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Date: 3/22/2022
NORTHAMPTON – The Northampton Community Arts Trust has received $2.5 million in federal Community Project funding for the last portion of the downtown, multi-use arts facility on 33 Hawley St.
“We all know how important the arts are to the identity and economy in Northampton and Western Massachusetts at large,” said Congressman Jim McGovern, whose office secured these federal funds to the Arts Trust. “We also know, unfortunately, that over the last decade or so, this region has lost several accessible and affordable venues with theater and dance.”
According to McGovern, who spoke during a special announcement on March 14 at the 33 Hawley location, the $2.5 million will cover the development of a 3,800-square-foot black box theater, which will end up being the only community performance venue in the region. Additionally, the money will be used to install an 800-foot visual arts gallery, theater support spaces, administrative offices, and overall improvements to the box office lobby and concessions area.
“I cannot wait to see the finished renovations and see a performance here,” said McGovern, who visited 33 Hawley in 2018 for a tour of the landscape and pledged that he would secure $2 million to the project. “Without congressionally directed spending, I’m not sure how we could’ve figured this out. I’m glad we’re able to bring community-directed spending back.”
“The Arts Trust is an anchor of our vibrant arts community, and 33 Hawley has become an anchor of this part of downtown,” said Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, during the presentation. “Having affordable and accessible performance, exhibition, and creation space is crucial for a healthy arts community and for our broader community.”
Arts Trust board member Dorothy Nemetz commended McGovern for his support and efforts to obtain money for the final 30 percent of this decade-long project that began in 2013 with the start of renovations and development of the 25,000 square-foot building. Since then, the Arts Trust has been developing the location in three different phases.
“By opening 33 Hawley in stages, we could begin to fulfill our mission to provide an affordable space for the arts, even when the building was far from finished,” said Nemetz. “This is truly a community endeavor, and we would literally not be here today without the work and support of so many.”
Although this money will help to cross the finish line, Nemetz said that the project could not have been completed without the help of other city entities and donations including, the Arts Trust board for the purchase of the building and other renovations, the team at Tom Douglas Architects, as well as Mark Sullivan, the president of DA Sullivan & Sons. She also thanked the city for providing Community Development Block Grant Funding, the state for providing early grants, the 1,000-plus individual donors who assisted along the way, and many more.
The building at 33 Hawley is currently functional but work still must be done before it is fully finished. The building is owned and operated by the Arts Trust, whose mission is to protect and ensure the long-term vitality of Northampton through the acquisition and preservation of space for creative work-affordable and accessible-in the heart of the community.
The project itself is supported by three art partners: Available Potential Enterprises (A.P.E.), Northampton Center for the Arts and Northampton Open Media. Each maintains their own space in 33 Hawley for its own specific programming.
“Our excitement knows no bounds,” said Kathy Couch, president of the Northampton Arts Trust, in a statement. “These funds were shepherded to the project – and to our community – through the efforts and attention of Congressman Jim McGovern, to whom we are deeply grateful. In receiving these funds, the completion of 33 Hawley is now in sight. Northampton will soon be home to a fully operational and vibrant hub of performance and art-making spaces. So many have contributed labor, artistry, attention, and funds to this vision. This award serves as a powerful affirmation of the potency of our mission to preserve affordable and accessible space for creativity and imagination, in perpetuity for this community.”