AHA! Night to Celebrate All Things Made in New Bedford

AHA! Night returns this month on Thursday, November 13 in downtown New Bedford, celebrating the art and music of local creators. The theme for November is "Made in New Bedford."

AHA Director Kim Goddard stopped by Townsquare Sunday to talk about the November calendar and share some of the highlights.

"It's really celebrating all the makers and creations that make up the culture of New Bedford," Goddard said. "It's a fun night to kick off the holiday gifting season."

Artisan Makers Markets Take Over Downtown

There will be four Artisan Makers Markets downtown on November 13. One will be at the Harbor Hotel on Union Street starting at 5 p.m., featuring homemade greeting cards, art, jewelry, and specialty wreaths. Other Artisan Markets will be located at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Co-Creative Center, and at The Drawing Room.

Students Merge Art and Technology at The Vault

"Makers Merge" is a new exhibit happening at The Vault on Purchase Street from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It celebrates the intersection of art, design and technology and features the work of students from the UMass College of Visual and Performing Arts and Rhode Island School of Design.

"The students of both schools have come together and are showing off their innovative projects from four courses that they have taken together, incorporating emerging technology, and how that affects the future of design," Goddard said.

AHA After Dark: Live Music Across the City

AHA! Night also features music galore at several downtown venues. Organizers are calling it "AHA After Dark." Events include:

• 21-plus karaoke at PLAY Arcade (8 p.m. to 12 a.m.)
• The Neal McCarthy Trio at the Pour Farm (8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.)
• Wamptronica collective at Bento’s (8 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
• An open mic and jam session hosted by Sean FitzGerald at Gallery X (7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)
• Justin Sampson live at Cork Wine & Tapas (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.)

The complete schedule for AHA! Night on November 13 is available at ahanewbedford.org.

Community Focus Group to Shape Downtown’s Future

Also on the website, you can register to take part in a virtual focus group on November 18.

"This is part of a bigger effort to generate more community engagement about the downtown," Goddard said. "We had a great meeting in September, and now we want community members and business owners to dig in and determine what our priorities should be for the future of downtown."

if you would like to have your nonprofit group featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.