Reports
Harwich Cultural Center Revolving Fund History
(15504214-436004)
The Town of Harwich opened the former Harwich Middle School in January 2017 as the Harwich Cultural Center to serve as a rental space for groups and individuals to engage in recreational, social, educational, cultural, community service, civic and governmental activities. The center has become a cooperative effort between the Town and our greatest resource - the creative, local individuals that help to make our town a destination for visitors from around the world. The Harwich Cultural Center provides a valuable “launch space” where individuals can actualize their creative gifts and contribute to our local economy.
The Harwich Cultural Center Revolving Fund was created after the motion carried at the 2017 Annual Town Meeting. The center’s 40 long-term studios yield monthly revenue of approximately $12,650.00, excluding event rental revenue. The 40 long-term studios are comprised as follows: 26 single, 8 double, 1 triple, 2 non-profits, and three town use spaces.
ESTABLISH ANNUAL REVOLVING FUND FOR THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF THE FORMER HARWICH MIDDLE SCHOOL ARTICLE 46: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the creation and establishment of a revolving fund as authorized under M.G.L. Ch. 44, § 53E½ for the Community Center Director and Facilities Manager, for the purpose of funding continuing period-appropriate restorations, maintenance, care, and support of town-owned property, not to exceed $100,000 annually with funds generated from receipt of lease or fees collected for short term, year-round, temporary or otherwise, room(s) use and rental, and to act fully thereon. By request of the Community Center Director and Town Administrator.
FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THIS ARTICLE BE ACCEPTED AND ADOPTED. VOTE: YES-6, NO-2, ABSTAIN-1.
MOTION: (Jack Brown, Chairman-Finance Committee) I move that this article be accepted and adopted as printed in Warrant. Duly seconded
ACTION: The motion carried
FY-21 Quarter 4 Report
Despite pandemic challenges, as FY-21 Q4 finished, the Harwich Cultural Center brought in an estimated total revenue of $38,250.00 (April/$12,850, May/$12,650, and June/$12,750). Revenue trends, even with the exclusion of public event revenue, remain the strongest the center has experienced since the repurposing launch in December 2017. Current revenue totals do not include revenue contributions from Harwich Recreation lead programs including the five days a week after-school care and three days a week adult pickle-ball.
While the kitchen opening efforts remain on hold, public interest remains steady in the availability of rentable commercial kitchen space. Our Senior Tax Work-Off Program worker resumed her pre-pandemic administrative role at the cultural center, one to two days a week, focusing on researching other commercial kitchen sites in Massachusetts.
The center is accepting applications for one open studio space vacated by a long participating nonprofit group. Efforts are underway promoting the space to eligible nonprofits via a free radio interview with Leo Cakounes/Newsradio 95 WXTK, a free classified ad on the Mass Cultural Council website, and our digital media and social media channels. Staff-produced video footage provides a virtual overview of the space to limit the public in the building.
Monthly “Coffee and Conversation” was brought back with some changes to meet current COVID protocols. We look forward to welcoming the public to this free event when the building resumes post-pandemic operations.
The first 10-days of May, the Harwich Cultural Center focused on a “virtual” celebration of ArtWeek. Efforts were noted by the Boch Center regarding our virtual ArtWeek this year.
Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina
Launched in 2018, the Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina outdoor shopping area is a cooperative effort by the Harwich Harbormaster and Harwich Cultural Center to promote the creative economy in Harwich. Rentals fees for June total $800.00 for the opening week of the 10-week season.
