Written by Anna-Li St. Martin, Intern with the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division, spring 2023

As an intern for the City’s Cultural Development Division, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the reopening of the “Open Door Gallery” at the Worcester Art Museum (ODG@WAM).

On Monday, March 20^th, 2023, I attended the reopening of the ODG@WAM featuring the work of artist Megan Bent. Having exhibited over 100 artists with disabilities, the ODG@WAM returns from a hiatus due to the pandemic. One of the only spaces of its kind located in a world-renowned art museum, the ODG@WAM is a working studio and gallery that creates professional opportunities and representation for artists with disabilities to share their stories and culture.

Before heading into the ODG@WAM, several people involved in this effort spoke about the project’s origins, their goals, and their experiences. During this speaking portion, I learned that three organizations collaborated to support each other’s missions, creating a unique space that none of them could have achieved alone. The Seven Hills Foundation strives to promote and encourage the empowerment of people with significant challenges so that individuals may pursue their highest possible degree of personal well-being and independence. Open Door Arts has spent the last 42 years working to increase access, participation, and representation in the arts for people with disabilities. As for the Worcester Art Museum’s goals, Managing Director of Open Door Arts Nicole Agois shared that the Gallery works in tangent with WAM’s mission to connect people, communities, and culture through the experience of art, while representing people with disabilities.

In closing her speech to the assemblage, Agois shared the following quote by James Baldwin: “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” This quote resonated with me because artists tend to bring up topics, subjects, and themes that are often underdiscussed publicly.  Artists can help bring down societal barriers through their art and transport viewers into their point of view.

Now that we have covered the history of these amazing organizations, let’s move on and talk about the actual art and artist featured!  

Currently on view at ODG@WAM is Bent’s project, I Don’t Want to Paint A Silver Lining Around It. Megan Bent is a lens-based artist who primarily uses photography and its malleability to reimagine the traditional use of a camera. Bent’s interest in art began after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness, which informed her image-making process and helped her embrace her experiences with a disability. This project is a personal reflection of her experience on being a high-risk individual during the pandemic. It features chlorophyll prints, an alternative photographic process where imagery is directly printed onto natural leaves using photosynthesis. One print may take anywhere from 8-72 hours to develop, depending on the UV light exposure. According to Bent, “[this] cooperative relationship with the organic materials and the environment is a process that celebrates care, interdependence, slowness, and adaptability – values of belonging I find in the disability community.”

What I loved most about this exhibit was the physical interaction visitors experience when viewing the chlorophyll prints on leaves alongside enlarged photographs of the leaves. The physical chlorophyll prints are in a shadow box covered by a protective cloth, which visitors can lift to reveal the leaves. Seeing the actual chlorophyll prints in person was astounding. I could not believe that a photograph was actually printed onto a tiny leaf. The enlarged prints hanging beside the shadow boxes allow visitors to examine the details of the chlorophyll prints.

The second to last photo showcases Bent’s piece titled Quarantine Day 580 (Booster Shot), which is an oval-shaped Hosta leaf printed with a self-portrait of Bent captured after receiving her COVID-19 booster shot. The photo prints are so incredibly clear, creating the illusion that they are traditional photopaper prints. The last picture is the physical leaf in a shadow box with a cloth lifted to reveal the leaf.

Seeing the chlorophyll print amazed me. It is intriguing to see a natural element, a leaf, so seamlessly integrated with art. The duality of natural plant life and the manipulation of that natural aspect shines through this medium. Bent has stated, “the fact that chlorophyll prints are impermanent, and will continue to decay over time, underscores the interdependence and bodily impermanence we all share.” 

I found this partnership between the WAM, Open Door Arts, and the Seven Hills Foundation inspiring. As an avid art and history museum goer, I have rarely seen a permanent gallery like this in an art museum as distinguished as the WAM. Located in the Higgins Education Wing of the WAM, the Gallery’s permanency further acknowledges and supports underrepresented artists. I look forward to seeing which artist is featured next in the ODG@WAM!

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WORCESTER, MA – The City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division and Worcester Public Library will host an inauguration ceremony for new Worcester Poet Laureate Oliver de la Paz. The ceremony will take place from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 on the first floor of the Worcester Public Library at 3 Salem St.

“Worcester’s Poet Laureate programs are a key part of our Creative City foundation. I am excited that the public will have this opportunity to recognize and witness Oliver’s gift of giving the community a voice through his words, and to celebrate our Poets Laureate and unique cultural scene more broadly,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista.

