“Light the Falls,” focused on Methuen’s historic Spicket River Falls, is one of six new collaborative public art and creative placemaking projects being funded by Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative.
Arts Institute Group of the Merrimack Valley/Methuen Arts, in partnership with the City of Methuen, Olson Electric and the lighting architectural firm Lam Partners, was granted $25,000 for “a visual display of color, from hydro-powered lights, designed by local artists.” The project is expected to be ready by this fall.
“ECCF is incredibly thrilled to fund these additional projects, which merge creativity, collaboration and ingenuity into something that can unite the entire community,” said Foundation President and CEO Beth Francis. “Our first round of grantees proved that these projects are invaluable to improving the health, vibrancy and connectedness of our cities and towns and we’re excited to expand this to additional Essex County communities.”
The Foundation’s Creative County Initiative was launched in 2018 through a partnership with the Barr Foundation, and is designed to elevate arts, culture and the creative economy in Essex County.
The Spicket River in Methuen, Essex County’s only natural waterfall—which once powered 19th century textile mills—drops 100 feet and tumbles over a bed of rocks on its way to the Merrimack in Lawrence.
Mimi Leger, the lead project manager for AIGMV/Methuen Arts, said, “A main goal of our group is to activate underutilized spaces in Methuen and fill them with vivid art that the entire community can enjoy. This grant will allow us to do just that at the Spicket River Falls.”