The marketplace has an exciting group of vendors scheduled this summer offering a wide variety of goods including local photography, Cape Cod décor, hand-made jewelry, family apparel, fine art, and more. Seaside Marketplace is open daily from June 30 through September 7, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FY-21 Quarter 3 Report
Quarter 3 Studio Revenue Estimated Total: $38,550.00
The Harwich Cultural Center has maintained steady occupancy of our 40 long-term studios despite the ongoing pandemic. Rental revenue estimated for the third quarter breaks down as January/$12,550.00 + February/$13,500.00 and March/$12,500.00 for an estimated total of $38,550.00. As of March 31, 2021, the center has over 60 individuals utilizing studios for a variety of reasons including creative writing, upcycling and repurposing, health and wellness, electronic design and fabrication, research, fine art, and much more. Renters continue to be active in our community in a variety of ways including supporting local businesses with products, developing PPE items for our local healthcare providers, and promoting our Blue Economy. One recent new renter to the center is a new homeowner in Harwich.
Each day the Town and the Harwich Cultural Center continue to move out of the pandemic towards new opportunities and ventures. Public interest in booking rental space has picked up as the availability of vaccines has increased and groups look to return to pre-pandemic activities. Our monthly “Coffee and Conversation” was brought back in March with some changes to meet current COVID protocols. Two Harwich Rec. Department programs in the Activity wing and two in-studio classes in the Main wing were approved to operate by the Harwich Health Director and continue weekly with much success.
Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina
The online vendor application process opened on January 1, 2021, for the third season of the Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina. The marketplace is scheduled for 10 weeks beginning June 30 through September 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. To date 38 of 40 available slots have been booked for a total revenue of $7,600.00. The two remaining slots available are for week 10, September 1 through September 7. Once again, the Seaside Marketplace will feature a variety of new and returning vendors selling items such as ceramics, photography, prints and paintings, seasonal apparel, jewelry, upcycled vintage items, and children’s wear.
FY-21 Quarter 2 Report
Quarter 2 studio revenue totaled $37,243.50 (October/$13,100.00 + November/$12,050.00 and December/$12,093.50).
The 40 studios at the Harwich Cultural Center have over 58 renters which break out as three nonprofit, two triple, twelve double, twenty-one single, and two Town use storage studios. While the cultural center continues to experience fluctuations in studio renters due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the waitlist remains active allowing for new renters as space opportunities become available.
Harwich Recreation Adult Pickleball and After-School-Care remain the only Town sponsored indoor activities at the cultural center. General public activity rentals overseen by Harwich Cultural Center staff, including the once-a-month indoor labyrinth walk, painting classes, public interest meetings, and other workshops continue to be suspended at this time. One in-studio class, children’s sewing, has resumed under the approval of the Harwich Health Director.
Bob Doane’s outdoor Holiday Light Show, while free to attend, has brought many visitors to the cultural center for the second year in a row. The socially distant family activity is a welcomed attraction to the holiday season.
FY-21 Quarter 1 Report
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Harwich Cultural Center closed to the general public on March 16, then to long-term renters on March 20, 2020. The center did not collect monthly rental revenue, averaging $12,000.00 per month, for the final three months FY-20. All other pre-booked public events were canceled and booking fees refunded.
On June 29, the center resumed open access to long-term studios. The pandemic relief studio fee waiver ended on July 1. Quarter 1 studio revenue totaled $34,975.00 (July/$11,425.00 + August/$11,950.00 and September/$11,600.00).
Because of the ongoing pandemic, several renters amicably terminated their rental at the center. The waitlist for studio space (and commercial kitchen space) remained strong throughout the pandemic allowing for interviews to resumed mid-September. The January 1, 2021, anticipated revenue for monthly studios is $12,900.00.
Activities for the general public at the Harwich Cultural Center have slowly resumed with two Harwich Recreation programs: Adult Pickleball and Rec After-School-Care. General public activity rentals overseen by Harwich Cultural Center staff, including the once-a-month indoor labyrinth walk, painting classes, public interest meetings, and other workshops continue to be suspended at this time.
Annual Report of the Harwich Cultural Center - 2020
Leveraging the power of arts and culture, creative placemaking has transformed formerly abandoned school classrooms into 40 long-term studios and affordable public activity spaces. The Harwich Cultural Center is now known for affordable studio space, growing diverse programming, the soon-to-launch commercial kitchen, and as an accessible location off Exit 82 (formerly Exit 10) on Rt. 6. In a variety of ways, short and long-term renters directly contribute to our local economy and the essential fabric of Cape Cod.
