ABOUT US
The Center for Arts at the Armory is a non-profit organization that resides in a historic Armory building, serving Somerville and the Greater Boston community through arts, cultural and community events, exhibitions, markets, classes and more.
The mission of Arts at the Armory is to provide an inclusive and accessible venue that creates opportunities for artists and cultural workers, brings diverse audiences together, enriches and transforms lives, and promotes the creative economy. In addition to the many events that CAA hosts that are produced independently of CAA, CAA has five signature programs: The Spotlight Series, The Performance Opportunity Program (POP), The Somerville Winter Farmers Market, and ROOTED Armory Cafe Visual Arts Exhibitions.
The repurposed Armory opened its doors as a community arts center in 2008, and Arts at the Armory became the anchor tenant in the building, operating the Performance Hall and Cafe. Arts at the Armory hosts 750+ events each year in disciplines including music, dance, theater, literary arts, visual arts, film, circus, comedy and more. Arts at the Armory provides free and accessibly priced venues to performing arts, cultural and community groups of Greater Boston. The Arts at the Armory Performance Hall and Cafe also provide a vast and inspiring panorama of arts and cultural events to audiences throughout the year. Arts at the Armory hosts dozens of markets each year, which promote the creative economy, local businesses and community economic development. Both the Cafe and the Hall are available for private rentals.
We also operate ROOTED Armory Cafe & Farmstand!
Want to stop by for a tour? Drop us a line at [email protected] so we can schedule an appointment with you.
Want to see what’s going on? Check out the Events Calendar for the current program and event schedule.
We look forward to your visit!
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The Center for Arts at the Armory (CAA) does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, community, patrons, customers, volunteers, subcontractors and vendors. Violence, hate speech and/or discrimination will not be tolerated in the spaces operated by CAA. CAA will act to defend its staff and customers against acts of violence, hate speech and/or discrimination, and has the right to ask for the removal of any individual who does not comply with this policy.
The Center for Arts at the Armory is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ivan Abarca has been a proud resident of Somerville since 2012. He has a PhD in Sociology, Anthropology, and Linguistics and is currently the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for Somerville Youth Soccer (SYS). Ivan also works with other local non-profits and community organizations and is a coordinator of Padres Latinos of Somerville Public Schools (SPS). He studied, taught, and did research in Mexico, France, Egypt, Israel, and the United States for over two decades and has worked in diplomacy as well. Ivan also has extensive experience in the world of art and museums doing research, interpretation, and as a volunteer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Neil Berman, Treasurer
Neil graduated from U. Mass-Amherst in 1977. During college Neil and his father opened and ran a used bookstore called The Book Collector, located in Wellesley and Newton. Neil went to Western New England Law School graduating in 1994. After passing the bar, Neil opened Common Sense Legal Counseling in Somerville. Neil has worked to provide the personal service of a small-town law office. Neil was on the Board of Directors of the National Lawyers Guild – Massachusetts chapter from 2001 – 2012 and was the Chair of the Board from 2008 – 2012. Neil is currently a member of the NLG Military Law Task Force. Neil intends to retire to the Azores. He enjoys reading, watching movies, visiting museums, skiing, bicycling, hiking and camping.
Ruth Faris, Clerk
Ruth is a clinical social worker with a background in human resources. She has been a longtime Somerville resident and enjoys being a close neighbor to the Armory. She also volunteers time with the Somerville Library Foundation and the Center for Arabic Culture.
Hathalee Higgs, President
Hathalee has lived in Somerville for 15 years and is a passionate arts advocate. She’s a founding partner of consulting and education services group Hunter Higgs, LLC, and has 20 years experience working with nonprofit cultural organizations in Massachusetts and Vermont. She served as Development Director of MAASH (MA Advocates for the Arts, Sciences & Humanities) and Producing Director of Kingdom County Productions, an independent film production company and nonprofit media arts organization in Northern Vermont. Hathalee earned a Masters in Arts Administration from Boston University and a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia.
