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Springfield Arts Initiative sheds light on creative endeavors

Date: 8/1/2011

Aug. 1, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — Northampton and Pittsfield are well known for centers of local artists and a new Web site is calling attention to the arts community in the Greater Springfield area.

Developed by the Springfield Arts Initiative (SAI), part of the Springfield Business Improvement District, www.CreativeSpringfield.net is an interactive Web site which allows artists to self-register, Gina Beavers, head of the SAI, explained to Reminder Publications.

“Greater Springfield artists can submit their names and contacts as well as link their own Web sites to ours,” she said. “This site allows our artists to know of each other’s work and possibly collaborate on future projects. Artists can also use it as a source for information about job and grant opportunities as well as calls for artists nationwide. www.CreativeSpringfield.net also allows anyone to support the arts by making donations via PayPal.”

Visual artists, dancers, photographers, poets and writers — “anyone with a viable portfolio” — Beavers said who live or have their studio in Hampden County are encouraged to register at the site. There is no cost for registration.

The Web site was developed by Verdant Multicultural Media and underwritten by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) with a $10,000 grant.

Beavers said the Web site and its registry are important to securing future arts grants, as it will prove to organizations such as the MCC there is an active arts community in and around the city.

Beavers said she is “literally adding people everyday” to the registry.

“It’s really exciting to see how many people there are. It’s like hidden jewels,” she added.

The SAI has just passed its first anniversary and during that time it cosponsored the giant sneaker sculpture art project, assembled artists for a clean-up of Riverfront Park, conducted a fund-raiser for tornado relief and will be unveiling the “The Market Place Mobile Mural Project” later this month.



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