Saturday, April 20, 2019

Community Meeting on Renewal of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District



Tisbury cultural organizations, businesses, artists, and other stakeholders are invited to participate in a community meeting on Wednesday, May 8th at 5:30 PM at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, in preparation for the renewal of state designation of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District. The meeting, hosted by the The Tisbury Vision Forum and Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District Partnership, will gather input for goal-setting for the district, review the District's leadership and key achievements, and will include a presentation on a recent wayfinding study completed by the Tisbury Planning Board.

A Cultural District is a specific geographical area in a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets in a walkable, compact area that is easily identifiable to visitors and residents and serves as a center of cultural, artistic, and economic activity. The goals of the Cultural District initiative, set out in 2010 legislation, are to attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and economic development, establish the district as a tourist destination, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development. Once awarded, a Cultural District designation stays in effect for five years and may be renewed.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) approved the designation of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District in 2014, making it the first state-designated Cultural District on Martha's Vineyard. Founding partner organizations included the Vineyard Playhouse, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Martha's Vineyard Film Society, Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center, Vineyard Haven Public Library, Martha's Vineyard Times, Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Gannon and Benjamin. There are now more than forty Cultural Districts statewide, including the Aquinnah Circle Cultural & Historic District on Martha's Vineyard.


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