It is part of my heart and soul. It’s not work it is living. And that is where it’s not a negative it’s a positive experience where the challenges of how to bring people together through art is something that I look at every day. And with my coalition and with the city we try to build partnerships around that to see what is best for the city.
In this interview Erin Williams, born in 1957, discusses the many challenges she faced throughout her life, and how those challenges molded her into the woman she is today as the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Officer and also the executive director of the Worcester Cultural Coalition. As an “artist embedded in city hall,” Erin helps find ways for people to express themselves openly, and bring communities together through the use of art and culture. One of her biggest accomplishments, she says, was being able to work with a variety of programs, such as volunteering on school boards, art commissions, local cultural councils, and more specifically, the New Salem Arts Council. Erin thinks of herself as a creative catalyst. “I have been fortunate to be able to work with many different types of groups. And I like to think that I can find a common language for people to be able to be comfortable to express their opinions with each other.” Erin discusses the importance of surrounding yourself with people who support you and make you happy, and concludes with her advice to, “Take the leap, follow your heart, and educate yourself so that when you do leap you can feel confident and strong in it.”