New Bedford, MA – MassDevelopment has awarded a $25,000 grant to the Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA) for an outdoor public art exhibition in downtown New Bedford that celebrates women who work in the fishing industry worldwide.
This “Harvesters of the Deep: Portraits of Fisherwomen from South Korea, America, and the United Kingdom” exhibition, curated specifically for this project, features art installations on several public walkways in the commercial district, with funds supporting construction, artist fees, program promotion, and the purchase of materials. The artwork and related programming are all located within a half-mile radius, and the exhibit sites lead viewers from the high-traffic waterfront zone into the downtown commerce and cultural zones home to small businesses, local restaurants, overnight accommodations, and cultural organizations.
The exhibition is part of “WATER 2021,” a larger series of public art exhibitions that examine the role of water in cultures and economies around the world, on view now until Oct. 15. The funds are awarded through MassDevelopment’s special Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places, which was made available specifically to assist local economic recovery efforts as community partners prepare public spaces and commercial districts to serve residents and visitors.
