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By Steven Froias For #NBCreative NEW BEDFORD, MA – The mood in the room was festive on Tuesday, March 19 when the City of New Bedford Office of Marketing and Tourism unveiled “Explore New Bedford.” It was fitting that it was an “In Real Life” event, as the new logo and marketing campaign to promote …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 18, 2024 Contact: Edwina Klünder eakluender@gmail.com 617-888-5859 Click here for link to high-res photos. New Bedford Filmmaker Ethan de Aguiar Debuts New Bedford Film Festival April 18-21, 2024 Inaugural event will celebrate cinematic stories and storytellers in the whaling city and release award-winning ‘Love Letters for New Bedford’ documentary to the …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 12, 2024 Contact: Edwina Klünder eakluender@gmail.com 617-888-5859 Click here for link to high-res photos and videos. Click here for list of 2024 grant recipients. NEW BEDFORD, MA – In a groundbreaking moment for the City’s arts community, New Bedford Creative this week is announcing the release of 82 grant awards, totaling …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 22, 2024 Contact: Edwina Kluender eakluender@gmail.com 617-888-5859 Click here for link to high-res photos New Bedford’s Brown Suga Stationery Awarded Power Forward Small Business Grant by NAACP, VistaPrint, and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation Award recognizes Innovation in Stationery Artistry, one of 59 Black-owned small businesses selected in New England NEW BEDFORD, MA …

By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large Welcome to another edition of the #NBCreative blog year-end wrap-up. In the last blog post, which you can read here, we revisited three significant arts and culture impacts during 2023. In this one, we’ll look at three exciting initiatives arriving in 2024. Without further ado….  Roll ‘em The founding of …

By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-Large Capitalizing on the subjectivity afforded by a blog project, I am utilizing the final two posts of the year to articulate reflections that may not find a home elsewhere. This piece is dedicated to three observations from the just-concluded year, while the subsequent one will delve into three aspects of …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 4, 2023 Contact: Margo Saulnier msaulnier@nbedc.org 508-991-3122 Click here for link to high res photos & video New Bedford Creative Invites Artists to Dive into the Melodies of Resilience Call for Art for the 2024 Seaport Art Walk NEW BEDFORD, MA – As the winter chill settles in, New Bedford Creative …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 30, 2023 Contact: Margo Saulnier msaulnier@nbedc.org 508-991-3122 Click here for link to high res photos & video New Bedford Artist Keith Francis showcases captivating artwork “WELCOME!” at prestigious “American Beauty” exhibition in Padua, Italy, alongside artworks by Andy Warhol, Banksy, Annie Leibovitz, Shepard Fairey, and many other luminaries NEW BEDFORD, MA — …

Pictured above: Mark Fuller, seated on front of stage far left, on the set of Your Theatre’s production of “Anastasia.” By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large When Your Theatre, Inc. begins its first season at the newly renovated historic Steeple Playhouse on William Street this Friday, Nov. 17 with “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express,” …

Featured photo above: The cast of Sondheim Tribute Revue, clockwise: Kaileigh Reiss, Craig Juricka, Kristin Lawler, and Chris Hunter, By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large It takes an equal amount of fortitude and passion to launch a professional theater company in the best of times. And deep reserves of each to keep it going through a …

BY Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large Exciting news came outta New Bedford in 2023 that requires a closer look and follow-up: 3rd EyE Youth Empowerment made a significant move by leasing a building in the heart of downtown.  As we all know, there’s no place like home, and this announcement signifies a transformative step for the …

By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large The Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea, also known as the Florence Biennale, is an art exhibition held in Florence, Italy since 1997. It has been held every two years in the exhibition spaces of the Fortezza da Basso. The exhibition is held under the patronage of UNESCO (the Italian Commission), European …

By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large NEW BEDFORD, MA – In a world where visual spectacles often take center stage, it’s refreshing to see the spotlight shift a bit towards the power of words and storytelling. Imagine a place where words leap off the page and come alive on the stage, where the raw essence of …

