There is no dictionary definition for a cultural arts organization. No one knows this better than the people who establish and run them! While many kinds of organizations adopt this moniker, in this project I focused on organizations that are grass roots, founded by and for people in a specific cultural community, and have a primary mission of supporting artists in that community. They do not operate within traditional boundaries of a ‘museum,’ ‘gallery,’ or even ‘community center.’ They can be any and all of those things. Some are also bookstores, taco bars, and clothing stores too! These organizations are more concerned with fulfilling specific community needs than appealing to external categories.
Here are a couple of cultural arts organizations in western Massachusetts that you can visit and support:
Nueva Esperanza – Holyoke
Founded in 1982, Nueva Esperanza is a center for the Afro-Caribbean and Puerto Rican communities of Holyoke. They host festivals and cultural events, provide their resources to activists and smaller organizations, and invest in the artistic life of their community. Recently they launched El Corazón de Holyoke, a project that will bring a series of murals in downtown Holyoke by local and international Afro-Caribbean and Puerto Rican artists.
50 Arrow Gallery – Easthampton
50 Arrow Gallery exhibits work by Black and Indigenous artists in the Pioneer Valley. Their gallery is free for visitors and offers free and low-cost resources for their artists, including workshops. Recently they collaborated with Paper City Clothing Company in the Abstract Black exhibit. They are located in the Eastworks gallery and studio space.