From Mashpee to Eastham, 25 professional artists rent studio space to create work in a variety of mediums including oil, acrylic, encaustic, mixed-media, and ceramic. Their work is found in galleries, boutiques, garden nurseries, and gift shops throughout Cape Cod and online.
Renters are not exclusive to fine arts. While one studio offers instruction in pole fitness, another offers small group programs focused on sound healing and meditation. Five studios produce sought-after items like scented candles, custom tiles made from vintage paper, scallop shell ornaments and wreaths, repurposed antiques, and stained glass. The former industrial shop now holds a variety of working antique printing presses!
Wondering about the textile arts? Three studios focus on this once essential curriculum. Sign-up for sewing classes or find out how one artist, inspired by her surroundings, creates specialty pillows and gift items. We have the literary arts covered too as one renter pens their latest book while another produces a local poetry review.
Looking for something new? Try a beginner’s painting workshop or learn creative furniture painting one-on-one. What about the art of silk scarf dyeing? Join our free art salon facilitated by a renter and local art educator.
Three studios are occupied by 501(c)3 non-profits that offer programming in STEAM, guided meditative healing, and clean-water education to bring our community together in very different ways.
Pandemic Precautions
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Harwich Cultural Center closed to the general public on March 16, 2020, then to long-term renters on March 20. Pre-booked public events were canceled and booking fees refunded. The cultural center resumed access to long-term studios under strict COVID-19 compliant protocols on June 29 and the pandemic relief studio fee reprieve ended on July 1. Excluding the 3 months (April, May, and June) when the cultural center was closed, the estimated monthly rental revenue averaged $9,571.00. Total 2020 revenue for the Harwich Cultural Center, including Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Maria, was an estimated $112,217.00.
While the Harwich Cultural Center continues to experience fluctuations in studio renters due to the pandemic, the waitlist remains active allowing for new renters as space opportunities become available. One in-studio class, children’s sewing, has resumed under the approval of the Harwich Health Director. Harwich Recreation Adult Pickleball and After-School-Care remain the only Town sponsored indoor activities at the cultural center. General public activity rentals overseen by Harwich Cultural Center staff including the once a month indoor labyrinth walk, painting classes, public interest meetings, and other workshops continue to be suspended. A complete list of activities is available on the Town calendar at harwich-ma.gov.
Commercial Kitchen Culinary Incubator Space
The Culinary Incubator space at the Harwich Cultural Center will be a shared-use licensed commercial kitchen space certified for food and other permitted product production. Renters can use the kitchen to produce food while fulfilling regulatory compliance. The Harwich Cultural Center is diligently working to launch this exciting space that is sure to become a valued resource in our community. The cultural center was fortunate to retain kitchen materials from the former Lower Cape Regional Technical High School prior to its demolition. Kitchenwares, refrigeration units, and workstations will be utilized once the space is prepared to open.
Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina
The Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina opened for Season II on July 1, 2020, for 10 full weeks ending September 8. While vendor participation was below half with only 17 of 40 slots booked, participants were thankful the season had not been canceled completely. The marketplace hosted seven unique vendors over 10 weeks, with one participating for the entire season. Items ranged from Cape Cod apparel, local Harwich honey products, handmade jewelry, fine art, woodcraft, and local photography. Due to COVID-19, weekends from Memorial Day to July 1 and September 18 to Columbus Day were canceled.
The juried vendor application was accessed digitally this season, available on the Town of Harwich cultural center department website, the form took approximately 10 minutes to complete. The application process was contact-free until signed documentation was submitted to the Town Administration office for final approval. Live schedules provided up-to-date information, while market visitors could reconnect with vendors via hyperlinks. Vendors were required to complete a digital exit form upon completion of the rental period which provided valuable information essential to improving the success of the program which strives to promote the waterfront and Saquatucket Harbor Landside Renovation project.
