by Sarah Johnson | TBE columnist | May 17, 2026 |
At the beginning of April, I went to and covered a City Arts & Culture Commission meeting. Link to article here. During the meeting, we paused so members of the commission could turn on the live stream of the launch of Artemis II, as it headed for the dark side of the moon. Someone else played Elton John’s “Rocketman” on their phone. We all sat in wonderment for a couple of minutes before getting back to business.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, living in a place like Bristol, we sometimes feel disconnected. I blame social media largely, but our city has also been on a many-year-long story arc toward being a better place to not just sleep and work, but to recreate, enjoy the arts and experience life.
It began in the early 2010s. I was in my mid 20s. Bristol Rising, the West End Association, the Pop Up Piazza festivals, the eventual founding of the Rockwell Summer Festival, Bare Bones art space, the then-new brewery, the Ingraham House concert series … The list goes on and on. The feeling of arts and community were alive in Bristol. At one point around 2012, I kid you not when I say everyone I knew socially lived on Summer Street. The energy was radical and creative. And then, things slowly changed and faded for a good long while. Administrations changed over. Covid happened. Some of the creations of that era are still here, some aren’t.
But suddenly, the feeling is back. BAIMS and Downtown Live are moving and grooving, the museums are doing their thing, the summer concert series is a treasured weekly event and I find myself working with the same people as I was back then. Creative Jam Art Co. is doing a wide array of programming and hosting the Creative Bristol group including some writing workshops I’m doing. It all feels abuzz, and that’s bolstered by all the new development downtown. New people are showing up in Bristol.
What do we offer them as a city? Why does that matter to drawing new faces in? We have the potential to have it all and more here. And it’s growing. The arts and culture are one of the biggest draws for amenities in a city after school ratings. Our two beautiful walkable parks have both been redone in various ways. When people complain that there’s nothing to do here, I tell them they lack spirit and imagination. I love our city. If we can get more visibility and buy-in on the arts here, we can be unstoppable.
We have to think creatively about how to incubate and support artists and cultural activities here. Can we do pop-up events in vacant buildings again? Can we get people to help organize and spread the word about more regular, smaller art festivals? At my writing circle the other night, we were talking about how there are already long-existing pockets of creativity in town. We should focus on and support and sell those pockets to the people. The factory building on East Main Street in Forestville has been a beautiful hotbed of art and photography and music going back to before Bristol Rising even happened. It’s here. It’s happening. Let’s connect it to the wider population and see what we create.
How can you get involved? Pay attention to the art projects happening. Every mural you see has a whole team of benefactors and artists and a mission and story behind it. Every concert. Every show. Every small artist who bravely shows up to display at the Mum Festival for the first time. They all need our support. Attend creative events you see on Facebook. Many are free or under $10. Join the Creative Bristol facebook page. Follow artists online. Buy their wares at events. Let’s take the arts in Bristol to the moon!
Sarah Johnson is a local Realtor, a writer and a naturalist. When she’s not in the office, you can find her at the gym, a poetry reading or foraging for mushrooms at Rockwell Park. She is always happy to tell you exactly what birds are singing at any given moment.
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