Revolving Museum Turns Toward Western Ave.
Posted by PaulM on 21 Nov 2009 at 11:21 pm | Tagged as: Education, History, Lowell, Lowell-2009, Poetry, Technology
I’m almost sure the name Revolving Museum derives from the ever-changing character and location of the shape-shifting arts enterprise begun in Boston by Jerry Beck many years ago. Most of us have heard the term “revolving exhibits” in connection with exhibition spaces with changing shows, but a “revolving museum” was a fresh idea at the outset. Tonight, lots of people followed a beam of light sweeping across the sky to its electric source on Western Avenue. There, the powerful searchlight, bunches of balloons, and volunteers in the parking lot guided guests to the front entrance of the museum’s new home.
My wife, Rosemary, and I saw at least a couple of hundred ”revolvers” in the heart of Western Avenue Studios, the new address of TRM. After several years at the forefront of contemporary art activity in Lowell, TRM has found a niche as a youth arts program, serving more than 250 young people each year. Free Verse writers, Artbotics inventors, Vanguardian designers, and other creative participants make TRM’s youth programs some of the best around. Bold, colorful, inventive examples of the art produced at TRM filled the walls and halls in the converted industrial building that houses about 200 artists, a recording studio and cafe (The Space), and the Loading Dock Gallery.
Josh Beetler energized the crowd with virtuoso guitar-playing before turning over the stage to the Fashion Show models in their eco-friendly outfits made of recycled and repurposed materials. Earlier in the evening, Executive Director Diane Testa, bearing a tall Guided-Tour sign, led more than a hundred people up and around the corridors to see TRM’s gallery, lab, and studio spaces in the complex. It looks like a good fit for TRM at 122 Western Avenue. As the slogan on the event invitation said: “Home Is Where the Art Is.” For more information about TRM, visit www.revolvingmuseum.org
As chair of the Revolving Museum’s Board of Directors I want to thank all of the volunteers and performers who helped make the museum’s house warming party such a great success last night. Great food, fashion, spoken word, music and much more. Highlight was a fashion show, with several celebrate catwalk walkers - what a sight!
Though we were sad to leave Shattuck Street, now being in a large community of artists and in the middle of an exciting build out of mill space at Western Avenue feels great. Please do stop in and say hello sometime over the next several weeks when there will be numerous open studios events to celebrate the holiday season. And, instead of hitting a New Hampshire mall, do all of your holiday gift buying at WAS and frequent the many other cool stores across Lowell.
Buying local gives our economy a big boost!!!
Bob,
Do you know if the Hamilton Canal plans have anything in them to make that area easier to access from downtown? I can see the tower from my parking lot at Canal Place, but to get there by car involves driving halfway through the Acre and back because of the cut in Dutton St due to the active rail line. Getting there on foot isn’t much better as there’s no crosswalk at Fletcher Street. I’ll admit I never went to the Revolving Museum, but it certainly feels like a loss to the neighborhood and they might as well have moved to Boston at that distance!
Actually, I know the answer to the pedestrian question: Making Jackson intersect Fletcher will produce a crosswalk I’m sure.
Several times, I have walked to Western Avenue Studios from downtown. If you head to Western Ave. walking on the right hand-side of Dutton Street the crossing at Thondike and Fletcher is OK. What is really, really scary is crossing the tracks in front of Western Ave. Studios, especially if there is train sitting or running on tracks.
Now that the Revolving Museum has moved to Western Ave, it must be much more difficult for the high school students to get over to the Museum.
Perhaps the new Thorndike Street reconstruction will have a bridge or ramp off to Western Ave. or maybe LRTA could loop one of its mini-buses down School once or twice a day?