What's Art Got to Do With It?

The City of Lowell is gaining a reputation as an arts community. A team of Lowell High School and UMass Lowell students, working out of the Center for Family, Work and Community (CFWC), set out to evaluate the impact of the arts on life in the region.

After more than 300 interviews - with artists, officials, community members and event participants - they have recommendations to make and a video being broadcast on Thursday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Revolving Museum. They also have written an article that appeared in The Sun.

The CITA Summer Research Team is an annual opportunity for meaningful part-time jobs for Lowell youth, conceived of and directed by Prof. Linda Silka, CFWC director, and Prof. Robert Forrant, both of the Regional Economic and Social Development (RESD) Department. Over its eight years, the program has engaged young people in a variety of local research projects about life in Lowell.

This year's project was managed by Patty Coffey, RESD graduate student and associate of CFWC and the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. Says Coffey, "Our charge was quite general - a few questions about the role of arts and events in city life, a few suggestions about sources of information and a required video about why people attend events in the summer - and the project was fun."

The four UMass Lowell students, Marc Horne (RESD), Vicki Watson (Community Social Psychology) and Heather Derby (RESD), all graduate students; and undergrad Toni-Marie Henry (Psychology), had to start with six teenagers from more than 30 applicants. Team members worked together to develop questions and a working plan. Video and interviewing skills were learned on the fly, yet everyone they asked was gracious about being interviewed and generous with time.

The Lowell Telecommunications Corp. hosted and helped with the video editing: "They were a wonderful partner," says Coffey. The team is also building a website about its work.

The team's major recommendation, culled from interview material, was to build a Center for the Arts that would help sustain the arts community growing in the downtown and would educate people of all ages and backgrounds about art. Other recommendations included establishing a mentorship program of working artists to UML arts students and more effort by local businesses to purchase and showcase art.