The Gloucester Student Arts Festival will return on Saturday, May 17, from 11am-3pm at a new venue: O’Maley Innovation Middle School and CAM Green. A free shuttle will transport attendees between the sites, with primary parking at O’Maley.
“With both the Sawyer Free Library and Cape Ann Museum closed for renovations, we had an opportunity this year to try something new and hold the Arts Fest at a school instead of our usual spot downtown,” explains Gloucester Education Foundation (GEF) Executive Director Emily Siegel.
The Arts Festival, a free event open to the public, will feature dynamic art displays from students in grades PreK-12 across the Gloucester Public Schools (GPS), exhibited in the O’Maley Commons and at CAM Green. There will also be interactive art-making activities for all ages, music and theater performances from Gloucester students, and a great line-up of local food vendors. The latter includes Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe, who will be serving up a custom flavor designed by O’Maley 7th graders Caleb Calabrese and Trent Pierce: Bruins Brownie Batter!
Founded in 2008 by GEF and the Gloucester Public Schools (GPS), the Arts Festival is a popular annual event that showcases student work from across the district’s schools.
“A team of Gloucester educators and partners, led by GEF, have been planning this event for many months,” says GPS Superintendent Ben Lummis.
The festival will feature exhibits of student work at O’Maley and CAM Green, and an outdoor arts extravaganza across both sites with performances, live music, art-making workshops, and food trucks.
This all-ages event will be a destination for families, community members, artists, and visitors. Join us for a day of joyful creativity and art!
Art Activities include jewelry-making, kite-making, mural painting, weaving, comic strip-drawing, theater games, dance and movement, and more – all led by local artists, arts organizations, and volunteers.
Performances by Elementary, O’Maley and GHS bands; Elementary and O’Maley chorus; K-2 Music Classes; 3rd grade recorders; and Elementary, O’Maley, and GHS theater.
Food Trucks in attendance are Meats & Sweets, Rheas Pizzeria Napoletana, Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe, Castaways Vintage Cafe, and a Gloucester PTO Lemonade Stand.
Cape Ann Art Haven, Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester Health Department, GHS National Arts Honors Society, Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester Trees, Lanes Coven Theater Company, and Pathways for Children are all partners for the 2025 festival, along with local artists including Lesley Davison, Charity Robinson, Maiuza Alves, Heidi Dallin, and Shams Dowadzai. Generous funding for the festival is provided by Lead Sponsor Institution for Savings, Applied Materials Foundation, BankGloucester, Gloucester Female Charitable Association, Carroll K. Steele Insurance Agency, and Revive Wellness, as well as GEF and GPS.
“Our generous sponsors are demonstrating that the arts are central to a vibrant community,” says Arts Festival Coordinator Toni Waldron, in her third year leading this event.“This festival has become a nexus for local arts and cultural organizations that seek to engage youth and families. We’re thrilled to have so many partners this year, and can’t wait to see the community come out and support Gloucester students on May 17th.”
IF YOU GO
What: A celebration of the arts in the Gloucester Public Schools
When: Saturday, May 17, 11am-3pm, rain or shine
Where: O’Maley Innovation Middle School (32 Cherry St.) and CAM Green (13 Poplar St.)
Who: Gloucester students, educators, families, friends, artists, and community members