During the inaugural event, Mayor Joseph M. Petty will award de la Paz with a ceremonial medal crafted by local metalsmith Pam Farren, commemorating the start of the new Poet Laureate’s three-year term. The public is welcome to meet Worcester’s Poets Laureate, and the ceremony will include readings by de la Paz, former Worcester Poet Laureate Juan Matos (2020-2022), former Youth Poet Laureate Amina Mohammed (2020-2021), and current Youth Poet Laureate Adael Mejia (2022-2023).

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to honor the incredible literary history of this city,” de la Paz said. “I look forward to sharing my passion for poetry with the community.”

“While I am sad to see Juan’s tenure end, I am excited to begin a new partnership with Oliver. I’m excited to be able to learn from and collaborate with such a big name in the poetry community,” said Mejia.

The ceremony will also include remarks by Jason Homer, Executive Director of Worcester Public Library. The Worcester Public Library will further celebrate the occasion with a specially curated poetry display.

“Worcester is a city with a storied history of literary talent. We are thrilled for the opportunity to host such exceptionally talented poets, and de la Paz is a fantastic contribution to that tradition,” Homer said.

Before his appointment as Poet Laureate, de la Paz authored several collections, including Names Above Houses (2001), Requiem for the Orchard (2010), and The Boy in the Labyrinth (2019). In addition to his published work, de la Paz has dedicated his career to promoting literary excellence, community engagement, and education.

Among his many experiences, de la Paz co-chairs Kundiman, a nonprofit organization that uplifts Asian-American voices in poetry, and he is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the College of the Holy Cross.

“We cannot wait to see to see what Oliver has in store,” said Yaffa Fain of the City’s Cultural Development Division. “It is deeply exciting to recognize such a talented and dedicated poet in our city, and we are eager to begin working with him.”

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share the beauty and power of self-expression with the community through poetry, especially during such unusual times,” said Matos. “Oliver is an extraordinarily talented poet and educator, and I know he will do a fantastic job as Poet Laureate.”

Learn more at the links below:

• Worcester Poet Laureate Program: worcesterma.gov/cultural-development/poet
• Worcester Poet Laureate Appearance Requests and Scheduling: forms.gle/VJmYjFhcPLRk8SMh9
• Worcester Poet Laureate Facebook Page: facebook.com/WorcesterPoet
• Worcester Youth Poet Laureate Page: facebook.com/WorcesterYouthPoet

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WORCESTER, MA – City Manager Eric D. Batista, Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the Worcester City Council, and the City’s Cultural Development Division have announced the appointment of Oliver de la Paz as the City of Worcester’s next Poet Laureate.

The award-winning poet and literary educator will serve from January 2023 to December 2025. De la Paz is the author of several published works, including The Boy in the Labyrinth (2019), Post Subject: A Fable (2014), Requiem for the Orchard (2010), Furious Lullaby (2007), and Names Above Houses (2001).

De la Paz’s first official appearance as Worcester’s Poet Laureate will be at City Manager Eric D. Batista’s Swearing-In Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 6 in the Levi Lincoln Chamber at City Hall beginning at 4 p.m. A formal event to recognize de la Paz will be announced at a later date, where he will be presented with a ceremonial medal created by local metal artist Pam Farren.

“I am thrilled to begin my term as City Manager alongside such a talented and distinguished poet. I look forward to Oliver’s tenure as the Worcester Poet Laureate and cannot wait to see what literary impact he has in store for our community,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista.

In his application to the Poet Laureate program, de la Paz noted that his work tells stories of his own family’s immigration. He hopes that these existing works will help him to “serve as a literary model for up-and-coming wordsmiths through writing workshops in conjunction with library programming for people who may not have had the opportunity to share their truths.”

Education has long been a focus for de la Paz. He earned degrees in Biology and English Literature from Loyola Marymount University and received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Arizona State University, where he was a University Graduate Scholar Fellowship Awardee. De la Paz has since taught at several universities and is currently an Associate Professor at the College of the Holy Cross.

As Poet Laureate, de la Paz looks forward to using his experiences as a poet, as an educator, and in the wider literary community to expand access to the arts in Worcester. He was a founding member of Kundiman, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting Asian-American writing. He served two terms on the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Board of Trustees. Other recognitions de la Paz has been awarded includes grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, an Artist Trust GAP Grant, and a fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts.

