The Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) was developed in 2001, as the city's arts advocacy organization, designed to provide general support to the many cultural activities of the community. With so many cultural activities happening on a daily basis, it had become absolutely essential to create a central organization for the coordination of these events. Our goals are ambitious and bold, but we believe that through arts and culture, we can bring our community closer together.

The mission of the Cultural Organization of Lowell is to:

1. Help create a high quality cultural environment that offers appealing experiences to the city's diverse population and which encourages people to participate in making, presenting, and preserving the culture of their community;
2. Advocate for visual artists, performing artists, humanists, and those who interpret science, as well as cultural organizations and institutions, audiences, volunteers and patrons;
3. Act as a liaison to businesses, schools, foundations, media and government;
4. Provide a forum for coordination of cultural activity, including networking of resources and production of promotional materials;
5. Offer technical assistance on cultural matters to individuals and organizations;
6. Support the administrative responsibilities of the Lowell Cultural Council.

The goals of the Cultural Organization of Lowell include the following:

Emphasize Collaboration and Coordination

• Establish a community liaison (Director of COOL) to interface with event producers and managers of cultural institutions to coordinate the promotion of events.
• Establish lists of groups for outreach purposes.
• Update an inventory of spaces and facilities available for cultural activity.
• Develop an inventory of visual artists, performing artists, humanists and scientists in Lowell.
• Create a fund to provide operating support for cultural organizations
• Develop cooperative advertising initiatives for cultural organizations
• Explore collaborative funding for cultural organizations Improve Communication

Improve Communication

• Maintain a master calendar for events and programs in Lowell.
• Coordinate and promote all cultural websites through a single directory.
• Develop an Arts Community presence in the City through better signage and banners.
• Encourage the cultural community to make better use of the City seal and motto, "Art is the Handmaid of Human Good".
• Publicize cultural activities through local churches and temples.
• Develop a collection of video and media productions that document cultural programs in Lowell.

Maximize the Use of Existing Resources

• Promote Pollard Memorial Library as a community education facility and cultural center.
• Inventory existing grant-writing resources at UMASS Lowell, Middlesex Community College and the Division of Planning and Development for artist assistance.
• Use schools as neighborhood centers for the development of cultural activities.

Reach Out More Effectively to Diverse Populations

• Improve means of communicating with various neighborhoods, age groups, ethnic groups, etc.
• Broaden the diversity on the boards of directors of ethnic and cultural organizations.
• Follow the example of Lowell National Historical Park, which is printing its brochures in Khmer and Spanish for the first time; encourage other cultural groups to do the same and add materials in more languages.

Promote Lowell as a Cultural Center

• Continue to develop image of Lowell as a welcoming artistic community
• Facilitate the development of affordable artist live/work space
• Encourage visual artists, performing artists, and academics to settle in Lowell
• Match artists with appropriate workspace
• Attract an art collector audience to Lowell to support the efforts of the artists
• Offer assistance to cultural organizations to develop new and more diverse audiences