Newton Creates New Department Dedicated To Arts And Culture

NEWTON, MA — The City Council recently voted to approve Mayor Marc Laredo’s endorsement of a new department that stems off the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The Arts and Culture Department will operate independently from Newton Parks and Rec, which was previously titled Parks, Recreation, and Culture prior to the change.

“Arts and culture are vital to the well-being of a thriving Newton community, an important part of community building, and a vehicle for economic growth,” Laredo said in a statement. “Which is why I believe this department is important and will make a real impact on our city.”

Meryl Kessler will be the director of the Arts and Culture Department moving forward. Kessler has experience in local government and civic engagement through her time as the Chair of Spark Newton, which was formerly known as Newton Community Pride. In addition, Kessler previously served as the State Director of the League of Women Voters. Professionally, she works as an attorney and has used her background in other environments such as being the Legal Programs Director at Discovering Justice, a civic education non-profit organization based in Boston’s federal courthouse. In that role, Kessler designed and managed programs to educate low-income youth in Boston and surrounding cities about the justice system and civic participation.

Kessler holds a bachelor’s degree in public and international Affairs from Princeton University. She later earned a master’s degree in government from Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

“Meryl will work with Parks & Recreation, Older Adult Services, Economic Development, Health and Human Services and all our City departments and the vast network of arts and culture organizations in Newton to expand our already strong arts scene,” Laredo said.

According to Laredo, Paula Gannon will remain as the Director of Community Programs for Parks and Recreation.

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