Westport Cultural Council

Westport Cultural Council

Celebrate

Benchmarks in Central Village

Remarks by Elaine Ostroff – Chairman

November 7, 2007

Welcome to celebrate the BenchMarks in Central Village! On behalf of the Westport Cultural Council thank you all for coming. Everyone here has contributed to making the BenchMark project a success. This event is to show our appreciation and to honor what you all have helped make possible. Today you’ll hear from the designers, from Anita Walker, the new executive director of the Mass Cultural Council, from Bonnie Guptill, Westport artist and former colleague of Helen Ellis, from Karen Hibbert, the new administrator of the Helen Ellis Charitable Trust at the Bank of America. You’ll get to see the sign to be hung in Town Hall, and you can look more closely at the displays of the BenchMarks and samples of cultural programs supported by the Council.

And now, meet your hosts, the Westport Cultural Council. Barbara Bates is the Council’s coordinator of the Helen Ellis Trust; George Cataldo is a member, Liz Collins in our treasurer, Carol Vidal is the secretary, and former chair. I’m Elaine Ostroff, the chair of the Council.

Let’s take a minute to review this terrific journey that got us to today’s celebration.

Back to the very beginning: in 1984, in response to the statewide efforts of the Massachusetts Cultural Council to create and provide funding for local cultural programs, the Westport Board of Selectmen appointed a group of volunteers to become the Westport Arts Council. The state cultural council awarded its first grant of $5, 582 to Westport. Now, 24 years later – Westport has received 147,000 through annual allocations from the state budget to support the arts in Westport. In 1992, The Helen Ellis Charitable Trust was founded, with the proceeds of Helen Ellis estate. Westport, which was Helen Ellis’ home for over 50 years, was one of the beneficiaries. Westport received $15,000 that first year and in the 16 years since then has received $197,000 to support cultural activities that would honor Ms Ellis legacy. These two extraordinary funding sources have supported over 450 projects that have benefited the Westport community.

Let’s show our appreciation to both the Mass Cultural Council and the Helen Ellis Charitable Trust!

In 2005 the Arts Council (we’ve just recently changed out name from Westport Arts Council to Westport Cultural Council, so I’ll use Arts Council when its historically correct…) shared the concern about the growing pedestrian and vehicular traffic in Central Village. We appreciated the Westport Master Plan that detailed the planning for a pedestrian-friendly Central Village, with safe places for people to walk. We wanted to use the arts as a way to contribute to a safer Central Village as well as help build a sense of community. Two council members, Carolyn Kaiser and I developed a proposal titled “Pedestrian Access and Public Art for Central Village.” It was to be a Design Competition, an awareness project that would encourage people to think about pedestrians, and to appreciate what the arts can do as part of the streetscape. The design competition was to create artful destinations for people to sit along Main Road.

We went before the Planning Board who was extremely encouraging and they gave us a great gift…Architect Dave Wallace, retiring Planning Bd member was assigned as a liaison to the project. The rest is history…most of you know that Dave Wallace is the planning force behind this project. The Arts Council met and approved our request for $5000, as part of its annual Helen Ellis Trust awards. We went to the Board of Selectmen, who was also very encouraging, and approved the project. With Selena Howard’s help, we then organized a remarkable & dedicated Steering Committee and on June 14, 2005 launched the project right here at Lees Community Room with a breakfast meeting for Westport businesses, organizations and individuals. Selena, who helped organize the breakfast meeting and many other activities, was a major resource throughout the project. She was our ambassador to Central Village. Thanks to Al Lees for his continuing support and generosity to the Designing the Village Project. That community meeting was when Bob Karam, the developer of the Westport Village Apartments and Condos stood up and pledged $10,000 toward sidewalks. Bob’s money has helped pay for the traffic & pedestrian safety plan that is now underway.

We had the $5000 seed money for the design competition and knew that we that we needed a lot more money for the design and construction. There was a sustained fund raising campaign, with a mailed solicitation in November 2005…people were very generous. Many of the people in this room were contributors.

Now…fast forward…the design competition went forward, and an esteemed jury selected 5 different designs for the 5 locations. Rosanne Somerson chaired the jury that included Geraldine Millham, Wendy Dorsey, Duncan Albert, Julia Bernert & Bill Shattuck. The winners were announced in this same room on June 30, 2006.