“I am a citizen of this community who is a lover of books and reading,” de la Paz wrote in his application. “Worcester has a storied history of having great poets live within the community, from Stanley Kunitz to Elizabeth Bishop to Chris Gilbert. I wish to teach the community about these poets whose works were profoundly influenced by this landscape.”

In addition to sharing their poetry and creating new works during their term, the Worcester Poet Laureate also serves as a mentor to the Worcester Youth Poet Laureate. Local poet and community activist Adael Mejia will continue to serve as Youth Poet Laureate until his two-year term ends in December 2023. De la Paz succeeds outgoing Poet Laureate Juan Matos, who served in the position from January 2020 to December 2022.

Reflecting on Matos’ tenure as Poet Laureate, Yaffa Fain of the City’s Cultural Development Division said he did “tremendous work,” having participated in “countless community readings, workshops in Worcester Public Schools and with the community, from the Worcester Senior Center to the Worcester Public Library to hours on Zoom. Juan is a poetic powerhouse and has served with compassion, resilience, and incredible dedication.”

“This transition is bittersweet. We’ll miss working with Juan regularly but wish him well in his next verse, which will include continuing to work with young poets in Worcester. We are looking forward to helping Oliver develop plans for his term as Poet Laureate, and to what he and Adael will accomplish together,” added Nikki Erskine, also of the City’s Cultural Development Division.

The Worcester Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate programs are initiatives of the City’s Cultural Development Division. Both Poets Laureate serve as official ambassadors to Worcester’s historic and vibrant cultures of poetry and literary arts, using their positions to share the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word, to celebrate and amplify the City’s great writers, and to help shape the next generation of literary enthusiasts.

The objectives of the City of Worcester’s Poet Laureate Programs are to:

• Enhance the presence and appreciation of poetry and literary arts in Greater Worcester;
• Celebrate the spirit of the people and special qualities of Worcester, the Creative City;
• Raise awareness of the power of literature, poetry, and the spoken word;
• Provide a forum for collaborative art forms;
• Engage and support an emerging generation of poets and spoken word artists;
• Provide access to poetry and literary arts to all sectors of the community; and
• Encourage the reading and writing of both poetry and the written word.

A four-person committee reviewed dozens of applications to the Poet Laureate program:

• Jason Homer: Worcester Public Library Executive Director, participant in American Library Association Leadership Institute, Master’s Degree in Library Science from Simmons University, Bachelor of Arts in English from Stonehill College.
• John Hodgen: Winner of multiple awards in poetry, author of Grace, In My Father’s House, and Bread Without Sorrow, visiting Assistant Professor of English at Assumption College.
• Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez: Award winning poet, recipient of multiple fellowships, author of La Pava and Edge Beast, Associate Professor of Practice in Creative Writing at Clark University, where they founded and run the Clark Poets and Writers Reading Series.
• Therese Gleason Carr: Board member of the Worcester County Poetry Association, author of poetry chapbooks Libation and Matrilineal, featured poet in multiple publications, multiple-award nominee, Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Pacific University.

For information about the Worcester Poet Laureate Program: www.worcesterma.gov/cultural-development/poet

For Worcester Poet Laureate appearance requests and scheduling: forms.gle/VJmYjFhcPLRk8SMh9

Worcester Poet Laureate Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WorcesterPoet

Worcester Youth Poet Laureate page: www.facebook.com/WorcesterYouthPoet

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WORCESTER, MA — City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. today announced that Cultural Development Officer Erin Williams will step aside from her duties in June after serving the city for 18 years.

Williams concurrently served as the executive director of the Worcester Cultural Coalition (WCC), a public private partnership that advocates for the creative community throughout the region. Under her leadership, the Coalition has grown to include 89 cultural organizations, including museums, festivals, performance venues, artist collectives, and educational institutions.

In 2018, Williams and the WCC founded the Worcester PopUp, a mixed-use creative space. The second phase of creating accessible community space, construction of the Worcester BrickBox Theater behind the PopUp, was completed in 2019 thanks to a $2 million donation from the late Jean McDonough, a long-time supporter of local arts. In McDonough’s honor, the PopUp and the BrickBox function as the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC), which has hosted over 400 events.

“Erin has been a tireless advocate for the arts and cultural community,” said Augustus. “It’s no coincidence that Worcester’s rise in cultural prominence has occurred during Erin’s tenure. In addition to lifting up diverse artists and championing creative campaigns, she has established the arts as an essential component of the economic engine that powers our thriving city. We can’t thank Erin enough for all she has done for Worcester and the cultural renaissance of Central Massachusetts.”