Connect with the Harwich Cultural Center
The Harwich Cultural Center utilizes the Town of Harwich website harwich-ma.gov/harwich-cultural-center to share the latest cultural center information, class listings, available rental spaces and pricing, a monthly newsletter, and more. Whether you play pickleball daily, enroll your child in afterschool care or co-ed futsal, take sewing lessons, enjoy 3D printing or letterpress printing, participate in the theater arts or attend a fire training workshop, the Harwich Cultural Center is growing in our community with opportunities for all.
Season II Report of the Seaside Marketplace
The Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina opened for Season II on July 1, 2020, for 10 full weeks ending September 8. Total revenue yielded $3,125.00 with 75% ($2,343.75) distributed to the cultural center and 25% ($781.25) to the harbor.
While vendor participation was below half with only 17 of 40 slots booked, participants were thankful the season had not been canceled completely. The marketplace hosted seven unique vendors over 10 weeks, with one participating for the entire season. Items ranged from Cape Cod apparel, local Harwich honey products, handmade jewelry, fine art, woodcraft, and local photography. Due to COVID-19, weekends from Memorial Day to July 1 (weekends 1-6) and September 18 to Columbus Day (weekends 17-21) were canceled.
Digital Improvements
Working with Harwich Channel 18, the juried vendor application was accessed digitally this season well ahead of COVID-19. Available on the Town of Harwich cultural center department website, the form took approximately 10 minutes to complete. The application process was contact-free until signed documentation was submitted to the Town Administration office for final approval. Live schedules provided up-to-date information, while market visitors could reconnect with vendors via hyperlinks. Vendors were required to complete a digital exit form upon completion of the rental which provided valuable information essential to improving the success of the program.
Growing Exposure
Marketplace promotion included PSAs on Harwich Channel 18 and WOMR, weekly social media posts, and mentions in the cultural center’s monthly newsletter. Despite the pandemic, the public was active at the waterfront with the greatest number of visitors ferry or boat ticket holders. Capturing this foot traffic will require further partnership with the ticket booths, harbormaster office, snack shack, and Harwich Chamber of Commerce. Additional marketplace signage (postponed due to the budget freeze) on the shed exteriors will improve the location’s visibility.
Looking Ahead
The 2021 season is already on the minds of vendors anxious to recoup from a difficult 2020. The juried application form will be active mid to late February 2021 depending on the status of the pandemic in Massachusetts. The cultural center has been actively exchanging program information with the HyArts Artist Shanty program and the Art Cottages at Orleans Market Square. Small improvements at the Seaside Marketplace including fresh white interior paint and expanded open hours will improve the shopping and vending experience.
Annual Report of the Harwich Cultural Center - 2019
The Harwich Cultural Center experienced continued growth in 2019.
As part of the application process for studio workspace, an interview process was implemented for new and continued studio renters. The expanded vetting process retained an active waitlist and confirmed the need for affordable working studio space on Cape Cod remains strong. In 2019, the growth of the studio revenue reached $13,500.00 a month. Additional rental revenue from weekly classes, performing arts rehearsals and performances, fundraisers, historical lectures, and business workshops contributed to a total revenue of over $140,000.00. A capital project in coordination with the MassSave program through Cape Light Compact and RISE Engineering changed almost every light bulbs and some lighting fixtures throughout the center. The benefit was projected annual KWH savings of 113873, equating to an annual saving of $20,497.00, improving the Center’s bottom-line.
Expanded public communication took many forms. A Harwich Cultural Center department site on harwich-ma.gov provided the opportunity to migrate building information online including use and rental policies, application forms, and an up-to-date calendar of events. Launched in January, a monthly digital newsletter garnered over 600 subscribers by December. Featuring upcoming classes or events and highlights of the month ahead, the public can sign up online to receive the monthly digital newsletter via email. Harwich Channel 18 produced the “Studio Spotlight” series. The in-studio interviews highlighted the diversity of programs and renters at the Center while showcasing the growth attained in the repurposing of the school campus.
