Montserrat College of Art Awarded Community Grant to Host 2019 Community Arts Festival

BEVERLY – Montserrat College of Art has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Essex County Community Foundation in support of an upcoming community focused project entitled “Crossing Water: Over, On, and Under the Beverly-Salem Bridge.” The project will come to fruition in September 2019 in conjunction with Beverly Harborfest and will comprise of a week of programming to activate the space on the waterfront on both sides of the Veterans Memorial bridge, also known as the Beverly/Salem bridge.

Montserrat College of Art strives to showcase the power of art in bringing communities together thus the concept of this festival was born. The endeavor aims to connect the creative community to the broader public of Beverly and Salem and “bridge the gap” between the two cities. The schedule will host a multitude of events entertaining large crowds and engaging small groups. The highlight of the project will be illuminating the bridge through an artistic light installation. “Montserrat College of Art is thrilled to spearhead this festival to recognize the impact art can have on our communities,” said President Kurt T. Steinberg. “We look forward to the exciting opportunities this festival will bring to Beverly and the surrounding area.”

Montserrat College of Art will partner with Andy Bablo (Montserrat College of Art ’07), Beverly Crossing, and the City of Beverly. President of Beverly Crossing and Montserrat College of Art Trustee Chris Koeplin as well as City Councilors Estelle Rand and Scott Houseman have been instrumental in the cultivation of this project.

Montserrat will be soliciting ideas from the community for programming to include in this week-long festival. If you would like to be involved with this project, please contact [email protected]. To learn more about Crossing Water, please visit the Montserrat College of Art table at Beverly Harborfest 2018 on Saturday, September 8th from 3-6 p.m.

This project is funded in part by a grant of Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative (CCI), a collaboration with the Barr Foundation designed to elevate Essex County’s art and culture sector and support our local creative economy.  Montserrat College of Art is the recipient of one of 11 CCI grants awarded to serve Essex County communities through public art and creative placemaking projects. 

For more information about the Creative County Initiative, visit www.eccf.org/creative-county and EssexCountyCreates.org, a new online arts calendar and resource hub for Essex County’s creative sector.

About ECCF

The mission of Essex County Community Foundation is to strengthen the communities of Essex County. We do this by promoting philanthropy and managing charitable assets, making grants and engaging in strategic community leadership. Since 1998, ECCF and its family of more than 200 charitable funds have granted more than $53 million to nonprofits, schools and students in Essex County and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to have 34 thriving cities and towns in Essex County and to improve the quality of life for the region’s 750,000 residents. Learn more at eccf.org.