With the completion of the $28 million Sawyer Free Library building project, officials are hosting a special event to relaunch the Gloucester Lyceum and explore how to use the library’s reimagined public space.
The special program takes place Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at the library, presented by the Gloucester Lyceum, an educational and cultural organization that dates to 1830. Families are welcome.
The program, “Placemaking: Our Library in Our Community,” features an internationally renowned placemaking expert, Ethan Kent, executive director of PlacemakingX and leader in the global placemaking movement. He has worked in more than 1,000 cities in 60 countries working to create “inclusive, thriving, and equitable public spaces.”
“Placemaking is about strengthening the connection between people and the places they share,” Kent said. “It’s about making the spaces we live, the places we love.”
As co-founder of PlacemakingX, Kent has built networks around the globe, working to foster placemaking as a “transformative force for equity, sustainability, and urban vitality.”
The interactive evening will feature remarks by Kent, followed by small group meetings among those who attend, held in different parts of the modernized library. These small group gatherings will be led by local artists, musicians, and others involved in the city’s creative sphere, such as Lindsay Crouse, a Broadway, film and television actress, and Brett Dunton, an arts educator and artist.
The ideas to be explored will focus on how the library as a public space can strengthen a sense of community and foster civic pride.
Afterward, the participants will return for a review and reflection of the various small group discussions, and closing insights from Kent.
The Gloucester Lyceum: A Tradition Renewed
The lyceum movement, which began in the United States in 1826, fostered public lectures, debate and civic learning. Lyceums and libraries are related, but not always the same. But in the case of Gloucester, its lyceum led to the creation of the library more than a century ago.
“Today, lyceums are experiencing a resurgence nationwide as places where communities come together to think, learn, and engage with the pressing issues of the day,” according to the Gloucester Lyceum. “The Sawyer Free Library’s relaunch of the Gloucester Lyceum builds on this proud tradition, hosting marquee events that connect contemporary voices with the local community. This inaugural program marks the beginning of a new era of civic dialogue, community learning, and cultural enrichment for Gloucester.”
Laura Ventimiglia, chair of the Gloucester Lyceum, has 20 years experience as a college educator and administrator.
“The relaunch of the Gloucester Lyceum is about renewing a proud tradition of bringing people together for public discourse within a collaborative forum,” she said. “True to the notion that a lyceum is ‘where the city comes to think,’ we are honored to welcome Ethan Kent as our first speaker in this new chapter. His work around the world embodies the very spirit of community dialogue and imagination that we hope to cultivate right here in Gloucester.”
Kent’s program in Gloucester is both timely and inspiring, library board of trustees President Mern Sibley said.
“Our newly reimagined and modernized library is the hub of the community, offering so much to so many,” she said. “Ethan Kent’s work demonstrates how meaningful public spaces can bring people together, foster belonging, and strengthen communities. We are thrilled to begin this new chapter of the Lyceum with him at the center of the conversation.”
For more information and to register, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.