The Fenway Alliance unveils fenwayculture.org

This comprehensive Web site is the first initiative of the Fenway Cultural District.

Boston, MA, 30 April, 2001—The Fenway Alliance, an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions in Boston's Fenway Cultural District, in association with Sametz Blackstone Associates, a 22-year-old integrated communications practice, today unveils fenwayculture.org, a wide-ranging website serving residents, local businesses, domestic and international tourists, and current and prospective students of Boston's Fenway Cultural District and beyond. Fenwayculture.org serves as the first public presence of the Fenway Cultural District; it will be followed by many other initiatives including signage, banners, maps, way-finding systems, and cultural programming in and around the District.

The Fenway Alliance, founded in 1977, is an unparalleled consortium of neighborhood institutions and businesses in Boston's Fenway / Back Bay area. This remarkable roster of member organizations has joined together to collaboratively enhance the quality of life for businesses, residents, and visitors in Boston's Fenway area and to promote cultural tourism and infrastructure advancement within the District and throughout Greater Boston. At the request of the Alliance, the Mayor of Boston proclaimed the Fenway Cultural District in February of 1999. The establishment of such a district has been a goal of the Alliance for many years. Now proclaimed by the City, the responsibility for advancing this vibrant District lies in the hands of the Alliance members. Consistent with this goal, the Alliance, together with Sametz Blackstone, successfully pursued a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT), to promote the Fenway Cultural District as a lively, exciting destination neighborhood that not only offers variety, diversity, and adventure for the visitor, but also is home to several world-renown academic, cultural, and religious institutions that play a crucial role in the vitality and civic life of Boston. The MOTT grant allowed for the creation of fenwayculture.org, along with the development of a brand identity for the District and a District map.

The Alliance initially brought Sametz Blackstone on board to develop a communications strategy that would build awareness and interest in the Fenway Cultural District among a broad range of audiences—and put the District on peoples "must-experience" map. The website plays a pivotal role in this initiative, offering a broad base of information on visual arts and exhibits, performance, colleges and universities, hospitality, recreation, family and youth, community happenings, and destinations within the District. It is a "one-stop-shopping" and navigation guide to the District, whether viewed by an insider or by a visitor to the area.

About Sametz Blackstone Associates

Sametz Blackstone Associates provides communications counsel to leading corporate, academic, and cultural organizations. A 24 year-old global practice located in Boston's historic South End, Sametz Blackstone integrates strategy, design, and technology to develop and produce compelling communications that help evolving organizations navigate change. Clients are centenarians and start-ups—around the block and around the world: the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet, The New England Aquarium, Perceptive Informatics Inc., Goodwin Procter, Scudder Investments / Deutsche Bank, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Harvard University, Yale University, and MIT. Further information is available at www.sametz.com.

About the Fenway Alliance

The Fenway Alliance currently comprises 18 member institutions, whose shared goals include developing the civic infrastructure and advancing cultural tourism and the arts, both visual and performing, in and around the Fenway Cultural District—both efforts aimed at promoting and unlocking the potential of the area. Speaking with one voice, the Alliance works closely with area business leaders, government officials, and community groups to further its initiatives and fulfill its mission. Among other initiatives, the Alliance is currently pursuing the reconstruction of the Avenue of the Arts (Huntington Avenue), the reconstruction of Massachusetts Avenue, and the funding and restoration of the Emerald Necklace Park System for flood control and historic preservation.

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