‘Tis the Season to Make Art

{ Natalie Paris }

IN THE HEART OF WORCESTER at 653 Main Street, just down the street from Polar Park, sits the warmly lit premises of Creative Hub Worcester. Through the old storefront glass, passerby can glimpse kids in after-school programs intently focused on their craft, or adults in the Queer Worcester Art Club sitting around the table and chatting as they knit or draw.

          Founded in 2015 by Stacy Lord and Laura Marotta, both longtime art educators, the Creative Hub aims to be a space for all of Worcester to participate in creative expression, and to be a place of safety for people to explore. Marotta and Lord saw an opportunity in Worcester to fill a need for art in the community: “Underserved communities might have barriers to accessing creative opportunities,” says Marotta. “They might not feel like there are enough safe spaces in Worcester to express themselves creatively. Creativity requires vulnerability, and if you don’t feel safe— you can’t be creative. We wanted to figure out what creative folks are already in Worcester, and how we can help provide them space and resources in order to grow.”

          That is the core mission of the Creative Hub, and also where they make some of their most important connections to the LGBT community. As Marotta says, “Art is vulnerable, but we have a human need to express ourselves. There’s an important parallel specifically with the LGBT+ community, where it’s especially important for us to express ourselves.        

          There’s a lesson around acceptance that happens when you’re creating, where everyone’s voice is heard, and everyone is visible. There are a lot of important things that come out of creative expression that we don’t necessarily think about, but that are important socially, for who we are as people, and who we want to be.”

To that end, Lord and Marotta have done a huge amount of work to reach out to and partner with the local LGBT community, through running programs and providing space for the LGBT community to gather; working directly with Queer AF, Love Your Labels, and local drag performers; and helping to put on Worcester Pride.

          Going further into the Worcester community, they have also partnered with local artists as part of an Artist in Residence program. One of the current artist groups in residence is Wavz Newage, a fashion and art studio that participates in local fashion shows and mentors youth at after school programs. Marotta is eager to continue building these kinds of relationships with artists in Worcester.      

          “There’s a full circle relationship that happens when you become part of the Creative Hub: teaching, mentoring, and building relationships.”

The Hub is also a space for kids, with an after school program that has served hundreds of students age 5-14 from Worcester, and allowed them space and time to dive deep into their own creative expression. Their children’s programs go beyond being just a calm and welcoming place for students to do homework, and focus on subjects like fashion design and yoga.    

          Marotta and Lord have a combined thirty years of teaching experience, and understand the importance of kids having access to creative expression, for healing, finding joy, learning acceptance, and confidence building. The program takes childcare vouchers and some financial aid is available for families who want to participate.

         It’s an exciting time for the Creative Hub. Aside from their ongoing work in the community, they have just started construction on a new, and much larger space, which has been Lord and Marotta’s goal since the Hub was founded almost a decade ago.    

          “Stacy and I knew that we had a big dream, and it began as working with the Economic Development Office of Worcester, looking at different spaces, falling in love with a building, a 1914 Boy’s Club, and raising fourteen million dollars so it can be renovated.”

          The new space, planning to be complete in the winter of 2025, will be four floors, and will host a gallery, event spaces, maker space with shared equipment, artist studios, classrooms, and workshop spaces. They want to take maximum advantage of the building to get more people involved in the Hub, by hosting pop up artist markets, renting studios and running Open Studio Days where people can visit (and buy work from) local artists. They plan to focus many of their future workshops on introductory classes catering to people with little or no art experience. Their current space, they plan to keep to use for after school programs and for the artists in residence.

          For people who want to experience the heart and spirit of the Creative Hub right now, before their grand opening of their new space, there is no better way to do so than through the Thursday night meetings of the Queer Worcester Art Club. It is free and open to all members of the LGBT community. Every week, a small group gathers to work on their own creative projects, be they fiber arts, pottery, poetry writing, drawing and coloring, digital art, or anything they feel like working on.

          The Queer Worcester Art Club was founded by Ellie and Cypress (they/them), and the club has been meeting in the Creative Hub for a little over a year. “We had a group bouncing between places, and we tried very hard to find a meeting space that didn’t have a pressure to buy things or revolve around alcohol,” Ellie says. The Creative Hub offering a dedicated time and place for the group to meet was a dream come true.

          On the Creative Hub’s end, Marotta says, “We heard there were not enough social spaces for the LGBT community, things that were different from going to restaurants and clubs. Creative people need time to just be around other creative people.” Since the club and the Hub’s goals dovetailed so well, they joined forces. Currently, club is in the process of becoming much more formally associated with the Hub, rather than just using it as a gathering spot.

          Like the Creative Hub’s overall mission, the Queer Worcester Art Club wants members of the community to feel safe and welcomed. “We want people who aren’t able to be out [of the closet] in their personal lives to feel safe coming here,” Ellie says. The club members all wear nametags with just their chosen names, and aim to create an atmosphere where everyone feels like they can ask for help when they need it.

Currently, the whole group is contributing to a large pride flag, where everyone who wants to participate can fill in a section in their chosen medium, with mediums like quilting or a sea-glass mosaic.

          Although the quilt is their only community project right now, they have floated the idea of doing themed nights, including winter and holiday themed projects for the season. Mary, who works at a winery, suggests that the group makes tree sculptures out of leftover wine corks. The Creative Hub provides basic supplies, but for every other group project, anyone can say, “I think this would be a fun idea— I’ll bring the supplies, and anyone who wants to do it, can.”

          Some other holiday themed crafts suggested by the group included the classics— like making paper snowflakes and origami stars— as well as more “traditionally alternative” ideas, such as making a winter themed zine. Penny suggested making snowglobes, and Mary offered to bring wine bottles to paint like stained glass, to put lights inside.

        The space provided by the Creative Hub for the club is the size of a classroom, and has plenty of basic art supplies that the club can freely use, such as pencils, scissors, paper, and the ever-necessessary hot glue. With the Hub’s generosity, even people without a particular project they’re working on can show up and create something. But for people working on their own crafts, the club is a warm and welcoming social space, one that has grown beyond just a simple meeting place, to be a home of genuine friendships outside of the Thursday night meetings. Many of the members have become good friends, and the club as a group met up at Worcester Pride and stART on the Street, bringing the joy and energy of the Creative Hub with them.

          The Creative Hub is excited to welcome more people into their events in the future, especially when they expand into their new space. But for right now, the Queer Worcester Art Club is the easiest way for the public to drop in and participate— no registration or payment is required, and there’s no obligation to come every week. Cypress and Ellie run the club weekly, rather than monthly, to make sure everyone feels welcome dropping in whenever they can fit it into their schedule. “If you miss one week, you don’t need to feel awkward about coming back,” Ellie says.

          The Hub’s other upcoming programs for this winter include their always on the go Mobile Art Van, and a free (but registration required) mindfulness and expressive arts program that is soon to launch. The program will cover breathwork, being in the moment, and taking advantage of expressive arts tools. Marotta says to keep an eye out for when registration opens on the Hub’s social media.

          For everyone who wishes to get involved with the Creative Hub through more than just attending programs, Marotta says that the Hub is always looking for volunteers. Those interested in volunteering or donating can email info@creativehubworcester.org to get involved.