[Glass-mit] Fwd: The Society of Arts and Crafts - momentous transition

[Peter Houk]

Dear Friends of the Glass Lab,
With this note I am making a rare exception to the rule that this list will
never be used for anything other than notifications about MIT Glass Lab
sales and lectures.
But this one's important, and relevant to everyone who cares about crafts
in Boston.
I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the *Society of Arts and Crafts
*on Newbury Street. It's one of the premier venues - and probably the
oldest one - for craft in the country, and has given a start to many a
local artist, including yours truly. After 40 years at 175 Newbury Street,
SAC is being forced to move due to the sale of the building they occupy.
However, if you read the letter by the new director Fabio Fernandez, you'll
see that there is an extremely exciting new possibility on the horizon. If
you are interested, please read on to see how you can help. Fabio has
assured me that every letter of support counts. I'll certainly be writing
one!
Email for Fabio Fernandez is: director at societyofcrafts.org

Happy Summer to all,

Peter

Dear Peter:

I want to bring you up to date on our current Real Estate situation. As we
anticipated, our landlord sold the building on June 1st so after 40 years
at 175 Newbury Street, we must vacate by February 28, 2016. It is an
exciting and critical time for SAC and finding an appropriate home in a
short timeline will be challenging.

We have applied for 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space located
in Boston’s Seaport. When developers build near the waterfront, they are
required to set aside and subsidize space for non-profits. We were one of
five organizations that submitted a proposal to occupy 100 Pier 4
<http://www.udr.com/uploadedFiles/UDR3/Communities/Pier_4/Galleries/BostonRA_RFI.pdf>,
near the ICA. There are many positive aspects to the space and to
relocating to the booming Innovation District.

We need your/MIT's help!

Letters of support from you will make a difference to the decision makers.
Our Board President, Alyda Dewhirst, and I ask that you write one letter to:

Julie S. Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture
William Licko, Pier 4 LLC
Richard McGuinness, Boston Redevelopment Authority
(Dear Ms. Burros, Mr. Licko, and Mr. McGuinness:)

Act quickly as the decision is pending - Please email me the letters by
Monday June 22, 2015. We will compile them and deliver them to City Hall!

Onward and upward,
Fabio

Fabio J. Fernández
Executive Director
The Society of Arts and Crafts
175 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-266-1810 x 15
director at societyofcrafts.org

p.s. Should you need them, the following templates provide suggested ways
of organizing a letter of support in order to make a compelling case for
the selection of SAC for the space at 100 Pier 4.

Broad themes to be emphasized might include: SAC’s track record of success,
its roles as an attractor, its dedication to public access and education,
its commitment to the professional wellbeing of artists of many kinds, and
the mutual advantages to SAC, the developer, and the city of Boston in
having the organization placed at 100 Pier 4. Components of any of the
templates can be mixed and matched to customize a letter of support that
feels authentic to your vision of this special opportunity.

Template #1
·      Tell a brief personal story about your experience or knowledge of
SAC that highlights specific aspects of its history of impact relevant to
the site selection—for example, about its role as a hub in the community,
its positive effects on the careers of artists, or any “firsts” in
innovative programming that brought new ideas, people, or works of art into
your life.
·      Emphasize the importance of continuing to provide opportunities for
a similar experience to future generations of artists and visitors in a new
space at 100 Pier 4.
·      Talking from your personal background, envision one possible way
that a new space for SAC in this particular location will enable it to
become a premier destination for artists, enthusiasts, or the general
public.

Template #2
·      Explain why you think the mission of SAC is particularly relevant to
our contemporary moment in Boston and in the creative economy of the
region.
·      Emphasize ways in which the SAC is well positioned to become an
anchor organization in the Waterfront district and/or to participate in
Boston’s new cultural planning initiative.
·      Elaborate on how its unique blend of activities—retail, curatorial,
educational, community-building, etc.—would attract visitors and enhance
the experience of living and working in this South Boston neighborhood.

Template #3
·      Describe ways in which the unique opportunity for SAC to relocate to
100 Pier 4 will be transformative—this new space and all that it makes
possible represent the most important change for the organization in
a generation.
·      Emphasize the match between public and private interests,
organizational need and civic priorities, and SAC mission and the cultural
moment that this space represents.
·      Imagine how the new space will allow its leadership, boards, and
staff to carry forward the organization’s long history of providing public
access to handmade items and knowledge about these ancient and still
evolving processes of fabrication. If you wish, also describe aspects of
this amazing moment in the history of craft and design arts that are
relevant to the site selection—for example, wide-ranging experimentation
with new technologies and materials, multi-disciplinary collaboration
between experts in different media, or an invigorated spirit of
entrepreneurism in reaching the public.






-- 
Peter Houk
Director, Glass Lab
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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