Amanda Klein has spent the last 15 years in nonprofit administration and consulting. Her work has spanned many fields, from academia to museums and theatre companies. She currently serves as the administrator of the Philanthropy Connection, a Massachusetts-based collective giving organization focused on women in philanthropy. Amanda is a graduate of Boston University’s Arts Administration program and has an undergraduate degree in theatre. A tireless philanthropist and a dedicated patron of the arts, she lives in Somerville with her husband and children.
STAFF
Stephanie Scherpf
Co-Director / CEO
Stephanie is motivated by a mission-driven passion for the arts and social impact. Stephanie co-founded the Haitian dance organization Jean Appolon Expressions in 2011 and served as Executive Director for the organization’s first five years. She has held senior leadership positions as Managing Director of El Sistema USA at New England Conservatory and Project Director for Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium. In Maputo, Mozambique, she was the Founder & Project Manager of a grassroots project called “Dance for Life,” done in partnership with a Mozambican dance company and funded by foreign embassies and corporations. She served as the Director of Outreach & Education at Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) in Seattle, WA. Having received a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Virginia and an M.A. in English Literature at the University of Washington, Stephanie has written about arts and culture for a wide variety of U.S. and foreign publications, and speaks French, Portuguese and Spanish. She has worked internationally in Haiti, Mozambique and Venezuela.
Jess White
Co-Director / COO
Jess White brings over twenty-five years of experience in Arts Management ranging from Venue Management to Concert Production and Touring. Most recently, Jess has been the Department Chair for the Entertainment Management program at Bay State College where she built a student run events space, a college radio station and created an industry-acclaimed educational curriculum preparing hundreds of students for careers in entertainment management. Jess has been involved in non-profit capital improvement projects with Central Park SummerStage and the City of New York, has toured with international touring artists, and has been active in producing benefit concerts and raising awareness to many social justice causes. Additionally, Jess has produced four albums and enjoys playing drums.
Stephanie Scherpf, Co-Director / CEO
[email protected]
Jess White, Co-Director / COO
[email protected]
Elyse B. Brown, Contracts & Marketing Administrator
[email protected]
Chloé Cunha, Booking Coordinator
[email protected]
Virginia Preston, Finance & Operations Administrator
[email protected]
Trisha Brown, Office Manager
Kaelen Anderson, Technical Director
Andrew Honold, Events Manager
Dan Blair, Cafe Manager
[email protected]
Juliana Soltys, Somerville Winter Farmers Market Manager
[email protected]
Please note that The City of Somerville owns the Armory and is responsible for complying with all of the City of Somerville’s safety and fire regulations to create a safe operating environment for all the Armory tenants. The City of Somerville is dedicated to being a good neighbor and measures are taken to ensure that noise, security and other community concerns such as trash and parking are successfully addressed. For any questions regarding how the facility is managed, contact Rachel Nadkarni, Director of Economic Development at [email protected]
HISTORY
The Armory was built in 1903 by George A. Moore to house the Somerville Light Infantry of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. For nearly seventy years after that, it also housed the Massachusetts National Guard. From approximately 1975-2004, the building was used for some community events but largely sat vacant until the State of Massachusetts decided to sell the building in 2004.
The historic armory was purchased by Joseph and Nabil Sater, in collaboration with Highland Realty Trust, in April 2004 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $2.6 million. Owners of the successful Middle East music club in Central Square and patrons of the arts, the Sater brothers successfully embarked upon a vision to create a community arts center for the City of Somerville. Joined later by partner Alan Carrier, they contracted with Single Speed Design who served as award winning architects for the project.
Since 2004, the Armory has been completely restored and brought up to code. Many of the Armory’s historic elements have been preserved such as the Armory’s drill hall, stairwells, turrets, and other important architectural elements. The repurposed Armory opened its doors as a community arts center in 2008, and Arts at the Armory became the anchor tenant in the building, renting and operating the main hall and Cafe.
The building was acquired by the City of Somerville through eminent domain in June 2021.