grant programs

New Bedford Creative facilitates multiple grant programs to help advance New Bedford as one of the most culturally unique and creative cities in America. These grant programs are funded by the City of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund, with additional support from Barr Foundation, Bristol County Savings Bank, and Mass Cultural Council.

Art is Everywhere supports projects that address pressing issues faced by New Bedford’s residents, visitors, and businesses, utilizing arts, culture, or creative approaches to create meaningful solutions in the city’s neighborhoods. The next round of Art is Everywhere applications will open on Monday, November 4, 2024, and must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024. Click here to apply!

Wicked Cool Places supports projects that create or sustain vibrant, welcoming spaces that attract activity and foster community involvement, benefiting New Bedford’s residents, visitors, and businesses alike. The next round of Wicked Cool Places applications will open on Monday, November 4, 2024, and must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024. Click here to apply!

ARTnet was an artist recovery and training network to help 100 artists recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic by providing financial support, business planning support, training workshops, and access to a network of creative-entrepreneur peers. Funding from 2022 to 2024 was provided by the City of New Bedford’s ARPA/American Rescue Plan Act, supported by federal award number SLFRP1067 awarded to the City of New Bedford by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As of May 2024, applications are closed.

If you have any questions about these programs, please email Creative Specialist Hendrick Hernandez-Resto at hhernandez@nbedc.org.

All New Bedford Creative grant programs use the NBEDC’s online application portal on Submittable. If it’s your first time using Submittable, you will need to create a new account with an email and password, it’s that simple.

To view additional funding opportunities from multiple sources locally, regionally, and nationally,

please visit the funding list in our Tool Box and our Fundraising page.

ARTnet ARPA Grant Program History

ARTnet was an artist recovery and training network to help 100 artists recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic by providing financial support, business planning support, training workshops, and access to a network of creative-entrepreneur peers.

ARTnet included cohort-based learning in business and finance, 1-on-1 technical assistance and mentoring, and working capital grants for artists based in New Bedford. The majority of artists were selected on the basis of their negative financial circumstances caused by the pandemic, and their readiness to benefit from the opportunity.

The ARTnet ARPA Grant Program was supported by federal award number SLFRP1067 awarded to the City of New Bedford by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Facilitated by New Bedford Creative at the New Bedford Economic Development Council, this program was one component to respond to the public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From January 2023 through May 2024, the following 100 individuals were accepted and participated in the ARTnet ARPA Grant Program:

Beatrice Alder – ceramicist, printmaker, textile artist, and writer
Elaine Alder – textile/fabric artist
Erik Andrade – poet & cultural organizer, artist
Jordan Andrade – music artist, producer, mix engineer
David Andrews – multimedia visual artist
Andrew Anello – organizer, DJ
Nicholas Angelini – musician/drum builder
Angela Aranjo – photographer
Bazel Baez – guitarist, singer & songwriter
Candida Rose Baptista – singer & songwriter
Kyrel Barboza – music artist
Ronald Barboza – photographer and artist
Marcus Barrett – performer, songwriter, videographer
Cara Bean – cartoonist, art educator, author
Shanika Berry – fashion designer
Alison Borges – oil painter & charcoal drawer
Justin Botelho – photographer, videographer
Iva Brito – poet & artist
Alex Buchanan – artist and fabricator
Catherine Carter – abstract painter & art educator
Kathi Chase – acrylic & mixed media painter
Kayla Conner – painter, poet and educator
Crystal Cruz – educator
Jonathan Cruz – actor & filmmaker
Autumn Cyr – graphic designer & visual artist
Matthew DaSilva – photographer, videographer
Ethan de Aguiar – cinematographer, storyteller, filmmaker
Paul Deare – writer, videographer, multimedia cultural practitioner
Christopher DeOliveira – visual artist
Sarah Donner – musician & producer
Cedric Douglas – designer, muralist, social interventionist
Kristin duCharme – interdisciplinary artist
Genevieve duCharme-Hill – painter
Korie Ellis – natural dyer, textile artist
Rhonda Fazio – environmental alchemist
Ronald Fortier – painter and documentarian
Amanda Fraser – painter
Kate Frazer Rego – visual artist/educator
Paulina Fuenzalida – textile artist
Brendalee Galarza – permanent makeup artist
Jose Galarza – tattoo artist
Samantha Garlington – photographer
Meclina Gomes – painter, microcalligrapher
Chakira Gonsalves – painter, fabric artist, cosmetologist
Tatiana Gonzalez – singer & songwriter
Dougie Grace – music producer, mix engineer
Isaiah Grace – actor & filmmaker
Jessica Gracia – videographer, photographer, painter, sculptor
David Guadalupe – visual artist
Dena Haden – installation, sculpture, textile, visual artist
D’Lanor Harris – performance artist, dancer
Sydney Hawes – costume & textile artist
Hendrick Hernandez – music producer
Taylor Hickey – interdisciplinary visual artist
Zulay Holland – illustrator, printmaker, face painter, DJ
Pamela Hoss – painter & drawer
Cedric Josey – singer, songwriter, educator
Julian Juan – DJ
Michelle Lapointe – stained glass artist, painter and photographer
Ian Lewis – performing arts educator
Dawn Lopes – filmmaker and writer
Chago Luna – apparel designer
Nicole Luz – indigenous multidisciplinary artist
Michael McLean – craftsman, show producer, musician
David Meyers – illustrator, printmaker, face painter, DJ
Ryan Miller – multidisciplinary artist, poet, musician, multimedia artist
Robyn Miranda – photographer, model, designer, coordinator
Andres “Trajic” Montalvo – artist & songwriter
Michael Monteiro – musician & producer
Iean Morgan – multimedia artist: graphic design, photography, videography, music
Sarah Mulvey – writer, poet
Fallon Navarro – ceramist
Jennifer Newman-Arruda – metal smith, jeweler, textile artist, painter
Rafael “Macho” Nieves – singer-songwriter, performing artist, music producer, sound engineer
Madeline Peach – figurative painter
Nuno Pereira – musician/songwriter
Michael Pietragalla – practicing wood artisan and craftsman
Lana Quann – watercolor artist
Andy Ramos – music producer
Trevor Reilly – musician, recording engineer, studio owner
Eufemia Reis – painter
Bryan Ribeiro – DJ and artist
Paula Robinson Deare – multimedia cultural practitioner
Marisol Rosa – healing artist
Julia Roth – visual artist, interdisciplinary artist, therapist
Sandra Santos – textile artist and painter
Aneshia Savino – apothecary, dancer, scribe
Hannah Rose Schlieder – multimedia creative/painter
Debra Smook – multimedia visual artist, writer, educator
Eden Soares – visual artist/educator
Darnel Staley – musician, photographer
Kathleen Stykowski – doll creator
Marlowe Tavares – R&B/soul/neo soul singer
Jaden Teixeira – traditional and digital painter
Herbert Thompson – drawer/painter
Emilio Tirado – videographer, photographer, songwriter, music engineer
Hadisesadat Tourikarami – mixed media/fiber artist
Alison Wells – mixed media painter
Zachary White – mixed media painter & printmaker
Karen Zukas – writer, educator, painter and potter

