Lowell - Massachusetts - Culture

Lowell city in north-eastern Massachusetts , U.S. (Middlesex County), lies at the junction of the Concord and Merrimack rivers, 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Boston . The city whose history is the source of its vitality has regained its position as a thriving commercial area.

The birthplace of the artist, James Abbott McNeill Whistler , is preserved as an art gallery. Lowell has a campus of Middlesex Community College (1969). The University of Massachusetts Lowell, formerly the University of Lowell, originated in the 1890s; it obtained university status in 1975 and took its present name in 1991. Lowell National Historical Park, commemorating the first American textile mills, was established in 1978.

The newest state-of-the-art venue for quality entertainment is the Paul Tsongas Arena. A convenient drive from Boston, Worcester, and Manchester, NH., the Arena brings new excitement to the more than one million residents of the scenic Merrimack Valley. The Tsongas Arena is the only mid-size, full service, multi-purpose arena serving the region.

The New England Quilt Museum, host to the world’s largest annual quilt show is located in historic Lowell, Massachusetts. It preserves, interprets, and celebrates American quilting past and present and offers changing exhibitions of contemporary and antique quilts.

The Brush Art Gallery, founded in 1982, by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission, U.S. is a dynamic and inviting place where you have the opportunity to meet, talk with, and watch artists at work; view exceptional museum-quality art exhibitions; and shop in our artists' studios gift shop.

Lowell offers its residents a varied assortment of cultural activities without the high price tag and traffic associated with Lowell's big city counterparts.

For local history, there are several must-see attractions. Visitors to Lowell's National Historical Park gain a fascinating insight into how people lived in a constantly evolving industrial city. The New England Folk life Center of Lowell focuses on culture as expressed in everyday life: customs, language, food, music, dance, drama and crafts. 
The performing arts choices can be made from the Boarding House Park which hosts summer evening concerts, with entertainment highlighting diverse traditions and ethnicities. The Merrimack Repertory Theatre, an award-winning Equity theatre company, features a wide variety of dramatic productions. The 3,000-seat Lowell Memorial Auditorium showcases an eclectic blend of entertainment ranging from Broadway shows to Golden Gloves boxing. And at UMass Lowell's College of Fine Arts, you'll find concerts, children's performances and other events to suit your taste.

If the visual arts is what you seek, try the Brush Art Gallery, which presents changing exhibitions of outstanding contemporary art or the brand new American Textile Museum, which honours the proud traditions of the industry on which the city was founded.

The Lowell Folk Festival, the city's premier cultural event, is held each July. The largest free folk festival in the country is a celebration of traditional music, dance and folk entertainment.  Local ethnic foods, crafts, and cooking demonstrations add spice to the extravaganza. 
Regardless of your cultural preferences, one thing is certain – you will run out of energy in Lowell before you run out of choices.

The history of America's Industrial Revolution is commemorated in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum with its operating weave room of 88 power looms, "mill girl" boarding houses, the Suffolk Mill Turbine Exhibit tells the story of the transition from farm to factory, chronicle immigrant and labour history and trace industrial technology.

Lowell residents from all walks of life and professional consultants have worked together to create Lowell: the Flowering City.