Public Arts & Culture

Resources for artists, organizations, participants, and supporters.

Three governing bodies:

• Public Arts & Culture Committee
  The Public Arts & Culture Committee (PACC) develops public art opportunities and policy. The PACC 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.
  • Public Arts Master Plan (PDF)
  • Resolution to Establish a Public Arts and Culture Committee (PDF)
  • PACC Handbook (PDF) Mission, values, and meeting guidelines.
• Watertown Cultural Council
  The Watertown Cultural Council (WCC) provides funding for community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The WCC meets the second Wednesday of the month at 6 PM. The WCC is one of 355 Local Cultural Council programs statewide funded in large part through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
• Watertown Cultural District
  The Watertown Cultural District (WCD) represents state recognition of cultural vitality in the city, which supports economic development through the arts. The WCD calendar highlights events and arts activities throughout the year and hosts an arts directory. The WCD partnership meets the 2nd Monday of every other month at 4 PM. All cultural organizations, businesses, and artists living or working in Watertown are invited to join the WCD Partnership.
  
  

Public Arts Opportunities

• Business of Music Internship - Application open through May 3, 2026!
  This opportunity is for Watertown students entering grades 10-12 to support live music opportunities in Watertown, MA. Required 20 hours in person between July 1 - August 26, 2026. $200 stipend upon completion. Up to two positions are available.
• WaterTunes - Submit your favorite music through July 2026!
  Tell us about music that is special to you—your favorite song, a song that evokes a memory, or a piece of music with meaning for you. We're collecting songs through July 2026 that will be included in a "Watertown Playlist." Hear a selection of the tunes at a community party on August 26, 2026!
• 100 Years of Arshile Gorky - See the exhibition at the Armenian Museum of America through April 2026!
  See the mural "Passage" on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway below Grove Street. This project commemorates the life and work of Arshile Gorky.
• Open for Business - Public art installations in Coolidge Square for Spring 2026!
  Public art installations by Masary Studios and Elaine Buckholtz coming to Coolidge Square during the Mount Auburn Street Reconstruction.
• Edible Watertown - new mural at Herring Fest on May 17, 2026!
  Edible Watertown is a multi-year project that promotes awareness of our local environment through the artistic and scientific exploration of plants around Watertown.
• Community Sculpture Walk - Opening Reception for four new sculptures on May 16, 2026!
  The Community Sculpture Walk follows the Community Path, from the Thaxter Street parking lot behind the library to Howard Street. Sculptures are selected annually through an open call to artists and on view for two years.

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