Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1104799
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 30 APRIL 2019 Artists of all stripes are passionately drawn to Salem. e historic little city has long served as a safe haven fostering creative lives and output. Adding to the attraction is Sa- lem's inspiring history, moody seascapes, and architecturally significant streetscapes. "We love our weird here in Salem," says John Andrews, owner of Creative Collective, a Salem- based organization that connects creativity, community, and commerce across the North Shore. "It's actually to the point of the com- monplace, which makes people feel a lot more comfortable to let their artistic flag fly." Today's art scene in Salem may look very different than it did, say, 15 years ago, when young artists and writers started migrating up from Cambridge and Somerville. ese creatives had the good fortune of participating in an evolving city, with gems like music legend Preacher Jack, who would tear up the keys with his honky-tonk genius on random afternoons at the now bulldozed Dodge Street Bar and Grill. Salem life is vibrant in a different way these days, with a growing restaurant scene and a year-round schedule of festivals celebrating such things as international documentaries, horror films, and the street art of the Latino neighborhood. e growth of the Peabody Essex Museum and the support of community-driven public art projects are moving the city in the right direction, says Andrews. In addition, it's pretty easy for artists to get their work seen in Salem due to the steady flow of shoppers, diners, and tourists. But there are still challenges to overcome. e steep cost of living for working artists is underscored by soaring rents. e perceived "worth" of those in the arts is still "a pretty significant roadblock," says Andrews—but one that is starting to gain attention, he adds. As an organization dedicated to fostering creativity and building creative partnerships with businesses, Creative Collective has 83 business members and a couple hundred community members in Salem alone. "Art, culture, and creativity have become more per- vasive, integral, and understood by a growing number of traditionally based businesses, local leaders, nonprofits, and community members," says Andrews. e North Shore Community Development Cooperation (NSCDC) maintains nearly 200 affordable apartments among the historical blocks of Salem's robust immigrant neighborhood. As the organization's CEO, Mickey Northcutt tries every day to address the regional problem of soaring housing costs in one of the best walkable urban alternatives outside of Boston. In the last couple of years, the NSCDC has put the Point—the mostly Latino neighborhood just a couple of blocks from Salem's main economic center—on the map as a major arts destination, with 75 astonishing D A T E O F S E T T L E M E N T 1626 D A T E O F I N C O R P O R A T I O N 1629 A R E A 18 square miles P O P U L A T I O N 170,000 Z I P C O D E 01970 M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N C O M E $ 61,000 Bates Elementary, Carlton Elementary, Witchcraft Heights Elementary; Collins Middle School, Saltonstall School, Nathaniel Bowditch, Salem High School Abigail Adams, Anne Bradstreet, Jones Very, Israel Putnam, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Samuel McIntire, Alexander Graham Bell, Jack Welch, Sophia Amelia Peabody S C H O O L S N O T A B L E R E S I D E N T S THE DETAILS PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN ANDREWS/CREATIVE COLLECTION FAC E S + P L AC E S The Salem Arts Fest takes place June 7 through June 9 this year.