Programming benefited from funding from the Harwich Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Independent artists and nonprofit renters sought funds to produce community programs as “the Bottle Project,” a community art piece with a recycled theme; monthly drawing workshops with an affordable per person price point; and the purchase of a 3-D scanner.
With oversight from the Center in collaboration with the Harwich Harbormasters Office, Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina opened July 3rd increasing affordable opportunities for the creative entrepreneur in Harwich as part of the Saquatucket Harbor Landside Renovation project. July’s historic tornado and State of Emergency put the Center to use the Town’s command operations for emergency vehicles, helicopters, National Guard, food trucks, and other essential first responders. The Center hosted a 143 post-tornado relief team of fifty-four volunteers who assisted thirty local households with the cleanup.
Throughout the year, positive feedback and recognition were received from groups including the Massachusetts Cultural Council and ArtWeek/The Boch Center because of Harwich’s commitment to creative placemaking.
Presentation to the Harwich Board of Selectmen - August 12, 2019.
The Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Maria opened its inaugural 9-week summer season for the 4th of July after a successful ribbon-cutting ceremony held during the highly promoted, 10-day state-wide ArtWeek festival. The ceremony included presentations by the Harwich Board of Selectmen, Senator Julian Cyr, ArtWeek lead coordinator Sue Darling Sullivan, and the Harwich Cultural Council.
Nine summer weeks offered thirty-six unit rental opportunities. The marketplace saw over twenty unique vendors in its first season. Current estimated rental revenue for this season $4,850.00.
“The Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Marina features new vendors each week. A unique shopping experience offering a variety of goods including hand-made baskets, photography, Cape Cod décor, jewelry, and fine art. Located at 715 Main Street, Rt. 28, in Harwich Port at the newly renovated Saquatucket Municipal Marina. Open 7-days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day.”
The Harwich Cultural Center
The Harwich Cultural Center offers 40 long-term studio spaces in the former middle school building; 39 are currently under a rental agreement. This accounts for 50 individual contracts, 63 persons regularly utilizing the space in addition to the public, and $13,400 in monthly rental fees (for the studios only). A new renter joining this September is the first who can tangibly be associated with finding the center from the free, online listing service provided by Fractured Atlas’ SpaceFinder. This website utilized in conjunction with the Mass Cultural Council allows for a comprehensive listing and will be a (free) valuable tool when the shared industrial kitchen space is launched.
Public rental spaces: The former cafeteria, AKA cafetorium. This multipurpose space offers easy first-floor access which is handicap accessible to the adjacent parking lot, proximity to public restrooms and has the added bonus former “teacher lounge” providing easy water access for classes or event prep space.
The 236 fixed seat auditorium offers the same rental features with the addition of the former music room as utilized as a “green room” for performers. The large welcoming lobby space provides staging for tickets or refreshments and is included with the rental. Accessibility and access for the public are key selling points along with the low rental cost of $100 for each three-hour block. The venue has seen various uses including performing arts events, municipal meetings, civic engagement, and local club use, and has served as overflow space for the Harwich Community Center. The center’s reputation is burgeoning, a recent June 2020 booking will feature a free public performance by an independent play write performing his original work in each of the 50 States. This booking will come with exciting magazine and news coverage for the event as the only performance held in Massachusetts on its tour of the country.
The former music room, while acting as the “green room,” has also been staged as an affordable meeting or class space. En suite secured storage is an added benefit for long term or multi-day rentals.
The center’s interior courtyard has hosted two seasons of CranFest in the Courtyard. The seven-week concert series put on by the Harwich Cranberry Arts & Music Festival sees new and returning faces each week and expands the Town’s unique summer music lineup.
Rounding out the Activity Wing, the gymnasium sees daily programs overseen by the Harwich Recreation Department for school-age children to adults well into retirement.