Art is Everywhere! Grant Program Guidelines

The Art is Everywhere! Grant Program supports projects that address pressing issues faced by New Bedford’s residents, visitors, and businesses, utilizing arts, culture, or creative approaches to create meaningful solutions in the city’s neighborhoods.

Grant Awards: Award amounts range from $1,500 to $10,000 to support projects of varying scales, from smaller, adaptable ideas to larger visionary projects. Eligible applicants include individuals, non-profits, community groups, and for-profits.

To qualify, projects must:
1. Be based within New Bedford, MA.
2. Provide benefits to New Bedford residents, visitors, and/or businesses as outlined in the grant description.

Priority Consideration: Projects that enhance equity, celebrate diversity, ensure inclusiveness, and promote open access will be given preference.

Funding Support: This grant program is funded by the City’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund, with additional support from Barr Foundation, Bristol County Savings Bank, and Mass Cultural Council.

Application Information: All questions in the application are required unless otherwise noted. Incomplete or inaccurate responses may result in a rejected application. The online portal, Submittable, saves your progress as you complete the application, allowing you to take breaks.

Deadline: Applications open Monday, November 4, 2024, and must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024. Click here to apply!

Questions: Please contact Hendrick Hernandez-Resto, Creative Specialist, at hhernandez@nbedc.org.

History of Art is Everywhere:

This grant was originally created in 2020 with funding by MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) and the Barr Foundation as one component of a broader “TDI Creative Cities” initiative to boost arts-based economic development. Funding from 2022 to 2024 was provided by the City of New Bedford’s ARPA/American Rescue Plan Act, supported by federal award number SLFRP1067 awarded to the City of New Bedford by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, with additional support from the City’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund, Barr Foundation, Bristol County Savings Bank, Mass Cultural Council, New Bedford Cultural Council, and SouthCoast Community Foundation.

In February 2024, the following projects were awarded an Art is Everywhere ARPA Grant:

3rd EyE Youth Empowerment – “Your New Bedford: Community Convos,” $7,000
AHA! (Art, History, Architecture) New Bedford – “Queer Arts Council: AHA! Pride Block Party,” $12,500
Alyssa Botelho – “Sweet Freedom Film Highlighting Mary ‘Polly’ Johnson,” $10,000
Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford – “Serpentine Benches for Island Park,” $20,000
Cape Verdean Recognition Committee – “52nd Annual Cape Verdean Recognition Parade,” $10,000
Coastal Foodshed – “Showcasing Local Creatives & Local Food,” $15,200
Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Beaches – “Arts in the Park,” $10,000
Erik Andrade, La Soul Renaissance – “La Soul Renaissance Verdean Veterans Cultural Memory / Placekeeping Project,” $20,000
Iva Brito, Soul Calling Retreats – “Embracing the Rich Tapestry of Culture: A Call to Celebrate and Educate,” $7,000
Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute (DATMA) – “Transform 2024: Designing, Upcycling, and Making Public Art with Local Youth,” $10,000
New Bedford Art Museum – “NBAM ArtMOBILE Creative Care,” $10,000
New Bedford Festival Theatre – “NBFT On Tour,” $10,000
Our Sisters School – “Strengthening Our Community Through Arts Collaboration,” $6,500
The Artists Index – “Community Digital Archive Project @Gallery X,” $8,000

In March 2023, the following projects were awarded an Art is Everywhere ARPA Grant:

