Special Winter Places pop up in New Bedford
Press Release
The New Bedford arts community and creative businesses, along with a host of others, have big plans to put some sizzle into your winter this year.
#NBfestive Winter Places will pop-up at various hot spots throughout downtown New Bedford’s Seaport Cultural District: places where residents and visitors can “warm up, chill out, shop small and eat local,” beginning on Thursday, 2/11/21.
#NBfestive Winter Places partners the City of New Bedford with Destination New Bedford, New Bedford Creative, UMass Dartmouth CVPA and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park every Thursday through Saturday through the winter months. On those days artists, performers and downtown businesses will offer a variety of special events and programming in the city that are safe and fun for all ages.
“The City of New Bedford is pleased to have received a Winter Placemaking grant through Bench Consulting’s ‘Winter Places’ program, with funding support from the Barr Foundation, to implement programming and placemaking within the downtown’s public spaces,” explains Anne Louro, Preservation Planner. “Our goal is to have people rethink the frosty season, lure them outside and make our downtown safe, active and inviting during the winter months while following COVID-19 guidelines.”
Additional funding was provided by Bristol County Savings Bank and the Southeastern Massachusetts Visitors Bureau.
The series kicks off on AHA! New Bedford Night, Thursday February 11 and continues each week after with the following line-up of free activities:
Each Thursday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. from February through April, UMass Dartmouth’s CVPA ✶ Series will showcase a variety of dynamic performances and visual arts inside their Union and Purchase Streets corner Star Store gallery, viewable from their street-level windows.
Wing’s Court will host fire pits and curling games on Fridays 5:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:00-8:00 p.m. all winter long. Between getting hot and heavy in this winter space, you can enjoy the plethora of small businesses and eateries which circle Wing’s Court and radiate out for blocks around.
Also on Fridays and Saturdays over in Custom House Square, a snow-making machine will lend a hand to Mother Nature so that you can take advantage of some sledding on the rolling landscape.
The New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks! famous purple artMOBILE van will be parked between Custom House Square and Wing’s Court for youth to engage in artistic and inventive instruction with quality art supplies from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on Saturdays, 2/13, 2/20, 3/6, 3/13 and 3/20.
At all times throughout the winter months enjoy the following: special lights installed in Wing’s Court and Custom House Square and public art displays, including a large five-foot snowflake by city artist Jessica Bregoli, a six-foot lantern by Tim Catz, three 5-8 foot tall trees and an 18-foot selfie-ready scallop boat made by John Kumor, John Pereira, Jack Sylvia and Rick Fournier, and painted by Mandy Fraser.
To add to the #NBfestive atmosphere, downtown’s many storefronts will be beautifully decorated and specially lit, and colorful banners will be flying above the streets designed by mediumstudio.
New Bedford Office of City Planning
The Office of City Planning is responsible for providing sound, unbiased planning practices, resulting in the implementation of short and long-term plans and policies for the City of New Bedford. The Office of City Planning administers the local and state regulations regarding land use and land reuse, oversees the site plan review process for construction projects and reviews proposed signage for compliance with the city’s sign ordinance. The Office of City Planning also provides staff support to the Planning Board, Historical Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, the City Council, and other city departments, boards and commissions as needed. For more info, visit newbedford-ma.gov/planning.
Destination New Bedford
The City of New Bedford’s tourism website offers information on events, tours, attractions, dining, shopping and entertainment to make your stay a memorable one. For more info, visit destinationnewbedford.org.
New Bedford Creative Consortium
The New Bedford Creative Consortium is the leadership group whose purpose is overseeing the execution of the citywide strategic Arts and Culture Plan entitled New Bedford Creative: our art, our culture, our future. The Arts and Culture Plan is a huge step forward in building a thriving creative ecosystem in our city, and these are the people dedicated to implementing it. This volunteer group is facilitated by the Creative Strategist with additional staff support from the NBEDC and Offices of City Planning, Mayor’s Office, and Tourism and Marketing.
For more info, visit newbedfordcreative.org.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (NBWNHP) is a United States National Historical Park in New Bedford, Mass., and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). The park commemorates the heritage of the world’s preeminent whaling port during the nineteenth century, and is a historic district administered under a partnership between the NPS, the City of New Bedford and private building owners to preserve the historic landscapes, structures, and collections and promote research and educational programming associated with the history of whaling. For more info, visit nps.gov/nebe.
UMass Dartmouth College of Visual & Performing Arts
UMass Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) offers an art school experience within a four-year, research university setting through its 15 concentrations in Art + Design, Art History, Art Education, and Music. CVPA courses are taught on two campuses: Paul Rudolph’s distinctive architecture of the main campus in Dartmouth, and the Star Store Campus in Downtown New Bedford. For more info, visit umassd.edu/cvpa.
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