Framingham Arts & Culture Vision Plan
MAPC, in partnership with the City of Framingham, is developing an Arts and Culture Vision Plan to guide how Nevins Hall and the Community Center can better support arts and culture in Framingham and strengthen connections to community needs. The project includes artist-led creative engagements that help gather local perspectives and on-the-ground insight to shape the plan and inform the City’s ongoing investments in arts and culture.
Selected Artist Announcement
Selected Artist: Claudia Ruiz Gustafson
MAPC and the City of Framingham are pleased to announce Claudia Ruiz Gustafson as the selected artist for the Historic Nevins Hall creative placemaking project.
Claudia’s event, Esta es tu Plaza / Esta é a sua praça / यह आपका चौक है / This is Your Square, will transform Historic Nevins Hall into a welcoming civic and cultural gathering space where residents can share stories, memories, traditions, and hopes for the future of the hall. Through participatory activities, conversation, music, food, and visual storytelling, the project will invite community members to imagine Historic Nevins Hall not only as an event venue, but as a shared public space shaped by the people of Framingham.
Rooted in Claudia’s practice as a Peruvian-American artist and storyteller, the project will create opportunities for residents to reflect on belonging, cultural memory, and the everyday places that make Framingham feel like home. Her work has been recognized through a Massachusetts Cultural Council Photography Fellowship, international exhibitions, and inclusion in the permanent collection of the Danforth Art Museum.
The event will also help inform the broader Framingham Arts and Culture Vision Plan by gathering community perspectives on how Historic Nevins Hall can better support artists, cultural bearers, families, and community life.
Engage with Us!
Contact:
Project Manager
Lindsay Randall
[email protected]
Upcoming Community Events
Esta es tu Plaza /
Esta é a sua praça /
यह आपका चौक है /
This is Your Square
Date: August 15 and 16
Time: 1 PM – 5 PM
Location:
Nevins Hall
150 Concord Street
Framingham, MA
This event is free and open to the public.
Arts and Culture Vision Survey
What do you love about Framingham? Where do you go to feel happy and included?
Help us understand what you would like to see in the city and how we can make Framingham more vibrant, welcoming, and creative.
Click below to take the survey!
Or visit our “Love Note Stations” at the following locations to take the survey in person:
- 49 Lexington Street – Framingham Public Library Main Branch
- 746 Water Street – Christa McAuliffe Branch Library
- 99 2nd Street – Pelham Lifelong Learning Center
- 12B Interfaith Terrace – Hoops and Homework
Creative Placemaking Call for Artists
In partnership with the City of Framingham and a group of local Project Advisors, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council invited artists to propose temporary creative placemaking activities for Nevins Hall.
The Call for Artists asked applicants to imagine how Nevins Hall could better support artists, cultural bearers, and community members, while also strengthening connections among the people, places, traditions, and creative practices that make up Framingham’s arts and culture ecosystem.
The application deadline was Friday, May 1, 2026 and the artist was selected on May 14, 2026.
Resource Archive
Relevant Prior Work
Arts in MetroWest Listening Sessions Findings Report (2025)
In spring 2025, the Community Foundation for MetroWest and MAPC convened six listening sessions with artists, cultural organizations, and regional stakeholders. This report captures key themes and recommendations shaping regional arts and culture strategy.