The Town of Hopkinton seeks volunteers interested in joining a partnership to form a Cultural District Designation for the Town of Hopkinton. This is an opportunity to join a dedicated group of individuals who will apply for a Cultural District Designation Application through Mass Cultural Council and manage the District once established.
Launched in 2011 by an act of the state legislature, Cultural Districts drive economic growth, strengthen our distinctive local character, and improve the quality of life of families across Massachusetts. By supporting arts, humanities, and science organizations, Cultural Districts attract tourists and entrepreneurs, which in turn help communities foster their cultural sector and expand their tax base. And that benefits everyone.
Cultural districts are areas with a density of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. It is an easy to navigate, compact area that acts as a hub of cultural, artistic, and economic activity and offers a place-based identity to collaborative community initiatives.
The primary goals of the Cultural Districts Initiative, as described in the legislative statute, are to:
● Attract artists and cultural enterprises
● Encourage business and job development
● Establish the district as a tourist destination
● Preserve and reuse historic buildings
● Enhance property values
● Foster and preserve local cultural development
This group will work on the application to be submitted early in 2024. Due to the nature of the work we are looking specifically to include the following volunteers: Artists who live and/or work in downtown Hopkinton Business owners from downtown Hopkinton Staff from an arts organization in town Staff from a for profit arts group (ie interior design, photographer, etc)
Partnership responsibilities include developing a plan for management of the district. The plan must include agreed upon objectives such as roles, responsibilities, resources, sustainability plans, and ways to measure success and collect useful data. The partnership must provide collective support to the district on a regular basis.
The application opens on November 1st and closes November 30th. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance the first week of December.
Apply HERE
