ART BRINGS US TOGETHER. AN ARTS & CULTURE DISTRICT WILL KEEP US CONNECTED.

Take a trip down Island Street, and you’ll see: creativity is alive in Lawrence! By establishing a formal Arts & Culture District, we will create even more opportunities for people to gather, create, and connect through the arts.

WHO ARE WE?

Essex Art Center is a nonprofit community art center in Lawrence, Massachusetts, using art as a catalyst to bring people together, spark conversations that matter, and build community. We were founded in 1993 on Essex Street in Lawrence and have been making art accessible to everyone in our community for 33 years.

OUR WHY:

We know that creating an Arts & Culture District will benefit our city, the residents who live here, the artists who work here, and all the businesses who operate here. This legacy is bigger than us and will create a positive ripple effect across the region.

WHY NOW?

We’ve been working towards this milestone for a while. Our state just reopened the formal designation process. Funds raised now will help us ensure that Lawrence is a strong candidate: that we have funds set aside to pay a District Coordinator and that we can sustain the creative investments we’ve been making in our city through public art and creative programming.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AN ARTS & CULTURE DISTRICT?

* more public art

* increased youth opportunities

* neighborhood vitality

* cultural preservation

* small business support

* civic pride

* tourism and visitation

* more dollars circulating throughout Lawrence

WHAT WILL THE ARTS & CULTURE DISTRICT DO?

* Make art visibly matter in Lawrence.

* Create recurring reasons for people to engage with the District and its partners.

* Increase traffic, participation, and economic opportunities in our community.

* Unlock public and private funding that is difficult for any one organization to secure alone.

WE NEED YOU!

As a nonprofit organization, we often rely on grants to do our mission-driven work. But grant funding is slow and uncertain, and arts funding is more competitive than ever. We know how powerful it will be for our city to have an Arts & Culture District, and we don’t want to risk losing the opportunity to see our vision through. We believe funding this work by individuals will be a powerful way to show our city and state that the people are behind this work!

WHERE WE'RE LOCATED:

Essex Art Center's physical address is 56 Island Street, Lawrence, MA 01840. Physical checks can be mailed here.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR WORK. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Help Build a Vibrant Arts & Culture District in Lawrence

HELP US REACH OUR PHASE 1 GOAL OF $50,000

Team Members