AHA! (Art, History, Architecture) – “The Seaport Sessions,” $6,500
Artist David Andrews – “Kids Open Art Week,” $5,000
Cape Verdean Recognition Committee, Inc. – “51st Cape Verdean Recognition Parade,” $10,000
Cape Verdean Veteran Memorial Foundation, Inc. – “CV Music Sundays,” $8,000
Coastal Foodshed – “Learn to Love Local – Showcasing Local Musicians & Artists,” $5,000
Community Economic Development Center – “Celebrando Guatemala,” $8,150
DATMA: Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute – “Open Studios on the Sidewalk,” $7,000
Downtown New Bedford Inc. – “#activatewingscourt,” $5,000
Filmmaker Alyssa Botelho – “Sweet Freedom, the story of Mary ‘Polly’ Johnson,” $10,000
Gallery X – “High School Select Redux,” $5,000
Good Company NB – “Yoga + Art Camp,” $5,000
La Soul Renaissance – “La Soul Renaissance Spoken Word Poetry Show & Open Mic hosted by Erik Andrade with DJ Jules and Overflowing Cup Project,” $15,000
Little People’s College – “The Mural of Peace & Hope,” $5,000
New Bedford Festival Theatre – “BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: An Education & Community Outreach Program in Conjunction with NBFT’S Production of The Wiz,” $14,600
New Bedford Rowing Center – “ROW New Bedford ‘Reclaiming Our Waterway,'” $6,000
Our Sisters School – “Creativity for a Better World – Youth Action, Impact, and Heart!,” $9,750
Reggae on West Beach – “Reggae on West Beach,” $15,000

In June 2022, the following projects were awarded an Art is Everywhere Grant:

Kids Open Art Week, $3,400: This project will provide free art education and mentorship to low income BIPOC youth ages 4 and up. “Kids Open Art Week,” led by David Andrews and the Communal Space, will take place every second week of each month on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 4-6pm with painting, drawing, and sculpting classes.

“Safe Station: New Bedford’s Underground Railroad,” $6,000: A temporary public art exhibition that tells the story of New Bedford’s unique historical involvement in the abolition movement through the lens of local artists, including New Bedford-based artists Alison Wells, Fitzcarmel LaMarre, and students from Our Sisters School. DATMA’s “Safe Station: New Bedford’s Underground Railroad” will be located at the YMCA at 25 South Water Street.

Ease Into Summer, Bilingual Kids Yoga, $6,000: Tahais Real-Martins and her Yoga Es Vida will provide a 6-week bilingual Spanish yoga series for kids ages 6-9 to promote mindfulness, gratitude, love and kindness. In partnership with New Bedford’s Parks, Recreation and Beaches.

Showcasing Local Creatives and Local Food, $10,000: Coastal Foodshed will introduce local artists, chefs and musicians to the New Bedford farmers markets each week. Their program “Showcasing Local Creatives & Local Food” is being awarded a grant to directly support local musicians and creatives.

“Dil ba Dil Rah Dhara (From one heart to another),” $11,600: Last winter, New Bedford welcomed its first group of refugees from Afghanistan. The SouthCoast Afghan Support Network sprung up organically in response to the need to provide initial, localized support. With the Art is Everywhere grant, they will use the funds as seed money for the women’s art project “Dil ba Dil Rah Dhara,” which is based on an Afghan proverb that means “From one heart to another, there is a way.”

La Soul Renaissance’s 20th Anniversary, $13,000: This project seeks to capture, inspire and share the cultural heritage of the Cape Verdean, African and Indigenous communities through curated arts programming at the Verdean Veterans Memorial Hall.

“Frederick Douglass Memorial in Abolition Row Park,” $20,000: The New Bedford Historical Society will focus new visibility on racial and ethnic acceptance at this difficult time in our nation’s history. In partnership with the city, they will open Abolition Row Park and use history, art, and culture to develop an educational park and create a new destination for cultural tourism. A focal point of that history will be a statue of a young Frederick Douglass, who’s first home in freedom was here in New Bedford, and where he rose from enslavement to become one of the most important voices on social justice of his time.

2021: “ART IS EVERYWHERE” PROJECTS CHART A COURSE FORWARD

NEW BEDFORD, MA — “Each proposal had a unique take on how art can inspire new connections and rekindle old ones,” says Takeru Nagayoshi, member of the Review Committee for the 2021 “Art is Everywhere” special grant program — and 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, from New Bedford High School. “In a year where we lost so much in our communities, I felt hope for how art can bring us back together.”Indeed, “Art is Everywhere” in this city — and it’s being mobilized to creatively meet community needs and confront head-on the lingering after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, one project, “Your New Bedford” from 3rd EyE Youth Empowerment, tackled the challenge. This year, six special projects have been awarded a total of $64,000 to help meet those goals.

“In launching TDI Creative Cities in a year that was so challenging for communities like New Bedford, we prioritized the idea that the city’s most creative leaders should be empowered with financial assistance so they can use their craft to help solve broader community issues,” says Noah Koretz, MassDevelopment Director of Transformative Development. “I’m thrilled to see such a major cross-section of the community participating in this process, and I am happy that this year’s ‘Art is Everywhere’ funding will support projects that reflect both the city’s history and its future.”

ABOUT THE 2021 ART IS EVERYWHERE GRANT RECIPIENTS

“Highlighting Diverse Stories: New Bedford’s Middle Schoolers as Literacy Ambassadors,” $2,500: Diversity in news matters. That’s why Emma York, a local educator, and Sawyer Pollitt, founder of New Bedford media outlet The Scallop, are bringing students directly into the reporting process. Together, they will lead students at Our Sisters’ School in writing a monthly column spotlighting middle grade books whose protagonists, authors and themes reflect New Bedford’s diversity. They hope this project serves as a model for collaboration between other schools and media outlets, giving young people from low-income backgrounds the chance to shape the narratives surrounding themselves and their communities.

