Firehouse Artist Shanties Inspired by Newburyport’s Early Clam Huts

Through the construction of waterfront shanties, the Newburyport Arts and Culture Shanties Project will create a centralized artist colony, giving artists a place to both showcase skills and sell handcrafted items.

The shanties will kick off with a “community build day” on June 8th, with the end vision of brightly-hued wooden-planked shanty huts, modeled loosely after Newburyport’s historic clam shacks which lined Joppa Flats in the 1950s. The shanties will reside along the waterfront through the summer and into the fall.

In late 2018, the Firehouse Center for the Arts was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative (CCI), to build seasonal artist shanties on the waterfront. The Firehouse is working in tandem with the City of Newburyport, and other local arts organizations, to put parameters in place.

“I am very excited that the City, in partnership with the Firehouse Center for the Arts and the Creative County Initiative will bring the shanty project to fruition this spring.  Located along Newburyport’s beautiful waterfront, the shanties will accommodate varied artists from the City as well as Essex County. These colorful structures will enhance our waterfront, attracting visitors to the boardwalk where they can enjoy a stroll and the scenery and perhaps purchase a special item from the juried artists,” said Newburyport Mayor, Donna Holaday.

The project seeks to provide a vibrant centralized forum for local artists and artisans to collectively join together with the common mission of bringing locally made art to the North Shore region and beyond. By creating an organized artist colony, along with the provision of space to display and sell art, this project aims to foster the growth of a culturally rich environment that would increase profits for artists and local businesses alike.

According to John Moynihan, Executive Director of the Firehouse Center for the Arts, “The intent behind the shanties project is to create a central location in Newburyport for locals and tourists to come together and really celebrate the arts while providing an opportunity to increase artists’ livelihoods through sales. A free-of-charge fresh-air forum will attract people of all economic means, honoring a core tenet of the Firehouse – affordability and accessibility.”

“This project will serve to enliven an already vibrant arts community by bringing artists and the public together right in the heart of Newburyport,” said Beth Francis, President and CEO of Essex County Community Foundation. “It’s a great example of how a public-private collaboration can serve the artists and the local creative economy. ECCF is proud to be a lead partner in this exciting project.”

For general information, as well as information on applying for a week-long shanty residency, visit www.newburyportshanties.org

To see updates on the Newburyport Arts and Culture Shanties Project, please visit our Facebook and Instagram pages:

https://www.facebook.com/newburyportartsandcultureshanties

https://www.instagram.com/nbptartsandcultureshanties/