3 minute read
Art springs forward
by Ron Fortier
There were high hopes that the 2020 ArtWeek agenda was going to make for yet another record-breaking season. But last year, the pandemic forced the regular event to be cancelled.
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The Boch Center, producers of ArtWeek, had to find ways to adapt and recover. The Boch Center is a nonprofit organization which, according to their website, is “an innovator and guardian of iconic venues, providing relevant and inclusive performing arts entertainment and cultural educational experiences for the most diverse audiences possible.” Largely supported by the Boch Family, it is under the leadership of Ernie Boch Jr.
Locally, the Artweek agenda had been incorporated into the slated calendar of events. If there is a silver lining to the global pandemic, it is that the creative community of the South Coast has lived up to its reputation and found a way to quell the uncertainty, the upheaval, and the dashed hopes of creative collaborators.
Enter SouthCoast Spring Arts, a coalition of “more than two dozen local arts organizations that are launching an innovative celebration of the arts across the South Coast region in May 2021.” The SouthCoast Spring Arts agenda will feature a 10-day festival that focuses on and celebrates the arts in partner communities from Fall River to Wareham.
These communities are featuring agendas that connect a wide range of “innovative, creative, and affordable art and cultural events.” Among the more than two dozen local arts organizations that are planning to launch their celebration of the arts is We Love Fall River!
According to the organizers, “We Love Fall River is a social movement, showcasing positive stories about economic development, community initiatives, and arts and culture.” Patti Rego, founder and chief content curator says, “People need art and this spring, we’re going to give it to them!”
Another collaborating organization, the Marion Art Center (also referred to as the MAC), “found us having to shelve our creative ArtWeek events – from line dancing to beer tasting, acrobats and juggling to poetry slams – which had been part of the Bach Center’s ArtWeek last spring.”
When it was announced that the Boch Center would be evaluating its programming in 2021, the MAC’s executive director and board wondered how they could recalibrate and move forward to evoke the spirit of ArtWeek. The MAC invited many individuals and organizations in the South Coast art world to jump on board and to consider the flexibility needed to respond to whatever the state guidelines would be in May of 2021.
The organizations found inspiration in the hybrid events, both virtual and in-person, that were created by AHA! New Bedford and the Fall River Fabric Arts Festival, which had both found ways to present virtually. Coming together as SouthCoast Spring Arts, the newly formed, grassroots organization has planned quite an array of both in person and virtual events scheduled from May 7 to May 16.
SouthCoast Spring Arts is a ten-day event festival that will kick off the 2021 art season and features plein air painting, a living history architecture walking tour, a walking book club, outdoor concerts, and an in person/virtual exhibit on Art as Fashion/Fashion as Art. Jodi Stevens, executive director of the Marion Art Center, “hopes that the spring festival will lead people to feel excited after being in hibernation for so long and allow people to press the reset button to spring forward.”
Lee Heald, AHA!’s director, says, “Institutions from Fall River to Onset along the South Coast have been planning public programs and exhibitions to celebrate the ways in which creativity connects us all. Art lovers of all ages are invited.” Find the events available near you or join a virtual event wherever you are by visiting southcoastspringarts.org.
Ron Fortier is an international artist who emigrated to the Silver Coast of mainland Portugal where he lived, painted, and exhibited.