New Bedford Children: Creative Resource Center, $12,000: The vision for The Creative Resource Center is to explore new and innovative ideas and materials for use in early childhood classrooms. Located within the Kilburn Mill community, this project works to bring together local artists and early childhood educators in an inspiring and supportive environment filled with materials brimming with creative potential. These open-ended items range widely from traditional art supplies to unusual materials collected from local businesses for reuse. All materials are thoughtfully curated to provoke creativity. This treasure trove of creative expression will be open to early educators to support their teaching as well as to the public. The center will also host free bi-weekly educator workshops open to educators from the more than 35 early childhood centers (including family child care providers) in New Bedford. This center acts as a central hub for the nonprofit’s mission to ensure every child’s right to a high-quality early childhood education in New Bedford by hosting a common space that nurtures everyone’s innate need to play, create, share and learn.

“Pandemic Renaissance – The Art of Surviving C 19,” $20,000: will serve as a historic archive of the pandemic for generations to come. Through artistic lenses of art, dance, music and poetry captured, a documentary film team led by award winning Cape Verdean artists Iva Brito and a’Ali DeSousa, will share stories of The Whaling City. “Pandemic Renaissance – The Art of Surviving C 19” will address this by documenting how multicultural communities have persevered and humanity has come shining through.

“Pride Month: Kaleidoscope – Art Through Your Eyes,” $2,500: This project is actually two projects in one. The first is an LGBTQ+ art show entitled “Kaleidescope – Art Through Your Eyes” at Gallery X and the second a month-long virtual Book Club Discussion Group for LGBTQ+ youth, adults and seniors discussing the The Healing Otherness Handbook by transgender author and counselor, Dr. Stacee Reicherzer. Imagined by the South Coast LGBTQ Network, the Book Club will advance the physical and mental well-being of a very marginalized group of people who have experienced financial hardships, unemployment, food insecurity and isolation during the pandemic. The Kaleidescope art exhibit will not only highlight the vibrant arts and culture of the LGBTQ+ community, but will bring renewed exposure to Gallery X, letting people know it is open for business again, and bringing the culturally diverse New Bedford community together for socialization, enrichment and fun.

The SouthCoast Learning Trails, $15,000: Little People’s College, along with the New Bedford Birth to Grade 3 Partnership and the Southcoast Coalition for Early Childhood Education, plans a series of Learning Trails with local artists creating signage along Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford’s north end. Each sign/art installation will contain messaging around early childhood development incorporating “The 5 Basics Principles:” 1) Maximize love, manage stress, 2) Talk, sing, point, 3) Count, group, compare, 4) Explore through movement and play, 5) Read and discuss stories. These five science-based parenting and caregiving tenets support social, emotional, and cognitive development of children from birth to age three. The signs may include activities that involve local sights, sounds, culture or history, and will be translated in multiple languages to ensure access and inclusivity.

“Um Frenti Unido – Um Prujeto di Memória Kultural (A United Front – A Cultural Memory Project)” $12,000: This project aims to archive the living memory of the Cape Verdean American community in New Bedford and explore how “creative placemaking” is a catalyst for the rapid rent increases leading to the displacement and gentrification of the historic African and Indigenous communities in Acushnet (New Bedford). Historically, New Bedford is the first American city that Cape Verdeans immigrated to. Moreover, Cape Verdeans are also the first African people to “voluntarily” emigrate to the United States, post European colonization. This makes this community uniquely important to African, Cape Verdean, and American history. This cultural memory project will elevate first person narratives from this historic African immigrant community. It will also explore the cross cultural relationships and moments of solidarity between the Cape Verdean, African American, Caribbean, Pokanoket, Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Narragansett and Indigenous communities. The project is being led by La Soul Renaissance.

2020: BARR FOUNDATION AND MASSDEVELOPMENT COLLABORATE IN GATEWAY CITIES

In late 2019, the Barr Foundation awarded a grant to MassDevelopment to create a new arts-based economic development program through its Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) called “TDI Creative Cities.” At that time, few if any could have envisioned what was on the horizon. A pandemic the likes of which has not been seen for a century intervened. Still, MassDevelopment chose New Bedford as the pilot city for “TDI Creative Cities” and the “Art Is Everywhere!” grant program was created as one component to an arts and culture-based economic development strategy.

A 3rd EyE Youth Empowerment project called “Your New Bedford” took the initiative for a test drive in 2020. It was a roaring success – and met the challenge of launching during the era of COVID-19. In fact, the pandemic neither slowed the creative pulse of this city – nor stopped the beneficent impulse of the “Art Is Everywhere” idea.

Responding directly to COVID-19 impacts on the arts and the New Bedford community more broadly, 3rd EyE Youth Empowerment retooled and reimagined the original “Your New Bedford” six-part monthly program series in several ways. The group shifted from neighborhood-based pop-up events in community settings to an interactive virtual format, provided paying work for local artists whose incomes were directly affected by the pandemic, diversified artist revenue generation strategies, and addressed the social isolation felt by many residents.

“A thriving community is more than just what’s seen on the surface, it’s also what is not immediately visible,” said Your New Bedford’s Project Director Peter Lonelle Walker. “The New Bedford that visitors see, particularly in our revitalized historic downtown, is fueled by the influence, expression and culture of the communities and neighborhoods that lie outside the tourist map. It’s harder to connect right now, and our goal was to create a platform that empowers and showcases our communities and neighborhoods, celebrating the contributions we and our neighbors have made and will continue to make.”

