Malden Moves To Acquire Old Courthouse For Cultural Center

MALDEN, MA — Mayor Gary Christenson announced the formation of a Steering Committee for the Malden Center for Arts & Culture, which the city plans to install in the former Malden District Courthouse on Summer Street.

Malden officials are finalizing legislation designating the courthouse as surplus property and directing its transfer from the state to the city. The aim is to establish a central hub for arts and culture to solidify Malden as an arts-family city where working artists can make a living while sharing their work with the community.

"We are thrilled at the possibility of bringing an Arts & Culture Center to Malden," Christenson said. "It has the potential to be an anchor institution for the city providing a much-needed home for theatre production, performances, exhibitions, and workspaces. I am excited to announce the formation of a Steering Committee to help us engage with the community to create a shared project vision, and to develop an operational plan to ensure the center is sustainable and accessible to all."

The Steering Committee will be chaired by Ward 3 City Councilor Amanda Linehan and Evan Spetrini, senior planner for the Malden Redevelopment Authority. Its membership consists of:

• Terlonzo Amos, Urban Media Arts (UMA) Staff Member
• Naomi Brave, President, Malden Arts, Inc.
• Jenelle DeVits, Urban Media Arts (UMA) Board Member
• Yinh Kiefer, Host of Ten With Yinh Podcast, Wellness Professional
• Bob Logan, Director and Music Producer, SUM Studios
• Yu Sin Mok, Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition (GMAACC)
• Erga Pierette, Co-Chair, Malden Cultural Council (MCC)
• Elizabeth Ramirez, Director and Stage Manager, DEI Consultant, & Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) labor union leader
• Dawn Simmons, Co-Founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director, The Front Porch Arts Collective and Executive Director of StageSource

The Committee will develop a concept plan for the space, set the vision and values of the project, provide guidance on outreach efforts, direct fundraising activities and communicate with project consultants. The city is seeking grant funding to assist in the development of the concept plan, which will include a community engagement process.

"Malden is blessed with such rich diversity in our City and creative sector, and that is why we are committing to an inclusive and representative public engagement process as we develop a vision for the future of the Malden Courthouse," Linehan said. "We believe that the project will better serve the needs of our artists and creative workers if we listen to their input from the start, and ground the project’s development in the community’s hopes and desires. This project has the potential to position our local economy for strength and resilience as we emerge from the pandemic, and to make our entire City more welcoming and vibrant."

The mayor's office is also seeking applications for a youth representative on the Steering Committee.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Evan Spetrini at espetrini@maldenredevelopment.com by May 31. The Steering Committee will begin meeting in June and community engagement will begin this summer. The goal is to complete the concept plan by the first quarter of 2022.