2 Companies Partner Acquire Building For Creative Hub In Worcester

WORCESTER, MA — It's phase one, and it's a big one for the arts community of Worcester.

On Thursday, the Arts and Business Council's Creative Campus program officially purchased the building at 2 Ionic Ave., as well as the parking lot on Main Street, to be used for Creative Hub Worcester Arts Center. The building, which was formerly the home of the Boys Club, will be used as a community meeting and development space for new and established visual artists.

"The exciting partnership between the two businesses has been key to the success of this phase 1 of our project," said Laura Marotta, executive director, Creative Hub Worcester.

Per its description, The Hub will offer the opportunity for affordable, accessible art-making experiences.The Hub will be home to a dynamic ecosystem of creative offices, a visual arts maker space, classroom space with educational programming for underserved youth, installation art gallery, private studio rentals, and a rooftop event venue for creative and cultural events; the only one of its kind in Central Massachusetts."

“We are so thrilled to be this far along in our project,” state CHW co-founder Laura Marotta. “The community city and state have provided so much support to help get us to where we are.”

The Creative Hub will be home to artist studios, a fine arts maker space, a performing arts space, youth arts education programming, and two event spaces, including a rooftop event space: the first of its kind in Worcester.

Marotta and Stacy Lord have been developing CHW since July of 2015, and partnered with the A&BC this past summer, resulting in a team of like-minded entrepreneurs who are eager to head up this project, and the exciting completion of this phase for CHW is crucial to the success and sustainability of the project, said a release. Phase two of this project will encompass a tax credit application, fundraising, architectural renderings and then beginning construction.

“We have a strong team of champions now and are looking forward to seeing the Hub come to life,” explained Lord in a statement.

Marotta is an art educator in Danvers Public Schools, and she has written and been awarded several STARS grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to fund visiting artists that work with her students to create large-scale community artworks in the North Shore, continues the announcement. She has a fine arts background from Boston University as well as Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. She previously worked at both Diamond Newman Fine Arts and Newbury Fine Arts in Boston as a fine arts consultant. She served as secretary for the Massachusetts Art Education Association. Marotta is now teaching for the Worcester Public Schools and is the president of the Massachusetts Art Education Association.

Stacy Lord is the co-founder of the nonprofit arts festival stART on the Street. Lord can be found teaching in her art room at Worcester East Middle School where she has been teaching for more than 15 years. She is an active member of the National Art Education Association, and the Massachusetts Art Education Association, having presented over the past several years at both the national and state conventions. She is the Eastern Region Director Elect for the Middle Level and was awarded the 2016 Art Educator of the Year for Massachusetts.

Photo via Creative Hub Worcester