Maudslay is Haunted! Come Play With Us

Halloween is better when you're in on it, and we'd love for you to be part of the fun! Our first rehearsal is this Saturday, September 26, at noon at the Gatehouse. It's the perfect time to jump in, meet the crew, and find your role.

On October 17 and 18, we'll haunt the trail at Maudslay with spooky-silly vignettes, excellent costumes, and a few hundred families laughing and shrieking along the way. No experience needed, and all ages are welcome. Not a spotlight person? There's a spot for you backstage or at the box office too.

Bring a friend, bring your best spooky laugh, and come see what we're cooking up.

More Info.

Join Amesbury Poet Laureate Bryan Riley in welcoming this month's featured poets to the Amesbury Monthly Poetry Reading! Enjoy the incredible work of Bob Whelan in person.

When: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: The John Greenleaf Whittier Home, 86 Friend Street Amesbury, MA 01913
Zoom Link

Robert Whelan is a psychotherapist, adjunct professor of Philosophy and Psychology and the Poet Laureate Rockport, Massachusetts. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the Solstice Program at Lasell University. His poems have been published in several anthologies and journals including Tide Lines, Ibbetson Street, Drifting Sands, OpenDoor Magazine, Red Barn, The Long Islander, Front Porch Review, Aristotle and The World, Northeast Coast, Lunar Codex,  (launched  to the Moon by NASA in 2025), World Poets Magazine, Summer, Still: Solstice Anthology, as well as translated into multiple languages. Bob frequently is featured at open mics in the Boston area, New England and Internationally. He is the founder and organizer of the annual Rockport International Poetry Festival. In 2022 he was awarded a Silver Medal at the Naoussa International Poetry Festival.

The Creative County Initiative hosts free, monthly virtual meetups for artists, makers, cultural leaders, and creative professionals across Essex County, MA. This month’s Meet Up will feature Amesbury, with ACC Member, Bailey Campbell, Mayor Kassandra Gove, and Cat Debrocke, the CEO + Founder of The Center: Art + Community.

Join us here!

Do you have a sewing, cross-stitch, knitting, crotchet or other craft project you are working on? Bring it to a meeting of APL’s Community of Stitchers where you can work on your project, get advice from your fellow creators, and show off your work! Local stitching enthusiast and advanced knitter, Sarah Chapman, will be on hand at each meeting to help attendees with their projects. All experience levels are welcome - come enjoy a creative evening with the APL!

No advanced registration required - walk-ins welcome!

All are welcome! The agenda can be found on the City of Amesbury website: https://www.amesburyma.gov/AgendaCenter/Cultural-Council-23

Location for this meeting is the Cultural Center in the Upper Millyard!

Artists are invited to submit 2D work that explores the creative theme of “Gathering”. We welcome interpretations that are personal, social, cultural, environmental, or imaginative. Work might consider community + connection, family + friendship, collective memory, place, belonging, celebration, or what brings—and keeps—us together.

The following types of 2D art will be considered:

• Painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, and mixed media

• Textile and fiber art

• Digital art (AI-generated work is prohibited)

As a community art show, participants will be expected to contribute to + attend the Friday 10/23 evening reception and staff a gallery-sitting shift on either Saturday 10/24 or Sunday 10/25.

There is no charge to submit artwork for consideration or to participate.

Important Dates:

Exhibition: October 23 – 29, 2026
Reception: Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 from 6-8pm
Submission Deadline: Sunday, Sep. 27, 2026
Artists will be notified by: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026

MORE INFO HERE.

Community Art Critique: A rotational critique lead by our local studios.

As artists, we are alone with our projects so much of the time. It can be very helpful to share our work and thoughts with a supportive group of creatives -- to expand on our ideas or just get a nod of affirmation.

September 21, 2026 from 6-8PM
The Cultural Center: 37 Millyard, Amesbury

Artist spots are extremely limited, so please register. All are welcome to attend to assist in critiquing!

Register here.

This month’s critique is lead by Artists’ Muse Studios.

Join the Amesbury Cultural Council for a live stream of MassCulture’s Grant Info Session.

This info session is for applicants to the FY27 Local & Tribal Cultural Council grant programs. We will be streaming a webinar which will walk potential applicants through the application process for your community, with a Q+A to follow.

