Public Arts & Culture

Public Arts & Culture planning in Watertown is intentionally broad in scope and encompasses Art in Public Places, Cultural and Community Life, and creative placemaking in many forms. On this web page you will find local resources for artists and organizations across disciplines, as well as for arts and culture supporters.

Three governing bodies:

• Public Arts & Culture Committee
  The Public Arts & Culture Planner works with the Public Arts & Culture Committee to implement the Public Arts Master Plan (PDF), adopted through a resolution in 2020. City Council's RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH A PUBLIC ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE (PDF) signed April 13, 2021. The Public Arts & Culture Committee meets every 4th Monday of the month at 6 PM virtually or in the 3rd Floor Conference Room in the Watertown Administration Building. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the Public Arts & Culture Committee (PACC) meetings, please see the Visitor Guidelines (PDF). The Public Arts & Culture Committee uses the PACC Handbook to guide governance and project procedures.
• Watertown Cultural Council - 2025 Applications open until October 16!
  The Watertown Cultural Council (WCC) is one of 355 Local Cultural Council programs statewide. The LCC program is one of the largest grassroots cultural funding networks in the nation annually supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences funded in large part through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Watertown individuals, schools, and cultural organizations are eligible to apply for project support from WCC. Since its establishment in 1982, the WCC has distributed over $200,000 and funded over 500 programs that have enriched the lives of tens of thousands of community residents. 
• Watertown Square Cultural District Partnership
  The partnership is the public-private governing body of the Watertown Square Cultural District and is subject to all Federal, State, and local regulations for public bodies. The Partnership Handbook (PDF) provides details of governance structure. Anyone interested in joining the Cultural District Partnership should review the Partnership Handbook and Partnership Agreement (PDF).

Current Public Arts Initiatives:
The Public Arts & Culture Committee develops public art opportunities and arts policy. The Watertown Public Arts and Culture Kit (WPACK) was created by the preceding committee in 2018 and is still a guide for developers and the city for public art creation. Physical copies are available at the Watertown Free Public Library.
 appears to be an empty link with target https://forms.office.com/g/erTPYv

 appears to be an empty link with target https://www.watertown-ma.gov/816/5211/Community-Sculpture-

• Edible Watertown - Call for Artists and Scientists: Expert Pairings application deadline extended to October 20, 2024, at 11:59pm!
  Edible Watertown is a long-term interdisciplinary project that promotes awareness of our local environment through community engagement and the artistic and scientific exploration of plants around Watertown. Expert Pairings invites artists and scientists to explore the ecology of Watertown and collaborate on temporary public artwork. Artists and scientists can submit qualifications individually or as a pair. Individuals will be paired up so that each Expert Pairing features one artist and one scientist as lead collaborators. Together, this interdisciplinary team will create an educational, temporary, outdoor installation in Watertown, MA focused on edible plants, local ecology, or other topics of environmental resiliency that may be found in the Resilient Watertown Climate and Energy Plan. Read the full call (PDF).
• Community Sculpture Walk - Applications for the 2025-26 season are open until November 10, 2024!
  The Community Sculpture Walk exhibits public sculptures in Watertown, to enhance the use of green space, encourage public interaction with contemporary art, and create an annual exhibition opportunity for artists at all stages of career working in a variety of mediums. The Community Sculpture Walk follows the Community Path, from the library parking lot at Saltonstall Park to the Howard Street extension. Sculptures will be selected annually through an open call to artists and on view for two years. Read the full call (PDF).
• River of Light - Register for a lantern-making workshop!
  River of Light is a celebration of light in winter. Presented by the Public Arts & Culture Committee in partnership with the Watertown Cultural Council, the lantern-making workshops and wintertime parade build community and bring light. The workshops and celebration supported by the Public Arts & Culture Committee, the Mass Cultural Council, and the Watertown Cultural Council.
• Call for Artists: 100 Years of Arshile Gorky - Finalists selected!
  The Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee (PACC) is collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to commission a mural along the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway that commemorates the life and work of Arshile Gorky, who, notably, forged the birth of Abstract Expressionism in the United States. The mural is an extension of a larger project by a Watertown working group to memorialize Gorky’s time in Watertown, MA, and his contribution to modern art, led jointly by resident Jack Dargon and the Public Arts and Culture Committee with support from The Armenian Museum of Watertown, Mosesian Center for the Arts, and the Historical Society of Watertown. Funded by the Watertown Community Foundation, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Plumbers Supply Co. Read the full call (PDF).

 appears to be an empty link with target /710/Artist-Resources
Artist Resources
See opportunities for connecting with local arts organizations, exhibitions, funding, art education, supplies, and space.  appears to be an empty link with target /708/Calls-for-Public-Art 
 appears to be an empty link with target /708/Calls-for-Public-Art  appears to be an empty link with target https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdO_qwyyfNWotg3GD_CWrKCJGwhDDNwd6rwm4lyTMuFEzZrBg/viewfo appears to be an empty link with target https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdO_qwyyfNWotg3GD_CWrKCJGwhDDNwd6rwm4lyTMuFEzZrBg/viewfor appears to be an empty link with target https://www.creativeground appears to be an empty link with target https://www.creativeground.org
The Summer Concert Series
Learn more about upcoming and past performances at the Summer Concert Series at Saltonstall Park, overseen by the Public Arts & Culture Planner. Interested performers may complete the Saltonstall Park Performer Application.
 appears to be an empty link with target https://www.watertown-ma.gov/704/Watertown-Arts-Calendar 
 appears to be an empty link with target https://www.watertown-ma.gov/704/Watertown-Arts-Calendar Film Permit Application
For film projects that use public space: streets, parks, buildings, and other sites that are not privately owned.

Notifications
The Public Arts & Culture Committee puts out a periodic email newsletter called the "PACC Arts Bulletin" that contains upcoming exhibits, events, calls for art, and grant deadlines. Subscribe and learn more.