On a cold evening in mid-February, Beverly, Massachusetts natives and newcomers gathered in a Cabot Street gallery to celebrate several milestones in the city’s creative development: the unveiling of a new logo for the Beverly Cultural District and the opening of an exhibit featuring local artists.
The logo was unveiled by Beverly Main Streets’ Executive Director Danielle Payant and Community Engagement Manager Becki Greene in The Alcove, a shared gallery at Montserrat College’s arts complex, The Bower. The logo, designed by Cara Hutchins of CommInk.com, is framed within a palette shape. Its four icons are organic and interpretive: a hand or plant (a nod to Beverly’s nickname, the “Garden City”), a paint splatter or figure dancing; a shell for the city’s beaches; and a GPS map pin declaring, “this is where art happens.”
Developed by Beverly Main Streets and the City of Beverly, with Montserrat College of Art as a key collaborator, the Beverly Cultural District has gained renewed momentum through a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant supporting cultural investment in the city. Soon, downtown cultural spaces will display window clings bearing the new logo a visible marker and invitation to engage with its growing arts ecosystem.