Wicked Cool Places Grant Program Guidelines

The Wicked Cool Places Grant Program supports projects that create or sustain vibrant, welcoming spaces that attract activity and foster community involvement, benefiting New Bedford’s residents, visitors, and businesses alike. Projects should fall under “placemaking” or “placekeeping”– making or keeping a place where things are happening and people want to be – defined as follows:

Placekeeping: “The active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there. It is not just preserving buildings but keeping the cultural memories associated with a locale alive, while supporting the ability of local people to maintain their way of life as they choose.” —USDAC
Placemaking: “With community-based participation at its center, an effective placemaking process capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, and it results in the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people’s health, happiness, and well-being.” —Project for Public Spaces

To qualify, projects must:
1. Be based within New Bedford, MA.
2. Provide benefits to New Bedford residents, visitors, and/or businesses as outlined in the grant description.

Priority Consideration: Projects that enhance equity, celebrate diversity, ensure inclusiveness, and promote open access will be given preference.

Deadline: Applications open Monday, November 4, 2024, and must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024. Click here to apply!

Questions: Please contact Hendrick Hernandez-Resto, Creative Specialist, at hhernandez@nbedc.org.

History of Wicked Cool Places:

This grant was originally created in 2019 with funding by the City of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Fund, with additional support by Bristol County Savings Bank. Funding from 2022 to 2024 was provided by the City of New Bedford’s ARPA/American Rescue Plan Act, supported by federal award number SLFRP1067 awarded to the City of New Bedford by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, with additional support from the City’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund, Barr Foundation, Bristol County Savings Bank, Mass Cultural Council, New Bedford Cultural Council, and SouthCoast Community Foundation.

In February 2024, the following projects were awarded a Wicked Cool Places ARPA Grant:

3rd EyE Youth Empowerment – “Five Pillars of Hip Hop,” $7,000
AHA! (Art, History, Architecture) New Bedford – “AHA! New Bedford: AHA! Moments,” $10,000
Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford – “Exploring Pano,” $5,700
Cape Verdean Recognition Committee – “Flag Raising of the Republic of Cabo Verde,” $2,500
Community Economic Development Center – “Patio de Comidas & Festival Tipico de Guatemala,”$20,000
Erik Andrade, La Soul Renaissance – “La Soul Renaissance Spoken Word Poetry Show & Open Mic at Verdean Veterans Memorial Hall,” $20,000
Groundwork – “The Groundwork Gallery, Cultivating a Creative Community Coworking Space,” $5,000
Iva Brito, Soul Calling Retreats – “Healing the Maternal Community,” $5,800
J.E. Ingoldsby, ASLA, Natural and Cultural Landscapes and Landscape Mosaics – “Landscape + Architecture: Historic Trees of New Bedford 2,” $5,000
Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute (DATMA) – “The Art of Technology: Exploring Transformative Innovations of the SouthCoast,” $10,000
NB Roots & Branches Festival – “NB Roots and Branches Festival 2024,” $10,000
New Bedford Art Museum – “NBAM ArtMOBILE Around the City,” $10,000
New Bedford Film Festival – “New Bedford Film Festival,” $8,000
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center – “Casting a Wider Net,”$10,000
New Bedford Whaling Museum – “Community Blooms, The New Bedford Whaling Museum,” $3,000
New Moon Dance Party – “BodyBodyBody, Riverside Beats, New Moon Roller Disco,” $10,000
Reverie Theatre Group and Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum – “Shakespeare in New Bedford 2024: Twelfth Night,” $6,000
Spinner Publications – “The New Bedford Blubber: Writers’ Workshops,” $10,000

In March 2023, the following projects were awarded a Wicked Cool Places ARPA Grant:

3rd EyE Unlimited – “5 Pillars of Hip Hop Pop-Up Series,” $5,000
Azorean Maritime Heritage Society – “12th International Azorean Whaleboat Regatta in New Bedford,” $8,000
Buy Black NB – “Buy Black NB Juneteenth Pop-up Vendor Market,” $8,000
Cape Verdean Recognition Committee, Inc. – “Cape Verdean Recognition Week – Flag Raising,” $2,000
CEDC – Community Economic Development Center – “Patio de Comidas y Festival Tipico de Guatemala,” $12,000
Coastal Foodshed – “Learn to Love Local: Fighting Food Insecurity Through Increased Access to Local Food & Culturally Diverse Cooking Education,” $15,000
Downtown New Bedford Inc. – “Activate dNB! Shop Small Crawl (May), Fall Fest (October), Holiday Stroll (December),” $12,000
Dream Out Loud Center – “New Bedford YOUth LIVE,” $5,000
Duende Studio – “Integrated public art,” $14,520
New Moon Dance Party – “New Moon Projects: BodyBodyBody, Riverside Beats, New Moon Roller Disco,” $10,000
Paulinarte – “Traveling exhibition of Latino Artists,” $8,000
Queer Arts Council of New Bedford – “AHA! PRIDE Block Party 2023,” $8,000
Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum – “Shakespeare in New Bedford 2023 – The Tempest,” $6,000
Yoga Es Vida – “The Mindful Jar and Kids Yoga Series,” $6,000

In January 2022, New Bedford Creative announced an investment of $70,000 in creative placemaking and placekeeping projects funded by the City of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture + Tourism Fund, with additional funding by Bristol County Savings Bank, Mass Cultural Council, and MassDevelopment’s “TDI Creative Cities” initiative. Grants were awarded to the following projects:

$50,000 funded by the city of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Fund, with additional support by Bristol County Savings Bank:

The Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) designed “Patio de Comida” specifically to serve the city’s Latino population. It features foods from Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and more at Riverside Park. $5,000 will help it host more food vendors, kids activities and local artists, including Mayan dancers, Marimba players, weavers, and contemporary musicians.

