Needham Council For Arts And Culture Help Bring New Life To Needham's Vacant Storefronts

Press release from the Town of Needham:

March 22, 2021

NEEDHAM – Monday, March 22, 2021 – The Needham Council for Arts and Culture, a committee of the Town of Needham, and the Needham Art Association are working together to help energize the downtown business area by transforming vacant storefronts into mini art galleries with works by local artists on display.

The art display is part of the Storefronts Needham initiative, a public-private partnership geared towards bringing energy and life to storefronts in need of tenants. Like communities across Massachusetts, Needham has experienced the loss of small businesses who were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative aims to keep the downtown business areas attractive while giving artists and small businesses the opportunity to showcase their work.

“Arts and cultural workers have been hit extraordinarily hard by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Charly Nanda, chair of the Needham Council for Arts and Culture. “Storefronts Needham will provide a unique opportunity to support artists with pop-up window galleries.” Needham Art Association president, Victoria Garbe affirmed that “the members of our association are thrilled to have the opportunity to exhibit our work right in the downtown business district of Needham.” The first Storefront Needham project is located at 1502 Highland Ave, the site of the former Lisa’s Boutique. Sullivan & Co., which owns the building, has donated the space for the pop-up gallery while it works to secure a new tenant for the property. In the meantime, the gallery will show a rotating exhibit of watercolor, acrylic and encaustic paintings by members of the Needham Art Association.

“The Storefront Needham initiative is a creative way to support the local economy while showcasing the many talented artists we have here in Needham,” said Select Board member Marianne Cooley. “This is an exciting project and we’re grateful for our partners who have helped bring this idea to life.”

Storefronts Needham is one more way the Town of Needham is working to protect the local economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Town leaders have worked to support outdoor dining, boost local retailers through shop local initiatives, reduce licensing fees, eliminate parking meter fees and more.

This press release was produced by the Town of Needham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.