CAN Initiatives
CAN has a long history of working to promote arts and culture and supporting tourism and economic development. We were the first organization dedicated to arts and culture in the city of Fall River, and tourism has always been a central part of our mission. Our areas of focus include:
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Beautifying downtown Fall River and the Fall River waterfront.
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Managing Fall River Waterfront Cultural District.
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Promoting Fall River and its tourism attractions.
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Educating city residents and visitors about Fall River's history.
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Preserving and protecting historically significant buildings.
Take a look at some of our current and recent initiatives.
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Managing the Fall River Waterfront Cultural District
CAN led the five-year effort that resulted in Fall River securing a cultural district designation from Mass Cultural Council in 2020. In our role as the district managers, we have implemented a wide range of marketing, tourism, business development, and infrastructure initiatives, including developing a colorful and distinctive logo to create a sense of place and attract tourists.
Achieving Better Representation of Fall River on the State Tourism Website
To build Fall River's popularity as a destination and increase its revenue from tourism, it is essential for potential visitors to be able to find engaging and accurate content about the city online. To help meet this need, CAN asked the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) -- the state agency dedicated to promoting Massachusetts as a leisure-travel destination -- to revise outdated material about Fall River on its website. As a result of our advocacy, MOTT featured Fall River and a selection of its attractions and restaurants in a blog published in May 2025 called History, Mystery, and The Sea: Discover Fall River. Creative Arts Network Inc. was also featured in the blog.
Promoting Waterfront and City Attractions ​
CAN actively promotes Fall River's tourist and cultural attractions. In addition to promoting attractions on our site and Facebook page, we have asked the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) to: include Fall River in its series of Digital Travel Guides; promote Battleship Cove’s selection as the country’s Best Museum Ship in USA Today’s 10BEST 2025 competition; and add Fall River attractions to Massachusetts Historical Trail, the MOTT guide dedicated to historical attractions.
Creating An On-Going City Beautification Program:
The Hydrangea Project
CAN developed the Hortensia on-going city beautification program in 2018 as part of our tourism plan. Its impact: hundreds of hydrangeas planted downtown and on the waterfront, enhancing the city's visual appeal immeasurably. The program honors Fall River’s deep cultural ties to Portugal, where hydrangeas abound, and resulted in a city proclamation declaring June 25 as Hydrangea Day.
Publicizing the Titanic Exhibit at Maritime Museum​
CAN worked to have the Titanic exhibit at Battleship Cove's Maritime Museum included in MOTT’s blog Exploring Titanic History in Massachusetts, which resulted in a significant improvement in the museum's ranking in online searches. We also worked with Battleship Cove to create new marketing material about the exhibit.
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Publicizing Fall River Carousel​
CAN contacted the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) and asked it to consider creating an article about the state's antique carousels, including Fall River Carousel. To assist in the process, we provided images and information about the carousel. The article we suggested, including a section about Fall River Carousel, was published on MOTT's website and emailed in its Visit Massachusetts newsletter in August 2025.
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Organizing and Hosting Tourism Conferences
In 2012, CAN organized and hosted a conference, Renewing Our Commitment to Tourism, the first conference of its type focused on increasing tourism in Fall River. In 2023, we organized and hosted a cultural tourism conference about tourism best practices and marketing strategies, with speakers from Mass Office of Travel and Tourism, Mass Cultural Council, and state cultural districts.
Producing a Cultural District Tourism Map
Fall River Waterfront Cultural District offers numerous opportunities to stimulate tourism. In support of that goal, Creative Arts Network commissioned an artist to create a colorful painting of the district and used it as the basis to produce a map the district's attractions.
Developing Historical Interpretive Boards
We are currently creating a series of engaging and educational signs to tell visitors and residents the story of Fall River, its distinctive attractions, and significant aspects of the city's history. The boards will include text, images, and videos, as well as tactile features for the visually impaired. This signage will be installed along Fall River's waterfront. ​
Promoting Fall River on Tourism and Travel Websites
We recently researched opportunities to promote Fall River and its attractions and businesses on four major travel and tourism websites -- regional, state, and national. We identified numerous opportunities to increase or improve the city's presence on the
sites and distributed a report with our findings, site guidelines, and site contact information to city nonprofits.
Creating Cultural District Brochures
Creative Arts Network produced a brochure about Fall River Waterfront Cultural District to promote its attractions and businesses in support of tourism and economic development.
A new brochure promoting district restaurants and attractions for the spring and summer 2025 seasons is also being produced.
Coordinating A Major Harvard Magazine Feature
We coordinated the development of a recent feature article about Fall River, Fall River: Phoenix Rising?, that was published in Harvard magazine. ​
https://www.Harvard magazine.com/2023/04/h2-fall-river-massachusetts