Massachusetts Design, Art, and Technology Institute (DATMA) has been awarded $4,000 to collaborate with New Bedford High School faculty and students, artist Silvia López Chavez, and NORPEL Fisheries to create a three-dimensional (3D) public art mural.

In June, the Queer Arts Council of New Bedford will use $5,000 to bring back the AHA! Pride Block Party to Custom House Square and the historical 54th Regiment Plaza to continue creating and establishing inclusive queer spaces downtown and avenues for the LGBTQ+ creative community and businesses.

Continuing into its fifth year, Reggae On West Beach is a truly inclusive, diverse, multigenerational, family-friendly summer series for all walks of life. This event has established the West Beach Pavilion as a summer destination venue and is greatly anticipated – each year – and a $5,000 award will continue this new tradition in the south end.

With local artist Eden Soares, Pilgrim United Church of Christ is being awarded $4,000 to recognize the historic importance of its building as a site where Booker T. Washington spoke when he visited New Bedford in 1895 by installing a mural on the south wall, adding to the renaissance of public art in the city of New Bedford.

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford (CVANB) will partner to present a free, outdoor music festival at CVANB’s Island Park on Acushnet Avenue beside the historic Strand Theater. “Junta Mon: Together in Music” will use $5,000 to make that happen.

The public mural group SuperflatNB will bring together 12 BIPOC artists to co-create a rotating mural along Acushnet Avenue across from Custom House Square Park with a $5,000 award. The theme for the mural is Harmony within Flora and Fauna.

New Moon Dance Party has been awarded $5,000 to present a series of outdoor community dance parties during warmer months at Riverside Park. These events will be radically inclusive, providing a safe place for self-expression to all dancers.

This spring, the New Bedford Art Museum’s artMOBILE Clay-on-Wheels project will be an active participant in several vibrant springtime venues, beginning with SouthCoast Spring Arts and continuing at open space parks in New Bedford thanks to a $5,000 award.

The Rotch-Jones-Duff House (RJD) and Reverie Theatre Group (RTG), formerly the Glass Horse Project, will partner for a third summer to produce Shakespeare’s most admired and uplifting comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” RTG will stage six free performances across two weekends in August 2022 with the help of a $2,000 WCP grant.

$5,000 will help the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network to grow its annual South Coast Pride, working with community volunteers, businesses, schools and other nonprofits to create healthy, family-friendly, fun activities, including the 6th annual South Coast Pride all-inclusive community event in Buttonwood Park on June 4.

$5,000 funded by Mass Cultural Council, to support place-keeping within the Seaport Cultural District:

La Soul Renaissance will curate six cultural events with $5,000 that celebrate and uplift the cultural memory of New Bedford’s African and Indigenous community through spoken word poetry and intercultural discussions facilitated at the Verdean Veterans Memorial Hall. The events will be recorded, broadcast online, and archived to preserve cultural memory.

$15,000 funded by MassDevelopment / TDI and the Barr Foundation as part of the “TDI Creative Cities Initiative” to support arts-based economic development:

Downtown New Bedford Inc. (dNB Inc) will host the Shop Small Crawl (spring), All Treats, No Tricks (fall), and the Holiday Stroll (winter) in 2022, attracting thousands of residents and visitors to downtown New Bedford with a $3,000 grant.

In an effort to continue supporting Black-owned businesses, BuyBlackNB will use $5,000 to host outdoor markets where all people are invited to come purchase goods and services from Black-owned businesses in a safe and inclusive space, including a Juneteenth Vendor Market, a celebration of Black Independence Day.

Building resilience in children from birth to preschool through Music Therapy and Yoga, Rosemary Williams of Mindful Melodies’s main goal is to expand music therapy services for children who do not have the opportunity to have access to this form of therapy in early intervention or preschool settings in low income communities. The LIttle Melodies project will receive $5,000 to further this goal.

Coastal Foodshed will hire local and diverse musicians twice a month with $2,000 to perform during the Mobile Farm Stand held at Serenity Gardens in New Bedford each Tuesday from 2pm – 6pm from June through October. While Coastal Foodshed’s main goal is always to increase access to locally grown foods for Southcoast residents, they also believe the markets offer the opportunity to celebrate and build community through cooking demonstrations, music, and arts that bring residents together.

In February 2021, New Bedford Creative announced an investment of $50,000 in creative placemaking projects funded by the City of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture + Tourism Fund, with additional funding by Bristol County Savings Bank. Grants were awarded to the following projects:

3rd EyE Unlimited – (Y)Our New Bedford: The Secret City Revealed draws upon the YourNB framework the group pioneered last year paired with a concept rooted in 3rd EyE’s history. Secret City is the idea that New Bedford contains hidden cultural treasures. (Y)Our New Bedford: Secret City Revealed will consist of four interlocking complementary components, drawing upon the creativity and energy of multiple members of the 3rd EyE team.

BuyBlackNB – BuyBlackNB seeks to connect consumers with Black-owned businesses across the Southcoast. In an effort to continue supporting Black-owned businesses, the group will host an outdoor market in downtown New Bedford’s Custom House Square. There, all people are invited to come purchase goods and services from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Owned Businesses in a safe and inclusive place. “In supporting Black-owned businesses, we are working to close the racial wealth gap, strengthen our local economies, foster job creation, and celebrate Black culture,” they write.

