Inside Worcester’s $16M Creative Hub Opening at Historic Boys Club

“Creative people want to be social… and gain energy from each other.” 
Laura Marotta

By-Hank Stolz

Photo-Submitted

WORCESTER, MA-After more than a decade of planning and development, the long-anticipated Creative Hub is set to open its doors on April 16, marking a major milestone for Worcester’s arts and cultural community.

Laura Marotta, Executive Director, and Kellee Kosiorek, Chief Operating Officer, joined Talk of the Commonwealth to share details about the project, which transforms the historic former Boys and Girls Club at 2 Ionic Avenue into a modern, collaborative arts space.

“It’s taken a long time to learn the ropes about philanthropy and nonprofit business management, and now construction management and building development,” said Marotta. “So, it’s been a wild journey, but the city has been amazing.”

The $16 million redevelopment preserves key historic elements of the original structure while introducing updated, accessible features designed to support a wide range of creative work.

The facility will include 26 artist studios, gallery space, classrooms, and a 440-person capacity event venue. Organizers say the goal is to create a central hub where artists across disciplines can connect and collaborate.

“Creative people want to be social. They want to be around other creatives… and gain energy from each other,” Marotta said.

Kosiorek emphasized that the Hub’s long-term sustainability will rely on a hybrid funding model that blends earned revenue such as studio rentals with traditional nonprofit fundraising. This approach will help support both paid offerings and accessible, free programming for the community.