Arts & Culture
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From world-renowned museums and concert halls to regionally lauded theaters, galleries, performing arts schools, musical groups, and ethnic festivals, Worcester can satisfy any appetite for cultural nourishment.
The City of Worcester is home to more than 40 cultural organizations of all sizes and creative disciplines. They contribute significantly to the quality of life in the City and the region. The Worcester Cultural Coalition is the unified voice of Worcester's cultural community. Formed in 1999, it ensures that arts and culture play a vital role in Worcester's planning and development efforts.
Theater goers will appreciate the spectacular variety of offerings here, from local amateur productions, to professional stage productions and visiting theater troupes. The region is also home to several musical associations and is well known for a variety of live rock, blues, jazz, folk, and bluegrass artists that perform regularly. The DCU Center has hosted many of the world's best-known performers.
Many of Worcester's cultural treasures are located along the city's two-mile Cultural Corridor, accessible from exits 16 - 18 off Interstate 290. At historic Mechanics Hall, international and local celebrities alike – including such luminaries as Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt – have taken center stage. It is recognized as the finest existing pre-Civil War concert hall in America, and is home to the Worcester Music Festival, the oldest music festival in the nation.
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Another grand performance venue and architectural jewel is Tuckerman Hall, designed by Josephine Wright Chapman, one of the country's first women architects. Tuckerman Hall serves as headquarters for the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. In the heart of Worcester's downtown is Foothills Theatre, which offers professional, live stage performances. Instruction in music, dance and theatre arts is available to people of all ages at the Pakachoag Community Music School in Auburn, the Performing Arts School of Worcester, and the Joy of Music Program. Gallery exhibits and special performances are offered year-round at ARTSWorcester.
The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts is a partnership between WBDC and Worcester Center for Performing Arts. The historic Loew's Poli Palace Theatre will be restored into a first-class 2300-seat performing arts center. Located on Southbridge Street in Federal Square, the heart of the city's arts district, returning the theatre to its original glory will contribute to revitalizing and enriching the city of Worcester. The facility will be equipped to present large scale Broadway shows, concerts, music recitals, dance, comedy acts and other special events by internationally known artists.
Art and history buffs enjoy the Worcester Art Museum, New England's second-largest art museum, and Higgins Armory Museum, the only museum in the western hemisphere dedicated solely to the collection and exhibition of arms and armor. The Worcester Art Museum boasts an exceptional 35,000-piece collection that spans 5,000 years of art history. At nearby Higgins, visitors can view more than 70 complete suits of armor. The collection features Renaissance-era European armor, but the museum also displays artifacts dating as far back as 650 B.C.
Many of the region's cultural organizations offer unique education opportunities. Exhibits, educational programs, and nature trails allow visitors to learn about the natural world at the EcoTarium and at the Massachusetts Audubon Society/Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. In nearby Boylston, the Worcester County Horticultural Society conducts classes and maintains gardens, orchards, and walking paths at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, which is also the site of seasonal outdoor concerts.
Several associations – including the Worcester Historical Museum and Salisbury Mansion, Preservation Worcester, Worcester Women's History Project, and the Worcester County Poetry Association – are dedicated to preserving and showcasing Worcester's outstanding cultural, architectural, industrial, and literary history. Organizations such as stART on the Street, Worcester Windows, First Night Worcester, Centro Las Americas, Italian-American Cultural Center, African Heritage Institute, and the Henry Lee Willis Community Center feature events, programs, and festivals that celebrate one of the region's greatest strengths: the cultural diversity of its population.