Those unable to attend our live stream info session may register on their own, here.

Join Amesbury Poet Laureate, Bryan Riley, in welcoming this month's featured poets to the Amesbury Monthly Poetry Reading! Enjoy the incredible work of Lee Eric Freedman in person.

When: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 | 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: The John Greenleaf Whittier Home, 86 Friend Street Amesbury, MA 01913

Lee Eric Freedman is the 3rd Poet Laureate of Swampscott, Massachusetts (2016-2018). Entitled Renegade Poet Laureate of Swampscott (2011- Forever), Lee leads the Tin Box Poets of Swampscott Workshop Group, co-hosts the podcast series In Other Words with SpoFest founder James Bryant and regularly performs at poetry events everywhere. With numerous publications to his name including the Vagabond Lunar Collection as part of the large Minerva Lunar Codex currently sitting on the Moon, Lee’s poetry has been translated into American Sign Language and he’s a three-time winner of the Naomi Cherkofsky Memorial Poetry Contest.

Do you have a sewing, cross-stitch, knitting, crotchet or other craft project you are working on? Bring it to a meeting of APL’s Community of Stitchers where you can work on your project, get advice from your fellow creators, and show off your work! Local stitching enthusiast and advanced knitter, Sarah Chapman, will be on hand at each meeting to help attendees with their projects. All experience levels are welcome - come enjoy a creative evening with the APL!

No advanced registration required - walk-ins welcome!

All are welcome! The agenda can be found on the City of Amesbury website: https://www.amesburyma.gov/AgendaCenter/Cultural-Council-23

Location for this meeting is the Cultural Center in the Upper Millyard!

Celebrate the spirit of independence with Abigail Adams: Liberty and Legacy at the historic Rocky Hill Meeting House! In this engaging performance, local actor Sheryl Faye brings to life one of America’s most influential women—a revolutionary, mother, and advocate for women’s rights. Set in the eighteenth-century Rocky Hill Meeting House, this program explores Adams’s intelligence, courage, and her enduring call to “remember the ladies.” Join us for an inspiring program honoring her legacy and the revolutionary ideals that shaped a new nation.

Historic New England Members $15; Nonmembers $25. 

Tickets and more information can be found here.

Abigail Adams will be portrayed by Sheryl Faye.

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Amesbury Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Introducing The Community Closet Exchange, brought to you by Khaki’s Vintage Closet and the Amesbury Cultural Council!

A community clothing swap where style meets sustainability—bring what you don’t want, take what you need, free of charge.

Saturday, August 8th from 10am-1pm
Amesbury Cultural Center, 37 Millyard

How it Works:

Bring 0-15 clean clothing items you aren’t wearing anymore:
Adult (all sizes): Mens/Womens/Unisex
Shoes/Belts/Accessories (no undergarments)

Drop-off Times:
Friday, August 7th from 5-7pm
Saturday, August 8th from 9-10am
We take your items and prep!

Acceptable Swap Items:
Good/Great condition, no visible rips/tears
Clean, no visible stains, freshly washed, not stinky

Upcycling Stations:

Embroidery - Ellen Miller, Creating Couture Embellishment
Block Printing - Joanna Tomah, Meadowhawk Studio 

Any remaining items will be donated to Catie’s Closet and Lazarus House in Lawrence.
Textile recycling will be donated to Baystate Textiles.

Do you have a sewing, cross-stitch, knitting, crotchet or other craft project you are working on? Bring it to a meeting of APL’s Community of Stitchers where you can work on your project, get advice from your fellow creators, and show off your work! Local stitching enthusiast and advanced knitter, Sarah Chapman, will be on hand at each meeting to help attendees with their projects. All experience levels are welcome - come enjoy a creative evening with the APL!

No advanced registration required - walk-ins welcome!

All are welcome! The agenda can be found on the City of Amesbury website: https://www.amesburyma.gov/AgendaCenter/Cultural-Council-23

Location for this meeting is the Cultural Center in the Upper Millyard!

The newly renovated Amesbury Cultural Center will be one of Open Studios location options for fine artists without studios in Amesbury.

If you're interested in viewing the space ahead of registration, or are curious about our general exhibition capabilities, you're invited to attend an open house on Friday, July 31st from 5 to 7 PM!

