All Ideas

Independent Creators Expo Lowell

Idea:

This event would be like a Comic Con but more like the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland. The emphasis would be on artists, cosplayers, writers, musicians, and any other creative who is self-generating projects in the Arts and Entertainment. Of course, as the big draw of Comic Cons has been performers in genre specific [Read more…]

Benefit:

Lowell has an incredible array of the arts and entertainment creatives, both professionals and hobbyists. This event would benefit these creatives by bringing them to a larger and specific audience. Lowell would benefit by having the event outside of Boston. There are many people from all over northern New England [Read more…]

Location:

Downtown / JAM.

Tiny Doors Lowell

Idea:

Atlanta has tiny doors hidden in public spaces. Parks, buildings, museums. They’re fun to just stumble upon and I feel like it brings a sense of wonder to the community. It’s artistic and fun. Essentially, small doors are created and decorated as if a fairy or maybe a mouse had a door leading into their [Read more…]

Benefit:

If it becomes a larger phenomenon, people may be incentivized to seek out the doors and explore more of the city. Otherwise, it’s a small scale community art program and who doesn’t love that?

Location:

Citywide, Downtown / JAM.

Community Mural Project

Idea:

Invite the entire community to take part in painting a vibrant mural in our city! his would be a collaborative “ground floor” mural led by an artist but involve community for conceptualization and possibly painting. A location and interested owner will need to be determined, potentially near the DIY Lowell Warehouse space.

Benefit:

This would benefit the community by elevating the look & feel, inspiring creativity and community bonds.

Location:

Centralville, Citywide.

Yuletide Market

Idea:

An idea I think that would thrive in Downtown Lowell is creating a Yuletide Market. The first or second weekend in December, close down Middle Street or another spot in downtown Lowell, with the cute cobblestone roads, and invite all the vendors from Western Ave. Brush Arts etc. and have mulled wine and hot chocolate [Read more…]

Benefit:

Downtown Lowell in the winter is so cute time with all the lights, wreaths, and old brick buildings, I think if this is done right, it could turn into a holiday destination in MA.

Location:

Downtown / JAM.

How to Fix Bus Stop Signs

Idea:

I saw this video and thought it would make an interesting and beneficial project for Lowell. LINK to video is here. The video is called “How to Fix Bus Stop Signs: Uytae Lee’s Stories About Here” from CBC-Vancouver on Youtube. The gist of it was zip-tying poster board signs to bus stops, but the signage would include [Read more…]

Benefit:

Shows critical information about where busses are going, which bus to take, and elevate busses as an important mode of transportation.

Location:

Citywide.

Nintendo Nights

Idea:

Put together a weekly or monthly series of events where people can bring picnic food (or we invite food trucks and get an alcohol permit for a beer garden if we’re ambitious) and there are one or two projectors set up in a locked case hooked up to old video games. They can eat and [Read more…]

Benefit:

Would help revitalize a park and bring people together. If it was advertised, maybe people would come from out of town to experience this unique Lowell idea.

Location:

Downtown / JAM.

Flags of the Acre

Idea:

Add flags and art banners to the lampposts along Upper Merrimack Street between City Hall and University Crossing. The art would be inspired by the folks of many backgrounds, races, and ethnicities of the Acre. If there’s enough interest, we could also add history/fact signs similar to the Visualize Lowell’s Black History tour.

Benefit:

It would encourage people of different types to come together around the art and flags. It would add color and vibrancy to the walking route between downtown and the university and also show off the unique character of the Acre.

Location:

Acre.

Merrimack Street Rotating Cultural Exhibit!

Idea:

Work with the Adult Ed center across from the Library to install an outdoor “rotating cultural exhibit.” This would include a couple of structures that could be chained to the fence that would hold items behind plexiglass, frames to be attached to the fence that could hold informational panels, and perhaps some planters for small [Read more…]

Benefit:

This would be a low-cost way to celebrate Lowell’s diversity and create some visual interest and excitement connecting downtown with “Upper Merrimack Street” walking toward UMass Lowell. If the materials are high enough quality and draw a lot of attention, perhaps it would also contribute to interest in redeveloping abandoned [Read more…]

Location:

Acre.