Downtown NB, Inc. – Downtown New Bedford, Inc. (dNB) will coordinate a series of seasonal placemaking events in partnership with downtown attractions – shops, restaurants, museums, nonprofits, and other establishments – to draw residents and visitors to the city. Artists, musicians, and performers will be hired for each event, and each will celebrate New Bedford’s unique culture and sense of place, enhancing residents’ quality of life and encouraging the support of the local economy.

Good Company NB – The teen Yoga Project entitled teensXyoga intends to inspire the last stage of the Creative Courts project at Clasky Commons Park – completing the mural on the walls surrounding the court. The Creative Courts project is based on dialogue between locals and the artist, Marie Molteni, and teensXyoga plans to ignite conversation in the space while practicing yoga, meditation, journalling and communication. They will record inspirations and stories throughout the series of four sessions and present them to the artist and her team before she begins the final stages of painting.

New Bedford Art Museum (NBAM/ArtWorks!) – The NBAM/ArtWorks! artMOBILE will continue to be a travelling creative placemaking locale where youth will engage in artistic and inventive instruction with quality art supplies. This year, it will be incorporating mediums and materials that highlight the Museum’s tour de force summer exhibit which will feature Ruth E. Carter, Academy Award-winning costume designer of Black Panther, Malcolm X, Amistad, Do the Right Thing, and other outstanding motion pictures. NBAM anticipates up to 650 youth to be served by this free and accessible program.

New Bedford Festival Theatre – New Bedford Festival Theatre’s Summer Academy will offer its third year of performance opportunities for teen artists – with a helping of social justice theatre. The focus for the Summer Academy 2020 production will be a piece of theatre that allows for diverse casting that is representative of the New Bedford community. “In this volatile and tense climate, NBFT sees the importance of theatre as a safe haven for expression and freedom and growth,” the group states.

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra – ‘Music in the Streets’ (MITS) will enable the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra (NBSO) to collaborate with a number of organizations, bringing music to streets and outdoor locales across the city. Collaborations will include partnerships with Love the Ave, New Bedford Housing Authority, New Bedford Parks, the Cape Verdean Association and others.The goal is to perform 10+ concerts across the city in 2021.

New Deadford; Fitzcarmel LaMarre – “NEW DEADFORD” is a multifaceted, community inclusive project based on a graphic novel telling the rich history of New Bedford through the lens of a zombie apocalypse. Part of the project entails robust community outreach, working with underserved youth at creative arts workshops, in collaboration with 3rd EyE Unlimited, Our Sisters School and the New Bedford Housing Authority.

UMassD CVPA Interior Architecture + Design – This project seeks to revitalize the park space at the corner of Phillips Avenue and Acushnet Avenue – the Phillips Ave Pocket Park. Currently, the park lacks adequate shade or shelter structures, lighting, interactive elements, and recycling and trash receptacles. “The addition of these elements in the space will make it more appealing for community members to use during times of more extreme weather conditions (hot sun, rain, snow) and during the evening hours, if adequate lighting is provided,” they note. This proposal is a continuation of the design proposals developed by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMassD) Interior Architecture + Design (IAD) students in Fall 2020. The faculty member, Stephanie McGoldrick, began this endeavor as a service-learning project for CEDC (Community Economic Development Center) on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford.

In October of 2019, the first official round of Wicked Cool Places grant program invested $82,000 to creative placemaking projects in the city. 2019-2020 Wicked Cool Places grants include:

3rd EyE Youth Empowerment for the 3rd EyE Open, a youth oriented and family-friendly annual cultural arts festival focusing on the positive energy of hip hop, and 3rd EyE On the Pride, a monthly performance and mentoring opportunity for emerging young performers.

In June of 2019, AHA! (Art, History, Architecture) hosted its first ever Pride-themed event in conjunction with LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and 2020 will continue this nationwide theme, a chance to recognize and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ+ people in the city historically and present day.

Musician Jeff Angeley and Southcoast Lessons aims to expand its already successful New Bedford public programming from a 3 month “Open Season Series” to a 6 month program that includes monthly events for traditional string band instrumentalists and ukulelists.

Coastal Foodshed is celebrating food and art on a monthly basis throughout the winter season at their Indoor New Bedford Farmers Markets. They will be hosting “Palate to Palette: Art at the Farmers Market,” a free event that will transform their market into an edible canvas. Using ingredients from the vendors as the medium, an artist will create an edible canvas, working with the public to build upon their own palates.

The Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) for the Festival Tipico de Gautemala, a day- long celebration of Maya-K’iche Guatemalan arts and culture, featuring free performances of traditional Mayan marimba music, contemporary Guatemalan music and folkloric dance, plus craft demonstrations such as petate weaving, morral making, tortilla making, traditional kite making and flying, and activities for children.

Fiber Optic Center will create a Jazz Wall mural, and highlight live music and outdoor concerts during street events. The mural will be created in a partnership with New Bedford Historical Society using local artists, placed on the five-story east-facing wall at Fiber Optic Center at 23 Centre Street, where live music is currently performed on Summer AHA nights. The mural will depict several New Bedford musicians who achieved local and national prominence as musicians, composers, mentors, and teachers, such as Paul Gonsalves, Rick Britto, Herbie King, Armstead Christian, Bobby Greene, Joli Gonsalves and Frank “Chico” Monteiro.