OPEN STUDIO REMINDERS:
• Artist registration opens August 1!
• Location options for artists without studios in Amesbury:
1) Local Business Hosts (to be coordinated directly with the business)
2) 62 Friend Street (former Amesbury City Hall); with a focus on CRAFTERS.
3) Amesbury Cultural Center, 37 Upper Millyard; with a focus on FINE ARTISTS.
• please note that due to changes at the Costello Center, this is NOT an available location for artists again this year.

INK FOR IMPACT

A Community Steamroller Print Event

Information Session

Something BIG is rolling into Amesbury...The Center style.

At The Center, we love hard. We community hard. We art hard.

This fall, we're bringing a large-scale community printmaking event, inspired by BIG INK's famous steamroller printing events, but with a distinctly Center twist. Think giant prints, community collaboration, artists of all levels, families, workshops, live energy, and one unforgettable day where art literally gets rolled over by a steamroller.

Whether you're a seasoned printmaker, a curious beginner, an adventurous family, or simply someone who loves to witness creativity in action, there's a place for you.

Ink for Impact invites artists and community members from Amesbury and beyond to create work around a shared theme, culminating in a spectacular public printing event on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Leading up to the event, The Center will host a series of September workshops, including:

• Large-scale woodblock carving

• Community collagraph making

• Family-friendly maker sessions

• Artist meet-ups and carving days

Curious what all this looks like? Curious what our theme is?

Join us for a FREE Information Session to learn about the festival, the creative process, artist registration, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and all the ways you can participate, from the macro to the micro...or simply come satisfy your curiosity and see what all the excitement is about.

Wednesday, July 22
6:00PM
Amesbury Cultural Center
Upper Millyard

Special thanks to the Amesbury Cultural Council for supporting this project through an Ink for Impact Grant, helping bring this bold community arts experience to Amesbury.

Big prints. Big community. Big impact.

Poetry Karaoke feat. DJ Jason Dowd!

A fundraiser to support the Poet Laureate Program

Where: Barewolf Brewing, 12 Oakland Street

When: Wednesday, July 15th from 7pm to 10pm

50/50 raffle

The kitchen is closed during this time, so please plan accordingly.

Join us for an in-person conversation about reporting from the region, the human cost of conflict, and where Lebanon is headed.

Paul Hefel-James is a freelance journalist from Amesbury based in Beirut, Lebanon. He covers migration and refugee issues, the humanitarian sector and conflict in the Middle East region. His work has appeared in DAWN’s Democracy in Exile, New Internationalist and The Progressive, and he has appeared on the International Risk Podcast.

A moderated discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A.

All are welcome! The agenda can be found on the City of Amesbury website: https://www.amesburyma.gov/AgendaCenter/Cultural-Council-23

Location for this meeting is the Cultural Center in the Upper Millyard!

Join for a public reading of "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass.

Brought to you by: The John Greenleaf Whittier Home & Museum and Historic New England

Learn more about the Reading Frederick Douglass Together statewide collaboration at masshumanities.org.

Support the ACC by buying pizza from Flatbread! Dine in or order out, doesn’t matter to us as long as you grab a pie!

Do you have a sewing, cross-stitch, knitting, crotchet or other craft project you are working on? Bring it to a meeting of APL’s Community of Stitchers where you can work on your project, get advice from your fellow creators, and show off your work! Local stitching enthusiast and advanced knitter, Sarah Chapman, will be on hand at each meeting to help attendees with their projects. All experience levels are welcome - come enjoy a creative evening with the APL!

No advanced registration required - walk-ins welcome!

Join the Amesbury Cultural Center for a Community Window Mural! Members of the Amesbury Cultural Council will add your likeness to the window display - all you have to do is bring your face!

When: Sunday, June 28 from 10a-12p AND 1-3p
Where: 8 Market Square Amesbury, MA 01913

Want to see more of the process? Check it out here!

Are you grant ready?

Join the Amesbury Cultural Council for a casual conversation on grants, covering topics from research to application writing and best practices! Q+A to follow.

Featuring Talks by:

Laura Schofield, former event and residency coordinator for the MCC & ACC member

Janice Valverde, grant writer & non-profit consultant

Bonnie Brady, local artist and ACC member

Please note that this conversation is best suited for those with a focus on creative individuals and non-profits.

This event is FREE, but please register here.