We’re postponing… but! In response to the Massachusetts’s Governor’s guidance in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, we’re postponing this event. In the meantime, however, we’re still thinking about these important issues, and know you are, too. We invite you to sign up here to receive occasional emails on this and related topics. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to being in touch!

How might creative acts of remembering and imagining in public help us reframe the past and present–and see more inclusive futures?

Join the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) for a conversation that explores the power of public art to catalyze critical dialogue around public memory, representation, and belonging, and to transform public life. You’ll hear from artists, curators, and organizers who use creative strategies to reframe public memory and imagine future possibilities for more inclusive, thriving spaces and communities.

Guest Speakers:

Paul Farber – Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Monument Lab and Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Public Art and Space at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design (keynote speaker and moderator)
Erin Genia (Dakota/ Odawa) – Multidisciplinary artist, educator and cultural worker specializing in Indigenous arts and culture
Kate Gilbert – Executive Director of Now + There
Stephen Hamilton – Artist and educator, based in Boston

This event is part of a series organized by the MAPC’s Arts and Culture Department and NEFA’s Public Art Department in conjunction with MAPC’s MetroCommon 2050 planning process. This unique, cross-sector initiative brings together artists and creators, planners, and policymakers to discuss the evolving relationship among public art, public memory, and public policy and to explore how artists can envision and shape more inclusive, thriving spaces and communities in Greater Boston.

Solar Remote Permitting & Inspection Best Practices: COVID-19 Impacts and Long-Term Potential

Please join MassCEC, MAPC, and SolSmart to learn about best practices on remote permitting and inspection during COVID-19, and the long-term potential of those practices. The webinar will feature guest speakers from three Massachusetts communities; Gardner, Brockton, and Lowell. If you have questions regarding registration, please contact solar@masscec.com.

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7565282524044732684

Join MAPC to hear from housing organizations, the Department of Housing & Community Development, and Boston and other municipalities on how to respond to residents at risk of eviction or other destabilizing forces during the pandemic.

We’ll learn about the anticipated impacts of expiring eviction moratoria, an overview of the Governor’s Eviction Diversion Initiative, and tenant rights and responsibilities. A panel will then discuss tools available to help residents stay in their homes, how to implement them, and what localities are doing to support residents experiencing housing instability during these unprecedented times.

Speakers will include:
Tim Reardon, Director of Data Services, MAPC
Chris Kluchman, Deputy Director, Community Services Division, DHCD
Tom Ambrosino, City Manager, City of Chelsea
Domonique Williams, Deputy Director, Office of Housing Stability, City of Boston
Chris Cotter, Housing Director, City of Cambridge
Keith Benoit, Community Development Planner, City of Northampton

Cities and towns are deploying a number of strategies to identify the spread of COVID-19 in their communities. One emerging method: testing sewage from households and buildings for the presence of the virus.

Knowing that COVID-19 is present in wastewater can be an important indicator of where its spread may be accelerating. In places where wastewater testing has been deployed, changes in the virus’ wastewater concentration have been observed several days before changes in reported new cases.

At this webinar, you will hear from experts on the science of wastewater testing for disease surveillance, as well as public health leaders who have deployed wastewater testing in their communities.

Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMod-2sqzgoH9aWTW1FkK9U1lS39EeXLn5x

The Commonwealth recently announced that residents and staff of public and subsidized senior housing are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the first tier of Phase II of the vaccine rollout. This step is anticipated to begin later this month.

With this opportunity comes the need to quickly arrange vaccination opportunities for some of state’s most vulnerable residents. This requires coordination among three groups: municipal officials and staff, including local boards of health; owners and managers of public and subsidized senior housing, including local housing authorities; and medical providers who can staff clinics and vaccinate residents.

Please join us on Tuesday, February 9 to learn how cities and towns can support vaccination in senior housing facilities.

Webinar speakers will include:
Robin Lipson, Deputy Secretary, Executive Office of Elder Affairs
Emily Cooper, Chief Housing Officer, Executive Office of Elder Affairs

There will be an opportunity to ask questions!
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More information from the Commonwealth on COVID-19 vaccinations for senior housing setting is available here.