WORCESTER— “Oh no! This is terrible news!” is the prevailing sentiment echoed across social media. The Worcester community is abuzz with shock and disappointment following the announcement on Wednesday that this year’s stART on the Street festival will be the last.
The renowned, trailblazing arts festival that became the lifeblood of the Worcester arts scene and beyond. celebrating arts, culture, and creativity, will conclude after its 20th anniversary in September.
According to a statement from Creative Hub, the nonprofit arts organization that took over stART in 2022, this year’s festival will mark the end of an era.
“After two decades of celebrating creativity in the heart of Massachusetts, stART on the Street, New England’s largest arts, music, cultural, and performance festival, will bid its final farewell this September,” the statement reads. “The 20th anniversary of this iconic event marks the bittersweet conclusion of a festival that has profoundly transformed Worcester’s and Central Massachusetts’ cultural landscape.”
Founded in 2002 by a group of artists called Worcester Artists Really Trying (WART), stART on the Street began as a celebration of friendship and community—elements that still define the “stART experience.”
Each year, the festival showcases the talents of some 275 artists, features live performances across multiple stages, and offers interactive demonstrations and culinary offerings from local vendors. Organizers say its success is a testament to the dedication of its volunteers and the enthusiastic support from the Worcester community.
“Over the last 20 years, the stART community has blossomed in ways we could never have predicted,” said Stacy Lord, one of the festival’s founders and co-founder of Creative Hub, in the announcement. “We’ve embraced the excitement of new artistic beginnings, celebrated significant milestones of our artists, and supported each other as a unified creative force through challenges and losses. stART has always been more than just a showcase of art; it’s a vibrant celebration of creativity and joy. The connections we’ve made and the unforgettable memories we’ve created together will always be a part of us.”
Despite its growth and popularity, organizers cited in the public announcement the increasing challenges of hosting such a large-scale event as a primary reason for the decision. The difficulty in recruiting dedicated volunteers and the significant costs associated with the festival were key factors that led to this difficult choice.
“This was not an easy decision to make,” the announcement stated. “We understand that this final chapter of stART will be received with as much emotion as it was for us to make it. We owe our success and growth to the unwavering support and creativity of our community members, artists, and volunteers.”
stART Director Tina Zlody added, “After much deliberation and heartfelt discussions about the future of the event, we had to consider the changing priorities of our core group. The three remaining directors have decided that this is the natural end of our journey. We have accomplished so much in 20 years and hold our heads high with love in our hearts as we say goodbye.”
Lord told the Worcester Guardian that many factors were key to making the choice to end stART.
“The reality is that we were all doing the impossible,” said Lord, “and we are such a small group of people who ran this massive, massive event with very little capacity. Increases in expenses and increases in resources, including coordinators and volunteers were a big factor. It has become a full-time job for the few who are running it. In a roundabout way, it is good to have this conversation about why we end at 20 years. The questions being asked are essential and should be discussed.”
“There was no major catalyst, per se,” Zlody told the Worcester Guardian. “It just seemed like the right time, with the Hub getting up and running, and limited volunteers and coordinators. It was a very organic discussion that was clear and pragmatic. Sometimes when you work side by side with someone for as long as Stacy and I have, you just look at each other and know. We are incredibly proud of what our group has done.”
As stART on the Street wraps up, its directors look forward to new creative endeavors.
Founders Lord and Co-Director Laura Marotta are set to open the Creative Hub Worcester Community Arts Center at 2 Ionic Ave., with groundbreaking scheduled for fall 2024. Zlody plans to offer consulting services in event planning and management while continuing her directorship at the Worcester Public Market’s Market Pantry store.
“We owe immense gratitude to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey. Your participation, whether as volunteers, artists, or attendees, has fueled the spirit of stART on the Street,” Zlody and Lord said in Wednesday’s announcement. “As we prepare for this final celebration, we invite you to join us one last time to relive the memories and honor the legacy we’ve created together.”
Lord stressed that as she and Marotta turn their attention to the opening of the Creative Hub Community Arts Center, it was not a catalyst for the decision, and was made jointly with Zlody.
“Tina stepped back last year, and we always joked that if one of us left, the other would too,” Lord told the Guardian. “As she mentioned, the timing feels right, and we want to end on a high note, proud of what the creative community has achieved in support of stART. We couldn’t have done it without the community. We have always committed to being accessible to all vendors and free to attend, but that comes at a cost – a cost that needs to be covered by other means.”
The final stART on the Street festival takes place on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (rain date: Sept. 22) on Park Avenue in Worcester. As always, the event features more than 250 artisans, performers, interactive demonstrators, nonprofits, and food vendors.
To commemorate 20 years, the festival included limited edition merchandise, a retrospective of stART stories, and special surprises. Organizers urge attendees to look for the stART tents at the mouth of Elm and Park Ave. and consider donating to support stART.
Additionally, the stART at the Station holiday craft show will take place on Dec. 8, 2024, offering one last chance to experience the magic of stART. Lord said a “little known fact” about the winter version of stART is that revenue from the event is funneled back to paying off September’s festival expenses.
“Human capacity only runs so long before burnout,” Lord added, “and as coordinators step down for multiple reasons, including life, family, and other factors, having new people step in has become increasingly complex. While we have exceptional coordinators who have worked with us for the past few years, one’s capacity only goes so far.
“We are so proud of all the coordinators and volunteers who have stepped up over the past twenty years. Each one of them helped make stART achievable for us. So the time is right for us to bid farewell and have one last hurrah of that thing we call the ‘stART experience.’”
As far as a spin-off in the future? Possibly. But for now, Lord says organizers are “focused on putting on an incredible 20th Anniversary of stART for the community.”
Charlene Arsenault can be reached at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
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