The last room to touch upon is the former second-floor library space. This open area room can be restaged to fit many different rental options, from fundraising social events, grant receptions, professional training workshops, musical performances, and meditative labyrinth walks. The expansive wall space can be utilized to set the tone and define the space. Again, easy access to en suite secured storage and water adds to the multi-purpose use. The feeling of the space with an acoustic ceiling, carpeted floor, and expansive square footage is a unique rentable Town space.
Individual Creative Partners
The Harwich Cultural Center’s occupants' achievements are more than simply providing a place to pursue a hobby. Many of the talented occupants of the building use their space as a primary means of support for themselves and their families. Low rental costs allow individuals to reach their dream of making a living off of their unique talent. The building’s demographics include young families who have now made their home in our Cape Cod community (Marsolais Press); under-supported populations (Jon the Candlemaker); and supports a general population of year-round residents of this town and the Cape that may not be able to otherwise afford commercial rental space here on Cape Cod.
Non-Profit Partners: The Harwich Cultural Center has seen a surge of interest from not-for-profit entities that address issues at the center of both the Town’s economic interests and the wellbeing of its residents. This includes: the Cape Cod Maker’s group (creative outlet, but also genuine problem solvers), the Blue Institute at Cape Cod Bay (assessing and protecting Cape Cod’s most valuable natural resource -the ocean), and Labyrinth Quests (which provides an indoor labyrinth walks once per month.)
Annual Report of the Harwich Cultural Center - 2018
Welcome
Our heartfelt thanks to the Harwich Board of Selectmen, town officials, and the residents of Harwich, Massachusetts for a wonderful and exciting second year of operation. Your continued support has allowed the Center to expand the scope and frequency of events and offerings that it has been able to host. It is our sincere belief that the building mission, fostering residents’ creative spirit, has had a positive impact on the economic growth of the community as well as the wellbeing of its residents.
It has been an exciting year for the Center all around. In April of this past year, Harwich was selected to join five other communities (Pittsfield, Lynn, Worcester, New Bedford, and Springfield) in the signing of the Massachusetts Cultural Compact. The Massachusetts Cultural Compact is an initiative supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the mission of which is to support the arts, sciences, and the humanities, primarily through grants, services, and advocacy. The Council believes that support of these activities will improve the quality of life of residents across the state. Support of this building demonstrated by the townspeople was cited by the Council as one of the main reasons that Harwich was invited into the compact agreement. The Compact agreement is the first step in the possible designation of two Cultural Districts planned for the town (Harwich Port and Harwich Center). Cultural Districts are state-designated areas that foster artists, cultural organizations, and entrepreneurs to improve the quality of life, attract visitors, and stimulate local economic activity.
Building Growth
Building off a successful first year, the Center itself has continued to see growth in 2018. The building added a second part-time program aide to its staff. Bryan Fede joined Erica Strzepek this past July. The addition of this second position has allowed for additional programming in the common areas of the building. It has also allowed for increased use of the building by its occupants to expand their offering of classes and activities in their private studios. In addition to a second program aide, Valerie Hunt joined the Center’s staff as a part-time custodian. Valerie has become integral to the operation of the building, keeping the facilities clean and well maintained.
The Cultural Center has also expanded in the number of private studio spaces available for rent. The three previously unoccupied “portable” classrooms located in the activity wing of the building were updated and made available as permanent studio space. Additionally, in September, the building’s office moved into space previously occupied by the Harbormaster. This opened up a fourth additional rental space within the facility. We are happy to announce that all four of these spaces have been rented increasing the total number of occupied spaces from 30 to 34. As of the first of this year, all of the spaces that had served as classrooms in the former Harwich Middle School are now rented to long-term occupants.
In an effort to increase communication regarding programs, events, and course offerings in the building, the staff has made efforts to increase the Center’s digital footprint. In this vein, we have introduced a Facebook page and Instagram account. The Facebook page currently has about 225 followers and is growing daily. We have also defined a hashtag (#InspiresHarwich) and encourage the public to use this tag across all social media accounts to share pictures and events within the town that inspire creativity. Staff also has plans to unveil a monthly newsletter in January and update the building’s website later in the year.
