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On the CreativeGround With...

Visible & Vibrant Challenge Leader

Liz Helfer, City of Watertown, MA Public Arts & Culture Committee

Posted November 3, 2025

In Summer 2025, CreativeGround launched a Visible & Vibrant Challenge – inviting community leaders to suggest edits to the profiles they care about - helping them look more vibrant and get more visibility. This is the first in our blog series featuring the community leaders who were the most responsive to the challenge and submitted the most suggested edits.

Let’s learn more about the City of Watertown, MA from Liz Helfer, the Public Arts & Culture Planner there. Because she (and her creative community) deserves to be seen!

Q: What is a typical day for you at the City of Watertown/Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee?

[LH]: As the Public Arts & Culture Planner for Watertown, MA, I have the pleasure of working with three dynamic committees: the Public Arts & Culture Committee, the Watertown Cultural Council, and the Watertown Cultural District. My days are a mix of planning, collaboration, and project management.

A typical day might involve:

  • Policy & Planning. Reviewing the town's upcoming development projects and ongoing partnerships to identify opportunities where public art can be integrated, aligning with our Public Art Master Plan. This often means working with the rest of the Community Design Division to ensure our public arts toolkit is being utilized.
  • Collaboration. I might have a meeting with the Watertown Cultural District Partnership on an event, or a check-in with a team of artists and scientists working on our current Expert Pairings project to address site logistics or permitting issues.
  • Engagement & Development. This is often dedicated to our current open calls. I might be reviewing artist applications for the Community Sculpture Walk, promoting our grant-funded initiatives like the Gorky mural project, or preparing materials for the next Public Arts & Culture Committee meeting. Our core mission is about weaving art into the fabric of Watertown, so a large part of my day is making sure the creative process is supported at every turn.

Q: For those who may not be familiar with Watertown, what is the one event or offering that should not be missed?

[LH] The one offering that embodies the city’s innovative approach to public art is Expert Pairings by the Public Arts & Culture Committee. This project is part of a the larger “Edible Watertown” initiative and is funded in part of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Expert Pairings is not just a single event, but a series of collaborations that pair artists directly with scientists, ecologists, or local experts to create temporary, educational public artworks focused on environmental awareness and local resilience.

Original artwork for Edible Watertown by Ruth Henry.

It’s a model for public art that moves beyond aesthetics and uses art as a tool for environmental education, community dialogue, and even citizen science. Whether it's a project about the invasive Japanese Knotweed, zines about keystone species, a sound installation about the lifespan of a tree, or a mural focused on the ecological future of the Charles River, it connects our community to the specific, evolving landscape of Watertown. The resulting installations and workshops—from woven sculptures to guided forest walks—offer highly engaging, interdisciplinary experiences.

Q: Why did you decide to participate in the Visible & Vibrant Challenge?

[LH] I decided to participate because the Visible & Vibrant Challenge is a direct way to increase visibility of Watertown’s growing arts sector. Watertown is a hub of creativity, but if that activity isn't fully documented on a regional platform like CreativeGround, we miss out. By participating, we are ensuring our artists and cultural nonprofits are accurately counted, which provides crucial data for regional funding and advocacy efforts. We’re also making it easier for national and regional presenters, collaborators, and grantmakers to find and engage with our local talent.

Q: What makes this community special to you / Why should people check out this community?

[LH] This community is special because creative work here is purpose-driven and collaborative. Watertown embraces a beautiful combination of history and innovation. Artists across genres are actively partnering with scientists, the business community, and other experts to create solutions. We’re embedding art into infrastructure of municipal life. The projects emerging from this community tell deep, authentic stories about Watertown’s history (like the Armenian heritage commemorated in “100 Years of Arshile Gorky”) and its ecological future, offering a truly meaningful connection for residents and visitors. For example, check out WaterTunes, launched this year by the Public Arts & Culture Committee, a Watertown playlist of favorite songs and the stories that make them special! Muralist Brandon Marshall with his two assistants at "Passage" completed in 2025.

I’m also excited about the swift progress of the Watertown Cultural District. The WCD was designated by the Mass Cultural Council in 2024, which has brought 29 cultural organizations and artists together to collaborate and elevate the creative economy of Watertown.

Q: Why should other New England artists, creative businesses, and cultural nonprofits be listed on CreativeGround?

[LH]

  1. It is the Regional Roster: CreativeGround is used by all six New England State Arts Agencies (like the Mass Cultural Council) and NEFA as a primary resource for grant applications, referrals, and finding touring artists. If you are not listed, you are invisible to major regional funders and partners.
  2. It’s a Free, Powerful Portfolio: You can showcase your work, list your services (such as being a Teaching Artist), detail your fees, and connect with other creative professionals—all for free.
  3. This data is essential for regional and state-level advocacy efforts that lead to increased public and private investment for everyone in the creative community.

Thank you so much, Liz! For participating in the Visible & Vibrant Challenge, and for being a wonderful leader who's helped us learn more about the creative community of Watertown, MA.

Stay tuned for our next On the CreativeGround With...Q&A with our next Visible & Vibrant community leader.