NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A $2.5 million grant for a "creative district" pilot is being seen as a way to leverage past studies and business and arts leaders' input to strengthen the revitalization of the downtown. 

 

The three-year grant is from the Barr Foundation, a Boston-based philanthropic organization that aids communities in unlocking potential for creativity, growth and equity. The foundation partners with the Mass Development and has supported its Transformative Development Initiative program. 

 

"We are just so excited about the opportunity to be part of the creative initiative," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey on Thursday. "Not being designated a gateway community, we thought that was going to hinder us, but Mass Development really came and circled around us. 

 

"We've assembled a great team, and I'm very excited about the work that is going to be done."

 

This is a new economic development program, and will be used by North Adams to leverage arts and culture as drivers of equitable growth while supporting small businesses and creative entrepreneurs, and positioning the Northern Berkshires for future public and private investment. 

 

"I think this is really going to launch our economic development model — develop it, plan it, and also, again, reach out to the business community, the art community, the municipal community, the residents, and get us all working together to grow North Adams," Macksey said. 

 

One of the first things for the city will be to hire a creative district fellow to work alongside local partners and coordinate program implementation, strengthen collaboration across the district, and advance catalytic projects.

 

"The second step is to analyze all the reports that we have, and then really do some data finding and some more face-to-face of where we are, where we're going, where we should be, and then from there, the sky's the limit," the mayor said. 

 

The current team in the Community Development Office does great work but this initiative is bigger than what they can do in 40 hours — along with the other projects they're coordinating, she said.

 

"Everybody in that department is working very hard, but this is going to give us the the kickstart that we need to keep going," she continued. "This is going to give us the ability to not only execute, but to plan how to execute. ... we can get all the projects we want, but if I don't have somebody there to execute, it makes it difficult. So this was a very exciting opportunity for North Adams and the region."

 

In the announcement on Wednesday, the mayor said the city's selection for creative district pilot reflected its the community's strength and shared vision for the future, and will require a "village" to make it successful. 

 

"North Adams has built a strong identity around arts, culture, and creativity, making it a destination that attracts visitors, supports local businesses, and strengthens the regional economy," said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, chair of MassDevelopment's board, in Wednesday's announcement. "This partnership with the Barr Foundation builds on those strengths by providing the resources, expertise, and local capacity to help the community grow while preserving what makes North Adams unique."

 

Mass Development says the pilot program in North Adams — a city with many existing creative economy institutions and businesses and a strong local commitment to arts and culture — represents a continuation of its partnership with Barr Foundation. Since 2019, the Barr Foundation has funded efforts by MassDevelopment to invest in and expand the creative economy within Gateway Cities. The pilot program will build on lessons learned from earlier investments, which demonstrated the impact of creativity-led economic development when delivered through a full place- and partnership-based framework, anchored by an embedded fellow, flexible capital, and sustained partnership development.

 

It will be guided by a growing coalition of local cross-sector partners, including representatives from the City of North Adams, 1Berkshire, Christo's Famous Pizza, Greylock Works, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Moresi & Associates, North Adams Partnership, Scarafoni Associates, Tres Niños, and Tourists. 

 

"Thanks to the generosity of the Barr Foundation, MassDevelopment has been able to test new strategies for equitable economic development and urban revitalization across Massachusetts," said MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal in a statement. "We look forward to building on this work with the creation of a new Creative District pilot in North Adams, a three-year commitment to help local partners leverage creativity and culture as drivers of equitable growth."