Jay Paget, Program Director
Since 2006, Mass Cultural Council has been committed to supporting the development of vibrant creative spaces through consultation services and Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) grants. Our state-wide perspective gives us the opportunity to see development trends in geographically distant communities but with similar stories.
We’ve developed a series – Adapting Public Buildings for Creative Uses – which includes interviews, case studies, and webinars with the people who organized, built, and now operate numerous transformed municipal spaces as community art centers. In each case we discuss the step-by-step process of transformation.
Our series began in Harwich with The 204, continued with CitySpace in Easthampton and now brings us to Dedham, MA. Over the coming months we will share additional adaptive use case studies.
Mother Brook Arts & Community Center
In 2008, Karen O’Connell, the Economic Development Director in Dedham, reached out to us inquiring about the possibilities of using a surplus public school as an arts center. Immediately we began looking at examples of former schools now serving as artist spaces in Massachusetts. Connections were made to The Umbrella in Concord, ArtSpace Maynard and the Munroe Center for the Arts in Lexington, all former schools and willing to help Dedham understand the business model and process.
These pioneer projects each offered a unique template on how the partnerships between artists and municipalities formed and the steps taken to create a public space for artists to work, perform, teach and gather.
Five years after our initial conversations a lease was signed for the Avery School to become the Mother Brook Arts & Community Center operated by a newly formed nonprofit.
Now, Mother Brook with its 17 artist studios and 2 shared studios (printing and ceramics) can be included as an example for other cities and towns who might be interested in learning how to adapt a municipal building for creative purposes.
Our case study and interview (below) with Erin Becker, Executive Director, and Paul Reynolds, former Select Board Member, follows the origin story of the project, the community members championing the idea, the multi-faceted planning required, and the operational/governance model chosen by Mother Brook.
To supplement this case study a webinar hosted by MassMunicipal Association was held in June 2025 where CitySpace folks and others doing this work shared their experiences.
Download the Mother Brook Case Study
Listen to the Interview
Be a Part of this Network
To be successful, this work needs a network of champions, planners, builders, operators, and funders. You can reach out to the team here at Mass Cultural Council and we can help you be a part of this network. The cultural traditions, treasures, and innovations that your facilities hold represent the history, mystery, and marvel of humanity. Keep up the great work!
Learn More About Developing Artist Space
