History

The Arsenal Center for the Arts opens doors to excite and inspire diverse audiences and artists to create, appreciate, participate and grow through the arts.

Today's vibrant, multidisciplinary Arsenal Center for the Arts is the culmination of a long-time dream and many years of hard work.  The driving force behind the effort was a group of citizens who had secured the long-term use of Building 312, an Army arsenal building in Watertown, under the 1998 redevelopment terms, for conversion into an arts center. 

The Watertown Arts on the Charles, incorporated as a non-profit organization to plan, raise support for, and operate an arts center that would serve Greater Boston.  Building 312 was transformed into a modern, well-equipped, multi-use facility that opened its door in September 2005.   The arsenals' stunning and unique architectural design now occupies 30,000 square feet of space on three floors. It houses two theaters, classrooms and workshop spaces, artist studios, gallery and exhibit space, rehearsal rooms, and informal gathering places.  This mix of interior venues provides a home for three resident companies:  New Repertory Theatre; Watertown Children's Theatre; The Quilters' Connection.  The Center offers its own programming consisting of art exhibits, classes and workshops for adults and children, concerts and other staged events, plus literary and art discussions.  The Center is also available to rent for corporate meetings, events by other non-profits, performances by other theater companies, and family events such as children's birthday parties.

Community commitment to the Arsenal Center for the Arts was demonstrated prior to and since opening by the more than $6.5 million dollars donated to The Campaign to Build the Arsenal Center for the Arts.  Early establishment of a membership/donor program and member attendance at off-site programming prior to the building's completion started the momentum.  Regional support came from businesses small and large, and numerous individual donors made contributions that were truly meaningful to them.  Countless hours of volunteer time and effort were given by the Board and our broad community. The Arsenal Center for the Arts epitomizes a grass roots effort that grew to bear tangible results, demonstrating the community's enthusiasm and the success that continued commitment can achieve. 

For directions, general inquiries, and contact information, click here.

 

John Airasian, co-chair of the Capital Campaign Committee, is President of Eastern Clothing of Watertown, chairman of the Watertown Arsenal Development Corporation, first president of the Watertown Belmont Chamber of Commerce and a trustee of the Watertown Savings Bank. John is not just a leader in the Watertown community, he is a cherished member.
Current term expires: 2012

Kimberly Airasian currently serves as Director of Corporate and Legal Services for the United States Distance Learning Association in Boston, MA.  She received her B.A. from Middlebury College in 1998 and her J.D. from Suffolk Law School in 2005, after which she clerked for the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. She has run the Boston Marathon in conjunction with the Boston Children’s Hospital Miles for Miracles Team in 2005 and 2010 and also serves as a legal liaison for the Helping Hands Foundation. Kimberly was a WCT member during its early years and resides in Watertown with her husband and two children.
Current term expires: 2017

Tamara Bryant, the organization’s Treasurer, is a Certified Quickbooks Pro Advisor and has owned and operated Bottom Line Accounting & Consulting for 13 years. Tamara has worked with small businesses in multiple industries over her 30-year career. Her focus has been in the entrepreneurial arena working with small to mid-size company owners and staff to create their “Visions of Prosperity.” Previously, she was CFO for 4 years with a national college marketing company. She has also been a consultant Controller and CFO for startups and small companies in need of guidance as they develop their financial reporting systems.
Current term expires: 2016

Susan Centofanti spent 14 years as operations manager with the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership national awards program that identified and honored exceptional grassroots leaders in healthcare.  She was a key member of the awards selection team and executed all major events, including the awards ceremony at the National Press Club in D.C. and national advisory and annual meetings.  Prior to her work with RWJF she served in the administration of Governor Michael Dukakis in the Governor’s Office of Human Resources, before moving on to manage the operations of the governor’s scheduling office and staff.  Susan has a Master’s in Public Administration and a long history of civic involvement, including active participation in political campaigns at the state and local level.  She is currently Director of the Creativity Foundation and former board member at Belmont Day School and current board member at Beaver Country Day School and chair of the Parents' Association at Beaver Country Day School.  She is married to George Bachrach, former Massachusetts state senator, and has two sons, Harry and Sam.
Current term expires: 2015

