Ground broken for first phase of GoggleWorks outdoor art park

Ground was broken Sunday for the first phase of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts planned outdoor art park.

The multiphase project, announced last year, will include transforming a neglected alley and underused gravel lot into a public art park with new greenspaces, an outdoor cafe, two performance stages and a restaurant.

“Our shared dream is that the Art Park becomes our vibrant town square, the heart and soul of our blossoming city,” Sandy Solmon, CEO of Sweet Street and chair of the art park committee, said in a release.

Solmon has high hopes for the planned outdoor space.

“It will be so beautiful, so green, so welcoming, and so collaborative that all aspects of our diverse community will pour onto our grounds, inviting participation inside our walls as well,” she said. “And in this creative hub, the making and sharing of art and conversation will transform each of our lives and ultimately our community.”

Leaders designed the groundbreaking activities to emphasize the organization’s commitment to community growth, unity and sustainable placemaking, said Levi Landis, GoggleWorks executive director.

The event on the GoggleWorks campus, 201 Washington St., took place during the center’s ninth annual Pumpkin Palooza.

The family-friendly event included kids activities, a pumpkin hunt, gourd slingshot and live music one-day special workshops.

State elected officials, local dignitaries and project supporters gathered at the fall-themed event and helped plant portable soil beds.

“While this is a groundbreaking event, it’s really more of a soil-planting,” Landis said “These beds represent our commitment to community growth and the nurturing of a vibrant, inclusive and creative space.”

Source: Berkshire mont