- This event has ended.
In the 21st century, American art museums are facing new challenges that demand significant institutional change. To ensure ongoing relevance, museums are being asked to be more responsive to, and reflective of, their immediate communities. The Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM) in Fitchburg, Massachusetts has become a leader in this work. Director and Clark University alumnus Nick Capasso ’81 will present a case-study of FAM that addresses the many ways that an art museum successfully can incorporate community service (beyond mere community engagement) in its mission, vision, programs, and practice. As one of this country’s first and few bilingual museums, FAM is partnering with a local community development corporation (CDC) to create affordable artist live-work space in Fitchburg and has organized multiple community programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please Note: This event is open only to Clark students, faculty, and staff who are in compliance with the University’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination policies. Audience members must present a valid Clark ID for entry and remain masked for the duration of the event.
Regretfully, members of the general public cannot join us in person at this time. Please enjoy the event through Live Stream instead: https://bit.ly/FAMCommLive.
About the Speaker
Nick Capasso (Clark University, 1981, Art History/Geography) has been Director of the Fitchburg Art Museum since late 2012. From 1990-2012, he worked as a curator of contemporary art at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA. In 2011, he attended the Getty Foundation’s Museum Leadership Institute. Capasso also chaired of the Public Art Curatorial Committee at the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Boston, and was President of the Board of Now + There, a Boston temporary public art non-profit. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History from Rutgers University.