By Steven Froias #NBCreative Writer-at-large NEW BEDFORD, MA – The City of New Bedford is known for its rich culture and historical social significance. In recent years, one artist in particular has been exploring that past and bringing it into the future, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s landscape through his exceptional public art.  …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large On Wednesday July 26, north end, New Bedford will welcome something entirely new to its landscape.  Acushnet Avenue, the north end’s historic commercial corridor, will soon be adorned at the Nye Street Pocket Park with a captivating contemporary artwork created by activist artist Keith M. Francis. This site-specific sculpture aims …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large It started as a simple idea.  Sensing a chill in the cultural zeitgeist after the 2016 election, performance artist, DJ and dance enthusiast  Andy Anello felt the need to bring people together just to dance away their blues – and connect with one another during a disjointed time.  So, he …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large In a world filled with constant change, finding a sense of shelter has never been more important. Whether it’s physical, emotional, or creative, shelter provides us with a space where we can retreat, rejuvenate, and discover ourselves anew.  For the past five years,  the Massachusetts Design, Art, and Technology Institute …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative writer-at-large In recent years, New Bedford’s North End has witnessed the emergence of various public art initiatives that have not only transformed the visual landscape but also served as powerful tools for change. Two “Art is Everywhere” projects that I revisited in May while on The Ave, as Acushnet Avenue is …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large NEW BEDFORD, MA – Lee Blake, President of the New Bedford Historical Society, is excited. Which usually means that something wonderful and significant is about to happen in the City of New Bedford. The cause of Blake’s excitement is the imminent arrival – or rather return – of a giant …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock and totally avoiding traditional and social media, you probably already know that the New Bedford Festival Theatre is presenting the exuberant musical “The Wiz” at the Zeiterion beginning this week.  Why would you know that? Because the promotion campaign for the production has …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large NEW BEDFORD, MA – A few years ago I was walking out of a convenience store in my west end, New Bedford neighborhood when I caught sight of a guy in a parked car who had just done the same.  There in the passenger seat was the distinctive facial hair, …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large If you’ve ever peered into the wings alongside the Zeiterion Theatre stage, you may have glimpsed him. If you’ve ever sat on stage for a Stage Door Live! concert, you know he’s been looking you over. And, if you’ve ever performed on the Z stage yourself, you definitely feel his …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large Despite being in the title of the city’s unique monthly celebration AHA! New Bedford – which stands for Art, History, Architecture – that last item seems to me to get short shrift as a subject that’s given a lot of close scrutiny from a cultural perspective. Which is surprising given …

Over 70 projects and individual artists benefit from the City of New Bedford’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) through grant programs ARTnet, Art is Everywhere, and Wicked Cool Places   NEW BEDFORD, MA  — Over thirty cultural events, programs, and special projects, and forty individual artists will receive Wicked Cool Places, ARTnet, and Art is Everywhere funding …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large The theme of March’s AHA! New Bedford is Women’s Work, especially appropriate as March is also Women’s History Month.  One event happening on AHA! Thursday, March 9 stands out for me – The opening of the 5th annual IGNITE: Youth Showcase of Art inspired by the Historic Women of the …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-at-large UPDATE: On The Wall Posters: Street Art is now available for sale! The poster book features artists who worked with Superflat NB to bring public art to New Bedford the past several years. The book is from Adams Media, an imprint of the publisher Simon & Schuster, and is available …

By Steven Froias Writer-at-large for #NBcreative In a recent conversation with a friend, she told me how much she enjoyed taking advantage of working on the porch of the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum during the pandemic. RJD – sensing the need for people to escape from their homes – offered up free wi-fi and …