The big Family event at the Town Hall Annex was held in the summer of 2006, and MANY people in this room contributed – everything from donations for the silent auction to super sandwiches for lunch, organizing children’s games…the Westport Point Neighborhood Ass’n must have had 30 people at work! The Westport River watershed Alliance also had many volunteers. Over 600 people participated in that extraordinary Central Village family day.

The idea to honor people by naming benches after them grew out of a spontaneous conversation, and several families made donations that led to the naming of the BenchMarks. A few benches were named in honor of earlier contributors and the last bench was named in honor of Helen Ellis, with additional finds from the Cultural Council. Alyn Carlson designed the commemorative cast aluminum plaques imbedded at each BenchMark - they will last forever.

We had the benches under construction; what we now needed was major assistance with the installation. That’s where the Town Highway department under the leadership of Jack Sisson stepped up. They had the expertise to do the foundation work and complex installation of the Benchmarks. We wouldn’t have the benches ready to use & enjoy without Jack, the skilled masonry of Chris Gonsalves and Tony Medeiros. What a significant contribution!

Along the way, the BOS appointed a Sidewalk Committee to address the longer term issues of planning for safe pedestrian access. That committee also has a new name: the Central Village Public Improvements Committee. Just recently, the Highway Department carried out one of the 1st safety recommendations…to narrow the travel lanes on Main Road in Central Village by painting fog lines marking the 11.5 ft lanes.

Here we are. It does feel different in Central Village and YOU all made it possible, with your effort, your talents, & your generosity. Thank you.

Now, let’s hear more about the Benchmarks from the designers.

We’ll start with the BenchMark at the Westport Friends Meeting House. The designer Joshua Enck is from Providence; right now he’s in India and Rosanne Somerson, jury chair, will talk about his process.

Mitch Ryerson of Cambridge was the designer of two of the BenchMarks. Please tell us about the one at Partners Village Store.

And now Mitch, about the BenchMark at the Playground…

Cameron Webster is from Westport; we’re very proud of our local artist. Cameron, please tell us about your inspiration and the construction process for the two benchmarks at Town Hall.

Jack Ryan and Meghan Foresteire are from Providence; please tell us about the benches at Village Way.

Now you’ll hear from Anita Walker, of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Appointed as Executive Director in May, after a national search, Ms Walker is a nationally recognized leader who has succeeded at positioning arts and culture at the center of efforts to foster economic growth, improve education, and revitalize communities."

Walker brings a broad range of leadership experience in the arts, humanities, and public policy to her new position. Most recently, she served as director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs from September 2000 until this past January. In that cabinet-level position, Walker served simultaneously as executive director of the Iowa Arts Council, administrator of the State Historical Society, and the state historic preservation officer, overseeing a $10 million budget and 100 employees.

During her tenure in Iowa, Walker engaged more than 400 state and local businesses to consider the role of the creative sector as a driving force in economic development, in part by leading the first comprehensive study of the state's creative economy. The study resulted in several key regions of the state incorporating arts and culture in economic planning efforts.

She has covered the state, meeting with local cultural councils and arts organization, listening & learning about each area - their strengths and their concerns. Carol Vidal & I had the pleasure of meeting her when she came to New Bedford a couple of month ago. Now you’ll have the pleasure. Please welcome Anita Walker.

Bonnie Guptill…artisan, exhibit designer…was chair of the Westport Arts Council about 10 years ago. Under her leadership the council purchased the Helen Ellis exhibit case for the library where Bonnie has created over 100 exhibits since 1996. Give yourself a treat and see what’s there. Bonnie was hired by Ms Ellis to be the director of the Dartmouth Children’s Museum when it fist began. She knew her well, has organized exhibits of her work. We’re very fortunate that Bonnie lives in Westport and especially appreciative that she’s here today to tell us more about Helen Ellis - the artist – the person.

Karen Hibbert has just taken over as administrator of the Helen Ellis Charitable Trust, replacing Robert Carlson who retired. (I’ll get a few notes from her when we tour the benches tomorrow.)

I’ll turn this over to Liz Collins, our Council treasurer & former Chair of the Westport Board of Selectmen to make the presentation of the BenchMark sign for Town Hall.

Thank you again for what you’ve all contributed, thank you for coming. Enjoy the displays, the food and each other. Be sure to enjoy sitting on the benches in Central Village. Be sure to take the brochures that acknowledge all the contributors.

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