Upgrades to lighting at Wing’s Court to be showcased at AHA! Night

New Bedford, Massachusetts— Join the City of New Bedford, UMass Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts New Bedford Creative, and New Bedford Economic Development Council on AHA! Night, November 14, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in Wing’s Court to celebrate the completion of the Wing’s Court lighting enhancement project, funded in part by a Wicked Cool Places grant.

The celebration will showcase the enhanced lighting in Wing’s Court, and recognize the collaborative planning, design and implementation effort that was taken to complete the project. A musical guest, alt-pop singer-songwriter Sarah Donner, will provide live music for the celebration.

Beginning in January 2019, UMass Dartmouth Professor and Wicked Cool Places grant recipient Stephanie McGoldrick led her Interior Architecture and Design students in developing a lighting design plan for Wing’s Court. UMass Dartmouth is the only public university with an accredited Interior Architecture and Design program in New England. The IAD program focuses on the artistic, technical, and functional aspects of space design and compliance, and prepares students for professional level entrance into the design field and upon graduation to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications exam.

Professor McGoldrick’s students partnered with expert lighting mentors and presented a plan with lighting fixture options to the City in April 2019.  The City’s Wing’s Court Working Group partnered with Professor McGoldrick and her students to review design plans, fixture selection and materials. The Wing’s Court Working Group is an interdepartmental group comprised of representatives from the City’s Department of City Planning, Department of Public Infrastructure, Office of Housing and Community Development, Department of Parks, Recreation & Beaches, Department of Facilities and Fleet Management, New Bedford Creative, and New Bedford Economic Development Council.

The City’s Department of Public Infrastructure installed three intricate string-light canopies and four solar bollards throughout the court, while the Department of Facilities and Fleet Management installed the solar strip light fixture on the city-owned deck.

Wing’s Court is a unique public space in the city that is being continually enhanced. The completion of the lighting enhancement project will invigorate future planning and design efforts and solidify Wing’s Court as one of New Bedford’s Wicked Cool Places.