Worcester Business Journal

S8 Worcester Business Journal | May 24, 2021 | wbjournal.com S P E C I A L S E C T I O N : W O R C E S T E R E M E R G I N G E ven in the coronavirus pan- demic, the heart of Worces- ter and its cultural and arts institutions are optimistic and committed to support- ing and growing the community. "e excitement is real, and that's what allows us to be where we are now," said Che Anderson, assistant vice chan- cellor for city and community relations at UMass Medical School in Worcester. "e resilience is real and that's what afforded the arts an opportu- nity to still move and thrive and pivot in a way that other industries haven't been able to during the pan- demic." is message rang loud and clear during the second installment in the Worcester Emerg- ing webinar series this spring from Worcester Business Journal and the State House News Service, describing the changes taken place in the second largest city in New England over the past half decade. Joe Mathieu, an- chor and executive editor of WGBH Morning Edition, moderated the panel featuring Anderson, who is a co-founder of the annual street art event POW! WOW! Worcester; Dani Babineau, CEO of Re- demption Rock Brewing Co.; Laura Ma- rotta, co-founder and executive director for Creative Hub Worcester; Stephanie Ramey, president of Worcester Railers Hockey Club; and Troy Siebels, presi- dent and CEO of the Hanover eatre for the Performing Arts. Worcester's cultural history and foun- dation situates the city well to continue the growth it had pre-pandemic into the future, said Anderson. "Looking back, Worcester has a long history of innovation and creativity. All of the amazing things that are coming now are just quite literally standing on the tops of giants that came before," he said. And a lot of the city's cre- ativity stems from community members them- selves. Worcester's growth is unique, said Babineau, because of the impact Worcester's citizens themselves have made. Worcester's art and cultural scene comes from artists who came to the city before the cultural expansion the city is currently experiencing. "It's really important to remember that typically artists and creativity and creative entrepreneurs and innova- tors are the first people to be in the city before a city re-blossoms," said Marotta. "It's about the new people that are coming in and the new inves- tors and the new developments that are coming in, but it's also about re- taining the culture and the art that has already existed." Not only is each panelist optimistic about Worcester's future, but they are excited about the commitment and ded- ication from all city leaders and citizens. e collaboration between organizations allows positivity and growth to spread, said Siebels. "e cultural world in Worcester is very collaborative. We've always been collaborative, and that's a really positive thing," he said. "We're all very excited. We're a very cohesive group," said Anderson, "We all understand that even if it doesn't impact our institution specifically, if it impacts the city for the better, it impacts us all." is communal positive impact organizations have on one another was emphasized by Ramey. "All of our goal is to not isolate our visitors and our residents to a single in- stitution," she said. "I don't want people to just go to a Railers' game. I want them to go out to dinner. I want them to hop over to the beer garden downtown. I want them to really experience the city." Babineau's commentary on the expanding brewery industry specifically exemplifies this idea. She commented on how it's not saturation but compe- Cultural momentum Leaders in Worcester's cultural scene – in place before much of the buzz surrounding development – say the arts continue to thrive with collaboration and optimism BY DEVINA BHALLA Special to the Worcester Business Journal The POW! WOW! Worcester mural "Smiley" by artist OG Slick Che Anderson, UMass Medical School Joe Mathieu, WGBH Dani Babineau, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. Laura Marotta, Creative Hub Worcester PHOTO | COURTESY OF LARRY NGUYEN

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