Through her work with individuals and institutions across the city and the region, Williams has been instrumental in embedding art into everyday life and a variety of sectors. Some of her additional accomplishments include the City’s first Cultural Plan – the first cultural plan to be included in its city’s masterplan nation-wide, the Poets Laureate program – including the first Youth Poet Laureate in the Commonwealth, the I Am Worcester campaign, substantial growth of the Worcester Arts Council, a voting awareness and advocacy initiative, the Culture LEAP program with Worcester Public Schools, the #MakeArtEverywhere campaign, and a city-wide wayfinding system. In the early days of the pandemic, she began hosting the Cultural Task Force to help the arts community navigate the many challenges COVID-19 presented, and she shepherded the Give Me a Sign campaign, which featured billboards and street signs with uplifting messages by a wide variety of artists.

“It’s time to pass the baton and make space in leadership for others,” said Williams. “It’s been a privilege working on behalf of the creative community. Together we have accomplished so much and put talented artists, and the big and small c cultural organizations, in a position to thrive in the years to come. I’m excited to see what comes next for artists and cultural organizations in Greater Worcester.”

Prior to her role for the city, Williams’ roles included working as a field representative for the Mass Cultural Council and service as the founding executive director for 1794 Meetinghouse Inc., a nonprofit cultural center dedicated to cultural programming serving north-central and western Massachusetts.

“Worcester is a better place to live, work, and create because of Erin and all she has achieved with the City,” said Eric Butler, board chair of Worcester Cultural Coalition. “Erin’s vision has taken Worcester arts to the next level and our sector is now positioned with an unrivaled cultural plan to continue to thrive in the years ahead.”

In the coming months, the cultural development officer position will be posted and the search for Williams’ successor will begin.

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Weigh in on Arts & Culture in Worcester and Enter to Win Bose Headphones

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is seeking community input on arts and culture in Worcester through its 2020 Funding Priorities Survey.

The online survey will be open now through September 7, 2020, and can be completed here. Responses to this brief survey will help determine the Council’s funding priorities for the 2021 grant cycle, which begins October 1, 2020.

“Taking WAC’s 2020 Funding Priorities Survey might be the simplest way anyone in Worcester can weigh in on the direction of arts and culture in the City. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and the answers directly influence where our annual grant funding goes,” said Worcester Arts Council Chair Yasmin Goris. “Plus, this year you also have a chance to win a pair of Bose headphones by completing the survey! It’s a win-win-win.”

Those who complete the survey also have a chance to win a pair of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 ($399 value). The Worcester Cultural Coalition has teamed up with WAC to help encourage survey participation by offering this raffle prize.

“As our Cultural Plan reflects, the Worcester Cultural Coalition’s efforts include creating equity in the arts in order to tell the full Worcester story. The input of all of Worcester’s populations is invaluable to these efforts,” said Erin Williams, Executive Director of the Worcester Cultural Coalition. The Worcester Cultural Plan can be found here.

Because WAC is responsible for distributing public dollars, the Council solicits public opinion about how to best distribute those funds through its Funding Priorities Survey. Like most Local Cultural Councils, WAC typically receives more grant requests than can be funded. Strong priorities based on community input help guide its grant-making decisions.

This year, WAC is looking to gain more overall participation, with wider demographics among survey participants.

“It is so important that the responses to our Funding Priorities Survey truly represent all the people of Worcester and reflect what is important to our diverse community. The Worcester Arts Council is planning extensive outreach in the City and will be distributing this survey widely. We strongly encourage anyone who lives or works in Worcester to take part,” Goris said.

The Worcester Arts Council is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils supported through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences. This program assists the Worcester community in the development of local projects and adds to the cultural vitality of the city.

The current Worcester Arts Council members are Yasmin Goris (Chair), Jeremy Bouchard (Secretary), Mitchell Perry (Treasurer), Thomas Conroy, David Filar, Lisa Malo, Jennifer Riley, and George Sedares. The Council currently has one vacant seat. Those interested in serving on the Worcester Arts Council can find out more or apply on the City of Worcester website.

• July 27, 2020 Update: Please note that due to updates from the Mass Cultural Council, the statewide organization which funds the Worcester Arts Council, deadlines have been adjusted. The Funding Priorities Survey will now close September 7, allowing more time for public input. Applications for the 2021 grant cycle will be accepted October 1 – November 15. An additional announcement on this adjustment to follow.

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