Christine Chevoor is a public-relations professional with more than 25 years experience, primarily in higher education. She held a number of positions at Emerson College before being named Director of External Relations at Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration in 1981. As the University’s first external relations professional at the College level, Christine initiated and developed a broad-based program designed to heighten the College’s visibility, enhance its image, and generate support among alumni and business constituents.  During her tenure at Northeastern, she created and managed a comprehensive outreach program that included publications and promotional materials, social and professional programs, special events, and media relations.  Christine is a life-long resident of Watertown.
Current term expires: 2012

J. Laurence Coe, member of the Finance Committee, is a C.P.A. practicing in Watertown and on his own since 1980.  A significant portion of his practice is devoted to providing audit and financial reporting services to not-for-profit organizations.  He is a past Treasurer and current Board member and Capital Campaign Committee member of The Boston Cecilia, one of Boston's oldest performing choral organizations.
Current term expires: 2012

Marcia Crumley is a senior manager in strategic marketing and corporate and production strategy at Tufts Health Plan. She is an experienced consultant/manager who has helped numerous Fortune 500 clients refine their marketing strategies and tactics to build competitive advantage.  Diverse skill set includes identifying market and product opportunities and developing successful market entry strategies; hiring, training and mentoring highly productive and motivated teams; and using superior relationship development and collaboration skills to build long-term client partnerships. She is also a working artist/painter with a studio in Charlestown.
Current term expires: 2012

Barbara Epstein, past President, is a strategic and development consultant working with nonprofit and community organizations. She formerly worked in the Coexistence Program at Brandeis University and oversaw the capacity building grant program at the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership national awards program. Prior to RWJF, she was an analyst at the research and consulting firm, Abt Associates, in Cambridge, and a clinical social worker and program administrator.  She has been a member of the Watertown Cultural Council, coordinator of cultural enrichment programs in the Watertown Public Schools, and an officer of the Watertown Schools PTU Council. She is also a practicing artist with a studio in Watertown.
Current term expires: 2012

John Foote, President, member of the Finance Committee, and chair of the strategic planning committee, is a senior fellow at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School  where he looks at the public policy aspects of private sector investment in transportation. John was the co-founder of a transportation engineering company, specializing in electronic toll collection. He also has fifteen years of experience in the investment and merchant banking business both in the U.S. and Asia. John holds a Master of Public Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in engineering from Cornell University. He serves on the boards of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the Sigma Chi Greystone Foundation.
Current term expires: 2013

John Hawes, Jr., Clerk, is recently retired as an Architect and Project Manager for renovations and new construction at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He had a long professional career at several Academic Institutions specializing in project management and space planning and in building compliance with codes for disabilities.  John is a resident of Watertown, is Chairman of the Watertown Planning Board, sits on the Disability Commission and has consistently supported the development of the Arsenal Center for the Arts.
Current term expires: 2016

Connie Henry is an educator who has taught pre-school through the college level. She currently is an elementary math program director for Boston Public Schools and an instructor for Boston Teacher residency program.  She supports the arts as an essential aspect of community life.  She is also involved with the Matenwa Community Learning Center in Haiti, a school that provides progressive education for its students as well as a breakfast program, a water project, and a women’s art collective.
Current term expires: 2012

Dinah Lane previously served as Co-chair of the Watertown Cultural Council, as well as a member of the Watertown Education Foundation. She has acted, directed and taught theatre for almost 40 years, including as an artist in residence and traveling artist in hundreds of schools throughout the Northeast. She is the founder of the Watertown Children's Theatre and, as past Artistic Director for twenty-five years has brought the organization to a position of prominence and respect in the community. She holds an M.A. in Psychology and is a practicing family therapist in Burlington, MA, where she also administers an Alcohol Peer Education and Prevention program in the middle and high schools.
Current term expires: 2012

John Petrowsky, member of the Development Committee, is Vice President of Hammond Real Estate in Cambridge, specializing in residential sales.  He is a lifelong resident of the Boston area, and is deeply connected with the region through his commitments to cultural and philanthropic organizations.
Current term expires: 2012

