When Geoff Killebrew says he wants to see a renaissance come to the City of Worcester, he’s not talking about focusing on growth in the Canal District or downtown.
A musician and founder of the F.A.M Jam Family, Arts and Music Festival in Worcester, Killebrew, 40, told MassLive the renaissance he envisions features vendors and street performers who are Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) — becoming entrepreneurs through performance and selling their crafts throughout the city.
“We want to acknowledge the accomplishments of those who are currently vendors and performers but we want to make it easier for the ones getting started,” Killebrew said. “We want to create spaces, designate more spaces across the city for street vending and street performers.”
To accomplish his vision, Killebrew, a Worcester resident, has been promoting the Worcester Renaissance Project — a project he started in 2019 to increase city-wide access for street vendors and performers to help their businesses.
Killebrew said he has met with community and city leaders to support proposals to help performers and vendors have more access to open areas throughout the city to build their businesses. One of these proposals Killebrew advocates is the creation of place markers in locations with high foot traffic.
These place markers would feature a QR code, and when someone clicks on it, they would access an online schedule and map of where vendors and performers can be found. Killebrew said this proposal will not only bring pedestrians to vendors and performers but also help bring more foot traffic to streets that don’t have many pedestrians.
“I saw a path that was waiting to be blazed,” Killebrew said. “They have a rule where you only have one vendor at a park here. So what I am trying to do is have a petition so we can have that changed to have more than one vendor at a time.”
Geoff Killebrew and his daughter, Eden.
Killebrew said this proposal received support from all members of the Worcester City Council and currently awaits the approval of City Manager Eric Batista. Thomas Matthews, a spokesman for Batista’s office, told MassLive the proposal will need to be reviewed and approved by the city manager along with the city’s parks division for it to be implemented.
“I’ve had to get political, which was not my goal from the outset,” Killebrew said. “But in order to create these opportunities, we have to acknowledge that there’s some red tape that makes it difficult.”
In addition to holding meetings and organizing, Killebrew planned to host a Worcester Renaissance Fair April 27 at the Elm Park Community School. The fair featured vendors selling their wares and artists performing poetry and music.
Killebrew said these artists want to turn their crafts into real careers and that his fair will demonstrate what vendors and street performers can bring to the city. He told MassLive he expects to hold another festival next year.
“We’re looking for vendors, performers and people to think outside of the box,” Killebrew said. “Here is your opportunity if you ever had a business idea. You get to do your thing and see if the community will support it.”
Who in Worcester supports the project?
While Batista has not yet approved the proposal, Killebrew’s project and efforts have not gone unnoticed. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty told MassLive he supports the Worcester Renaissance Project, saying it would enliven the streets in the city. Petty and the rest of the City Council voted in favor of the proposal and the mission statement of the Worcester Renaissance Project during a city council meeting in March.
“This brings energy to the city by allowing street vendors and citizens to engage in the City of Worcester,” Petty said.
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The project is also supported by business owners and artists in Worcester who share Killebrew’s vision to see more vendors and performers in the city. Matt Caranci, the co-founder of the non-profit groups DIY Wormtown Ska Promotions and Worcester Community Music and Arts, applauded Killebrew’s efforts to bring more music and art to Worcester.
DIY Wormtown Ska Promotions and Worcester Community Music and Arts group are two organizations that host live music shows in Worcester, according to the organizations’ Facebook pages.
Caranci told MassLive he and Killebrew had collaborated before, as the two of them and activist David Webb teamed up to speak out against a $50 two-week permit fee for vendors that was proposed by the city. Batista revoked the proposal in response to the trio’s and other vendors’ outcry.
“As my goal is to bring to the city things that support the community and vibrancy of the city, I wish that Geoff is successful with his vision,” Caranci said. “It’s great to see new life brought to Worcester in various ways.”
The Worcester Renaissance Project has even received support from those living outside of Worcester. Cie Morin, a spa studio owner who lives in Fitchburg, made several posts on her Facebook page touting the project and advocating Killebrew’s efforts. Morin also serves on the board of Fostering Change Inc., and told MassLive the project would help children as young as 14 enter the vending business and find ways to be productive.
“Meticulously researched, masterfully crafted and designed with such innovation,” Morin said. “This project is going to bring such opportunity, engagement and appeal to the city of Worcester and beyond.”
What does it mean to be in a renaissance?
When Killebrew launched the Worcester Renaissance Project, his mission was to make it a renaissance for the entire city — not just certain areas. Since 2018, Killebrew said he has heard stories of real-estate developers, business owners and politicians touting Worcester’s success in starting new projects such as Polar Park, along with the construction of new apartments in the Canal District.
Killebrew said that while some areas reaped in revenue, other regions, such as Canterbury Street, did not see the supposed renaissance that city leaders announced.
According to Killebrew, Canterbury Street is one of several locations in Worcester that was subjected to the discriminatory practice known as redlining in the 1930s, where predominately Black communities were outlined on maps. Redlining resulted in neighborhoods being denied services, such as credit from banks or the construction of supermarkets — a practice that Killebrew said still affects residents to this day as new developments are being built in more affluent areas.
“Because of redlining, we see homelessness due to historic practices,” he said. “This is why wealth wasn’t able to be passed down through generations the way it is in other more affluent communities.”
Looking to the Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th century for inspiration, Killebrew said the Worcester Renaissance Project would give those from Black, Latino and indigenous communities the chance to pass down wealth and skills to the next generation. He envisions Worcester as a hub for vendors and street performers looking to build long-lasting businesses and the city where BIPOC vendors can establish a strong presence. While he admits Worcester has fewer vendors than larger cities such as Boston and New York, he said the Worcester Renaissance Project serves as a guide for how cities can benefit from street performers.
“Part of a renaissance is creative collaboration,” Killebrew said. “These families need our services.”
For Killebrew, a renaissance in Worcester does not solely focus on specific individuals whose talents are recognized through paintings and sculptures but instead on different communities coming together to bring music, art and crafts to life. He told MassLive there is still more work to bring the city into this new era but is confident he can help lead the way.
“Overall, this is business development, cultural development and community development,” Killebrew said. “This is a platform for all of that.”