Cites New Bedford Creative, City Artists in acceptance   NEW BEDFORD, MA – City of New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell got a remarkable surprise when he attended The U.S. Conference of Mayors 91st Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. last week.  The Conference of Mayors, with Americans for the Arts, awarded Mayor Mitchell its national award …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-At-Large One of the most defining dates on the cultural calendar is the first full weekend in January. That’s when the legitimately world-famous New Bedford Whaling Museum annual Moby-Dick Marathon takes place. This year, it happens from Friday, January 6 and continues until Sunday, January 8, finishing around noon on that …

By Steven Froias #NBcreative Writer-At-Large You know when you receive sustained applause, whoops of joy and shouts of appreciation that you’ve done something right.  On Sunday, Dec. 4, filmmaker Ethan de Aguiar, co-producer Beatriz Oliveira, and the speakers and performers at the a special private screening of the short film, “Love Letters for New Bedford” …

This article was originally published by Seth Chitwood for SouthCoast Today/The Standard-Times on November 18, 2022. NEW BEDFORD — After the success of the “New Bedford Love Letters” project in September, a new short film around the culmination of New Bedford Creative’s work this year is set to premiere at The Whaling Museum on Dec. …

NEW BEDFORD, MA — For the second consecutive year, New Bedford Creative is tapping into the knowledge and expertise of the city’s very own creative entrepreneurs to help provide guidance and support to other artists. Peer-to-Peer Sessions returns on Nov. 1, 2022, and will continue on a monthly basis through April, 2023. NB Creative Peer-to-Peer …

A creative city is energized not only by the residents who have always called it home, but also by the new residents who are attracted to the social and cultural experience of living in New Bedford. Which is the ‘why’ of how Julia Roth and Cedric “Vise1” Douglas became Creative Ambassadors for the city.  “I …

There’s probably no more nourishing New Bedford artist – or Environmental Alchemist, as she refers to herself – than Rhonda M. Fazio. And that is meant literally as well as figuratively.  Many know Rhonda through her work with Coastal Foodshed at its New Bedford Farmers Markets and other special events. There, she teaches the “Art …

By Steven Froias for the Creative Ambassadors project As a Creative Ambassador, Iva Brito brings both a historical and world view to the role, through a spiritual prism.  As a native of Cabo Verde, West Africa, she states that she channels her “nostalgic love of her birthplace through her talents” which results in a Love …

By Steven Froias for the Creative Ambassadors project Perhaps no other Creative Ambassador’s journey to New Bedford has been as epic – and fraught –  as that of Gerardo Beltrán Salinas.  Beltrán Salinas worked for more than 30 years as a journalist in Santiago de Chile. When he and his family made the decision to …

By Steven Froias for the Creative Ambassadors project “At the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC),  we have worked on many initiatives and projects mostly working to help working-class immigrant families build a better life for themselves here in New Bedford,” states Brian Pastori, who has worked at the CEDC since 2005.  He explains that “the …

By Steven Froias for the Creative Ambassadors project There aren’t many people who would accept this mission: to co-create, activate and celebrate in every neighborhood of all 20 square miles of the City of New Bedford during a sprawling three-day arts and culture festival.  But Beatriz Oliveira did.  And the result was a resounding success …

By Steven Froias For the Creative Ambassadors project It’s common knowledge that whales have a language all their own. But, what’s uncommon is the specific message the “Secret City Whales” have for us. In fact, their words are Love Letters for New Bedford.  “Secret City Whales” is the project of Creative Ambassador Mandy Fraser. The …

By Steven Froias For the Creative Ambassadors project As we travel through this life  We realize we’re not alone  As we share our good, open up our hearts,  We’ll find joy we’ve never known (When we…)   Love each other through  Till we reach the other side  We must Love each other through  Now’s not …

NewBedfordCreative.org story-telling series and special projects feature Creative Ambassadors NEW BEDFORD, MA  — The art of storytelling is as old as cave paintings and as modern as the Internet. The stories we tell define us and illuminate our journey through time. At this time in New Bedford, a new storytelling initiative is about to begin – with …