Sharon Rich runs WOMONEY, a fee-only financial planning firm, established in 1984. She belongs to the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and is a founder and board member of PridePlanners, a national organization for financial planners with gay, lesbian, and non-traditional clients.  Named by Worth Magazine as one of America's top financial advisors, Sharon co-authored The Challenges of Wealth-Mastering the Personal and Financial Conflicts. She holds an Ed.D. from Harvard and lives in Belmont with her spouse and two daughters, one of whom has been involved with Watertown Children's Theater.
Current term expires: 2012

Robert Shay is the former Director of Electronic Banking at BayBank and Bank of Boston.  Since retiring from Bank of Boston in 2000, Bob has divided his time between advising technology based startup companies and serving as a working director on the boards of several nonprofit agencies and charitable foundations.  Since January, 2001 Bob has been chairman of America SCORES New England, and is a member of America SCORES national board.  Bob also serves on the boards of the Watertown Community Foundation, the Marshall Home Foundation and the Woodson Foundation.  He is a former Chairman of the Watertown School Committee and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the First Parish Church of Watertown. A graduate of Oberlin College, Bob has a Ph.D. in Modern European History, an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, and is the author of British Rearmament in the Thirties, published by Princeton University Press.
Current term expires: 2012

Becky Squier, past President, has worked in marketing with several Boston area high tech companies since earning her MBA from Simmons School of Management in 1991. She co-hosted the Gala Grand Opening weekend celebration for the Arsenal Center for the Arts in September 2005, oversaw promotion and marketing for the first Summer Concerts on the Charles 2006 series, and has co-chaired numerous other Center events. She currently stays home with her three children and has lived in Watertown for nearly 15 years. 
Current term expires: 2013

Sally Young is Program Coordinator of the Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design School and a watercolor artist. She served on the Board of the Watertown Children's Theatre for over 20 years, where she was a costume designer for 10 shows.  She formerly worked as a fiber artist and developed programs including lectures, workshops, teacher training, residencies and juried gallery exhibits for an organization of textile artists. 
Current term expires: 2012 

$1,000,000+
Charles Mosesian
O'Neill Properties Group
Town of Watertown/Watertown Arsenal Development Corporation

$500,000-$999,999
Watertown Savings Bank

$100,000-$499,999
Anonymous (4)
Boston Scientific Corporation
Ionics, Inc
Newly Wed Foods, Inc.
The Pannesi Family
in memory of Thomas A. Pannesi
Repton Place

$50,000-$99,999
Alexandria Real Estate
AMB Property LP
Scott and Nancy Barcelo
The Bilezikian Family Foundation, Inc.   
Campanelli Companies
Fidelity Foundation
Sasaki Assoiciates, Inc
The Silver Tie Fund
Toyota/Lexus of Watertown
Vanasse Hangen Brustin,Inc

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Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Cambridge Savings Bank
Robert A. and Sally W. Collini
Eastern Clothing Company and the Airasian Family
Emily and Jerome Farnsworth
J.C. Cannistraro, Inc
Patricia Larsen Foundation
MacDoald, Rockwell & MacDonald Funeral Service, Inc
Roberta Miller and Alan Medville
John Petrowsky and Thomas Vise
in memory of Maude H. Connell
Riverside Management
Bob and Missy Shay
Joe and Helen Soussou

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Anonymous (2)
Archstone-Smith
Emily Barclay and John Hawes
Jonathan Bockian and Sharon Teitelbaum
Eric Ginsberg Brown and Carol Ginsberg Brown
Dr. William V. Byrne
Century 21 West Realty
Communispace Corporation
Mary H. Coolidge-Engelsted
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Barbara Epstein and Scott Hebert
The Fuller Foundation, Inc
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arah C. Doering
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In honor of Marian Graves and Stephen P. Mugar
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The Mackin Family
Robert A. and Thomas P. Manzelli Families
The Millipore Foundation
Michael Miner
New Repertory Theatre
Ostayan Family
Deborah and Mark Peterson
The Plante Family
Combined Jewish Philanthropies at the recommendation of Sharon Rich and Nancy Reed
RJC Village Auto Group
Rotary Club of Watertown
Royal Design
S.A.S. Security Systems
Steven P. Savarese and James M. Savas, Century 21 Adams
Jonathan P. Schwartz and Marcella Fischer
Rick Thomson and Judith Wineland
W.T. Phelan & Co and The Ramsey Family
C & K Foundation