Building Usage
Public interest in the usage of the building’s common spaces has increased along with the popularity of its long-term studio space offerings. The building’s gymnasium, auditorium, cafeteria, music room, art room, and library are available for short term rental to individuals and groups with a need for space for their programming. The building’s facilities have hosted a variety of events including monthly indoor labyrinth walks, ballet recitals, plays, lectures, art classes, pop-up marketplaces, and a variety of other public events. The Harwich Cranberry Arts and Music Festival even utilized the building’s outdoor courtyard to offer a seven-week concert series which ran from July 12 through August 23. This series, dubbed “CranFest in the Courtyard”, featured national and international acts, and drew a diverse crowd to the building every Thursday this past summer. The building is also used regularly for meetings of the Garden Club, Cultural Council, and Chatham-Harwich Newcomers.
The Center is also host to a couple of not for profit entities that have placed a distinctive mark on the building this past year. The 501(c)(3) non-profit Cape Cod Makers, which joined the building in January and have been a valuable contributor to building culture. The Makers, who currently have 15 members, hold weekly member meet-ups as well as a Maker open house on the last Saturday of each month. They have transformed what used to be the school’s home economics room into an amazing creative space that exists at the intersection of the arts and technology. The Blue Institute at Cape Cod Bay, a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to address clean water and climate change by developing the next generation of civic leaders, collaborated with Harwich Elementary School in June to celebrate World Oceans’ Day. This included a walking field trip for 120 kindergarten students to inform budding these scientists and future leaders about water resource management and conservation efforts.
Use of the building by the Town of Harwich itself was also high this past year. The gymnasium was utilized by the Recreation Department on a near-daily basis to hold after-school and summer programming for youths of the town. Adult programming also made frequent use of the gymnasium. Pickleball was held in the gymnasium each morning between September and June. This popular program expanded its usage this year to include Monday and Friday evening sessions to go along with mornings in the winter months. In addition to the gymnasium, the town frequently used the auditorium space as a venue for a variety of information sessions and larger meetings.
Future Plans
Moving forward, the Cultural Center looks to build on the building’s growing popularity. Plans are in place to look at ways of increasing the amount of long-term studio space. This includes a plan to install four artist shacks on the Saquatucket property now occupied by the Harbormaster which the Cultural Center Staff will maintain and administer. Plans are also in the works to expand artist studio space to the former middle school administrative suite which is currently unoccupied. As part of this expansion plan, we will begin to look at offering amenities like internet coverage across the building (currently only available in the office), and “pop-up” gallery space aimed at drawing the public together with building artists to support continued economic growth in the community and connect the town to its cultural roots.
Our greatest focus is on ArtWeek which will be held this year from April 26 to May 5th. Art week is a state-wide program that encourages connections between artists and residents of Massachusetts. The overarching goal of Art Week is to give the public a “behind-the-scenes” look into the creative process. The success of Art Week events last year at the Harwich Community Center were so successful that the building is being used in advertising for this year’s event. In particular, photos from our “light-up-the-night” event are being used alongside the Prudential Center and the Zakim Bridge to promote this year’s event.
The staff and friends of the Harwich Cultural Center would like to reiterate their thanks for support of the program. The Center has been and continues to be an evolving endeavor that depends on the support of the town to survive and thrive. If you have not been to the building, we encourage you to stop by and see why the Cultural Center continues to #InspireHarwich.
Harwich Cultural Center Open House - December 2, 2017
The Main Door of the Harwich Cultural Center saw over 300 adults visit the event. The raffle contest sponsored by the Cape Cod Theatre Company yielded valuable information about some of the over 300 visitors to the center including their hometown and whether or not they had visited the Harwich Cultural Center before.
The holiday events included a “Trolley Ride to Christmas Town” sponsored by the Harwich Chamber of Commerce on Saturday 5-8 and Sunday 5-8. Four trolleys on Saturday and five trolleys on Sunday.