of daily life to how to safely navigate our communities and maintain our connections to family and friends.
by Ron Fortier
I
t also caused, among other things, an interruption of our much-lookedforward-to seasonal, cultural, and annual celebrations. There have been, however, some positive aspects to the pandemic paradox. One of them was SouthCoast Spring Arts. An event of events that successfully engaged the spirit of regional cooperation rarely seen before. A relatively new creative festival, the organizers describe it as “a celebration of the place and presence of the arts in our communities.” Those communities, once perhaps isolated from each other geographically or traditionally, are now working in concert to show their local pride in a region-wide cultural celebration. Their pre-pandemic community event calendars have been both resuscitated and incorporated into an impressive representation of the South Coast. According to the organizers, “local arts and cultural organizations, as well as the artists and creative entrepreneurs, have banded together to present innovative, creative, affordable, and participatory art and cultural events.” The communities represented are found across the South Coast. This year marks the second installment of the SouthCoast Spring Arts festival.
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Local arts and cultural organizations, as well as the artists and creative entrepreneurs, have banded together to present innovative, creative, affordable, and participatory art and cultural events. The festival was originally launched in May 2021. The inspiration was to continue the intent and spirit of ArtWeek MA, which was a statewide creative festival for all, presented by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center. Covid, however, interrupted the initiative’s momentum. Lee Heald, known for AHA!, the successful monthly celebration of New Bedford’s art, history, and architecture, and one of the many SouthCoast Spring Arts collaborators, says, “It’s a great consortium. We picked up partners from Fall River to Wareham and have had a wonderful opportunity to work collaboratively.” Working together and across a large region, the new festival was crafted, “for residents and visitors, it’s the one event that offers a bevy of events across the South Coast,” says Heald. The event’s website, southcoastspringarts.org, offers the curious and those planning on attending the event-packed festival a single resource to find out what’s going on in the spring and plan for it.
May 2022 | The South Coast Insider
ARTS COME ALIVE
One of the best byproducts of this seasonal regional celebration is how Fall River and New Bedford event planners have partnered to present a very lively spring kickoff to the upcoming warmer months. It offers people an opportunity to get out and see what’s going on and to celebrate what the region’s artists and arts community have to share. For individual artists and organizations, the event’s website lists all the scheduled events, dates, times, and locations. The many participating businesses and patrons of the arts, many organizations, and supporters, far too many to mention here, but all represented on the website, include the Marion Art Center, Viva Fall River, BayCoast Bank, Destination New Bedford, the Mass Cultural Council, and WMVY Radio. The many SouthCoast Spring Arts supporters and contributors are to be commended for their support of this fantastic lemons-to-lemonade effort that displays the South Coast’s
