The Town of Amherst
Amherst is the quintessential New England town with a casual atmosphere, distinctive architecture and attractive Town Common at its center. It’s a vibrant community that engages in often-vigorous discourse and debate on a host of issues, earning the adage, “Amherst, where only the ‘h’ is silent.” The population changes seasonally with infusions of students to its colleges and university from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
The book and the plow—Amherst’s official seal—reflect the town’s roots as an agricultural and educational community. The book references the area colleges, but also represents the strong literary presence at the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Jones Library, poetry festivals, author readings at bookstores, and films at the Amherst Cinema. The plow lives on at weekly Farmers’ Markets, among the region’s best attended, as well as in outlying farms and open space. The Poet and The Farmer have lived, labored and conducted business side-by-side since Amherst’s founding in 1759.
The Amherst Center Cultural District
The Massachusetts Cultural Council designated Amherst’s town center as a Cultural District in 2016 in recognition of the concentration and vitality of its artistic and cultural resources. Our goals are to:
· demonstrate the value that arts and culture bring to a community;
· promote cultural programming for all ages as well as the activities and values of diverse cultures;
· attract visitors to Amherst as a cultural destination;
· cultivate the Town’s creative economy.
The Amherst Center Cultural District occupies much of downtown, including the Town Common, museums, independent bookstores, a fine arts cinema, art galleries, parks, multiple venues for musical performances, many unique restaurants and outdoor murals. A robust year-round calendar of cultural programming brings visitors into the town’s restaurants, libraries, galleries and museums for fine arts exhibits, musical performances, and poetry readings.
What is a cultural district?
Launched in 2011 by an act of the Massachusetts legislature, the Cultural Districts Initiative drives economic growth, strengthen our distinctive local character, and improve the quality of life of residents across Commonwealth. By supporting arts, humanities, and science organizations, Cultural Districts attract tourists and entrepreneurs, which in turn help communities foster their cultural sector and expand their tax base. And that benefits everyone.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) defines cultural districts as areas with a density of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. They are easy-to-navigate, compact places that act as hubs of cultural, artistic, and economic activity and provide a shared identity for community-based initiatives. As each district forms, it reflect its community, no two cultural districts are alike.
The primary goals of the Cultural Districts Initiative are to:
Attract artists and cultural enterprises
Encourage business and job development
Establish the District as a tourist destination
Preserve and reuse historic buildings
Enhance property values
Foster and preserve local cultural development
Get involved!
Are you and artist, creative, or community member who wants to get more involved? An art, culture, and museum professional? The Amherst Center Cultural District needs you! Contact Ben Coakley, Arts & Culture Coordinator for the Amherst Business Improvement District to learn more.
Don’t Miss a Beat! ♬
Stay connected
Affiliated & Partner Organizations
The Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) is the designated third-party management entity for the cultural district and responsible for day-to-day management of operations, marketing, and communications, and convening the cultural partners.