WORCESTER—The Worcester Cultural Coalition just announced a partnership with the College of the Holy Cross and the city’s Cultural Development Division.
This three-year collaboration provides summer creative residencies for local Worcester artists at the college’s new Prior Performing Arts Center. Dubbed “HC x WCC: Creative Residencies for Worcester Artists at The Prior,” this program is made possible by the College’s Scholarship in Action (SIA) initiative.
According to the announcement, through this initiative, faculty, student researchers, and community stakeholders work together to develop research projects that focus on equity, antiracism and shared knowledge production. These projects aim to engage wider audiences locally and globally, showcasing the important role of the liberal arts and humanities in addressing complex challenges.
Each year, two local artists or art companies will be given physical and financial resources to develop work in progress during a paid summer residency at The Prior.
Considered a “hub for academic and artistic innovation,” The Prior boasts a 400-seat proscenium concert hall, a 200-seat flexible theater, cutting-edge studios, and multi-use flexible spaces. During the summer residencies, the emphasis is on development rather than performance, enabling these spaces to come alive with the creation of new work tailored to the unique needs of each selected artist.
“I am thrilled about the potential of this project and the positive impact it can have on our community, our artists, and our educational institutions,” said Fabian Barracks, executive director of the Worcester Cultural Coalition and Worcester’s cultural development officer, in a statement. “It is a testament to the power of collaboration, and I am confident that our joint efforts will enrich our local cultural tapestry and provide valuable insights for the arts and education sectors at large. I look forward to working closely with Holy Cross to turn this vision into a reality and to witness the transformative effects it will have on our great city.”
The concept here underscores the significance of this research on par with disciplines such as engineering and science. With their capacity to foster growth, campus arts centers play a crucial role in local, national, and international arts ecosystems, and are particularly ideal hubs for this cultural endeavor.
“With inquiry-driven missions informed by the values of higher education, college and university art centers have a crucial role to play in the development of new artistic work, including and especially by those artists closest to home,” said Kyle Frisina, interim director of the Prior Performing Arts Center, in the announcement. “This is even more true in a post-COVID era shaped by the shuttering or diminishment of cultural institutions across the arts sector nationally.”
Residency applications from solo artists or collaborative groups from a variety of disciplines including but not limited to theater, dance, music, media, film/video, literature, visual arts, and interdisciplinary arts will be considered.
Each artist or company selected receives a $3,000 stipend for their summer developmental residency. The program also includes additional financial support of up to $1,000 to realize the project’s technical or production needs, whether during the residency itself or at any point before June 30 of the following year, said the announcement.
As part of the program, participants will engage in conversations and self-reflection about their residency process and experience.
The deadline for summer 2024 applications is April 15. More information can be found on the website.
News releases can be submitted to Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
As the Worcester Guardian marks six months of delivering free, independent digital news to our city, our dedication to this mission strengthens. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to support our ongoing commitment to providing hyperlocal news coverage to Worcester.
