Somerville, Boston, Cambridge Team Up To Preserve, Expand Arts Spaces

BOSTON, MA —The cities of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville announced Tuesday that they are joining with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) on a project designed to protect existing arts spaces and create new spaces for creative endeavors.

Making Space for Art is supported by a $140,000 technical assistance grant from MAPC, which is made possible by the Barr Foundation and the Massachusetts District Local Technical Assistance (DTLA).

According to organizers of the project, music venues, studios, rehearsal halls and other creative workspaces have been closing at a concerning rate due to rising rental and real estate prices, a trend that was worsened by the pandemic.

That's why the three municipalities have joined together to help artists and organizations deal with these challenges.

As part of the project, members of the coalition will survey and interview artists, operators, arts spaces and audiences to identify their most pressing needs and challenges.

That information will help guide the cities as they work to increase access to existing cultural infrastructure, reduce barriers to creating new arts spaces and help make access to arts spaces more equitable.

In Somerville, the project will build on existing city policies that require new developments to include cultural space.

"We would love to strengthen the relationships we have with private developers," said Gregory Jenkins, executive director of the Somerville Arts Council. "This project will give us the information we need to be able to identify the type of space — whether it's production, rehearsal, or some other type of venue — that we actually need, and to have informed conversations with developers about paths forward."

Annis Sengupta, director of arts and culture at MAPC, which is the regional planning agency serving 101 cities and towns around Greater Boston, said there will be strength in the three municipalities working together.

"While each city has worked on supporting cultural infrastructure independently, greater consistency across municipalities is needed to support the region's arts and culture sector," Sengupta said.

Organizers of the project said they plan to begin engagement efforts soon, and they hope to deliver a digital planning platform prototype and a package of policy recommendations late this year.