Hatch Street Studios Fall & Spring Open Studios & Arts Blog. Located in the city’s north end, Hatch Street Studios is the vibrant creative hub of more than 65 visual and performing artists. Today, dozens of artists create an array of diverse works in various mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, fine furniture making and restoration, jewelry, fiber art, photography, and various types of performance arts from music to aerial arts.

Artist Alexander Jardin for the Haskell Jardin Garden and Sculpture, a green-space making project at Allan C. Haskell Public Gardens, owned and maintained by The Trustees of Reservations. The project explores the merging of landscape design as contemporary fine art, and the installation acts as a metaphor for the jewel of a green-space within a dynamic, maritime rich, coastal-urban, environment.

The New Bedford Folk Festival celebrates their 25th anniversary year in 2020. Currently presented and produced by the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center (The Z), the two day festival features 7 stages of nearly 100 folk artists, and over 70 craft vendors juried by festival staff. Thousands of people attend each year, and while some stages are ticketed, most of the festival is free and open to the public.

New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks! for Creative Courts, revitalizing a public basketball court at the Carlos Pacheco Elementary School. This transformative art mural-style court project is led by artist Maria Molteni, who engages with the community, covering a wide range of artistic genres as a point of inspiration and feedback for an impactful design that conveys basketball’s broad appeal and the democratic nature of a public court. The location of the basketball court coincides with programs and efforts offered by the Pacheco School and the City of New Bedford in surrounding neighborhoods, like Presidential Heights and Brickenwood Housing.

Reggae On West Beach is a free community event that is inclusive, multigenerational, welcoming and family-friendly for all who attend, celebrating the many different styles of reggae, world music, modern, and more. The event takes place on West Beach in the South End of New Bedford on several Sundays throughout the summer from 3pm-7pm and features food trucks, local vendors, and free kids’ activities.

South Coast LGBTQ Network is encouraging everyone to “Show Your Pride” during June, National Pride Month with the Pride Art Expo at Gallery X and “Art in the Park” – their 4th annual South Coast Pride all-inclusive community event in Buttonwood Park.

Superflat NB is a creative placemaking, mural art project dedicated to beautifying New Bedford while flattening barriers to the arts. This project will create a gallery of murals along Purchase Street across from the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center. It will consist of an eclectic mix of imagery from talented local artists while preserving the art that exists. Showcasing a “postcard” style mural with the words “New Bedford” depicted in graphic lettering with each letter containing imagery painted by separate local artists. The existing TomBob “robot” will remain and be incorporated into the new mural.

In December of 2018, a larger-scale pilot grant program invested $50,000 to creative placemaking projects in the city. 2018-2019 Wicked Cool Places grants:

3rd EyE Open: a free outdoor creative arts festival celebrating the vibrant energy of hip hop culture in downtown New Bedford

Diana Arvanites, Mobile Art Studio for Creative Disruption: transforming an everyday bicycle into an art-creating mobile structure, bringing the joy of creativity to any city street corner, store, or event.

Tracy Barbosa, Kite Festival Workshops: a series of free kite workshops to engage the public to create their own “barrileta” in the traditional Guatemalan way, to be displayed at the Festival Tipico Guatemalan Kite Festival at Riverside Park on September 21, 2019

Co-Creative Center, Commune-n-Tea: an accessible and inclusive community gathering in downtown during AHA! Night, offering a wellness-minded option for fun with a live DJ, locally crafted herbal tea, poetry readings, and a collaborative art project

Community Economic Development Center, Vacant Storefront Art Gallery: four large vacant storefront windows along Acushnet Ave. in the North End will display a rotating cultural exhibit celebrating the diverse cultures of people in the neighborhood

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center: building on the past success of the Working Waterfront Festival, an event designed to have equal impact with a smaller footprint and sustainable budget.

Seaport Art Walk: In collaboration with Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute (DATMA), and in partnership with UMass Dartmouth and Bristol Community College, the Seaport Art Walk launches their fifth year with a Call for Art geared towards students with the theme Wind as part of DATMA’s 2019 Summer Wind series.

Mia Pinheiro, Vecinos: Vecinos (Spanish for “neighbors”) is a temporary gallery and interactive platform for dialogue between neighbors, focused on Mexico and the United States, by the construction of an Ofrenda.

Reggae on West Beach: Celebrating its 4th year, Reggae On West Beach is a series of free community events in the South End, converting New Bedford’s West Beach Pavilion into a dance club, with live DJs spinning music from the 1950s to present.

Jeff Angeley, Southcoast Lessons, “Open Season”: A series of open group sessions in a publicly accessible location, with instruments available on-hand, and the belief that every culture has a unique, unfiltered form of folk music, created by the people, and for the people, and without the need for formal training in order to be part of it.

SuperflatNB, Artist-in-Residence: Launching an artist in residence program, SuperflatNB will immerse a world renowned graffiti painter and muralist in underserved neighborhoods in the North End and South End.

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Lighting Installations: Professor Stephanie McGoldrick leads students of Interior Architecture + Design (IAD) to implement the design and installation of temporary lighting throughout downtown’s Wing’s Court.

In April of 2018, a small pilot grant program distributed $5,000 as a test run. Grantees included:

New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks! featuring free events to support their James Audubon exhibit

Seaport Art Walk, celebrating the Bicentennial of Frederick Douglass’s birth with the theme “Freedom and Equality”

SuperflatNB, the city’s new mural program, featuring live artists painting murals along Acushnet Ave during Artweek

3rd EyE Unlimited, launching the first Second Saturdays at Hatch Street Studios, featuring interactive art, dance, a podcast pop-up and mural painting.