It’s not finished yet, but those working to transform the former George F. Cogswell School into Cogswell ArtSpace plan to bring the property alive and celebrate anyway.
The creative community and friends alike plan a party to, as organizers say, literally light up the building from the inside out! Creative Haverhill Operations Director Erin Padilla gave a sneak preview of the upcoming event during an interview last week on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program.
“We’ll have live music, cocktails by G’s, small bites by Loaded; Helen Duncan, a local artist, is doing an installation; live music by Wilda Mendez and Alliance of Fire; and then the big moment of the evening, we hope, will be lighting the building up, from the inside out, with multicolored lights,” she says.
The group completed the purchase of the 1891 school from the City of Haverhill in 2019 for $175,000. Padilla says the group is still working on two major grants to help finish the fundraising effort for the project. According to organization’s website, slightly more than $2 million of the $2.8 million project has been raised to turn the old Cogswell School into a community arts center.
The 21+ Cogswell ArtSpace Party takes place Thursday, May 11, from 7-9 p.m., in the rear parking lot at 351 S. Main St., Haverhill. Tickets are $40 each, include one cocktail and benefit the building project. They may be purchased online here.
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