Mother Brook Arts Group to Detail Plans Tuesday

The newly formed Mother Brook Arts and Community Center [MBACC] board will hold an informational meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the former at 123 High St.

The group, which has filed for non-profit status, is preparing to launch its inaugural outreach and fundraising campaign, according to the organization’s co-chairmen.

“We are building a foundation of support among like-minded individuals and community organizations committed to helping us to reach our goal of leasing the site, rehabilitating the facility, and creating a unique cultural resource that local artists, residents and the community all can use,” co-chair Robert Miller said in a statement.

The organization will serve as the non-profit vehicle to raise the money necessary to rehabilitate the former school and operate the new center, according to Miller. In addition to he and co-chair Paul McMurty, the new board includes East Dedham activist and Planning Board member Jay O’Brien; businessman James Donahue; CPA Michael Downey; merchant Eileen Kelly; author/illustrator Peter Reynolds; and investment advisor Jim Kaufman. Miller said he expects the board will eventually expand to include others.

Miller said in the statement that the new board is working with consultants to determine the full cost and scope of work required to convert the school into studios for artists, classrooms for art and music, as well as space for community meetings and functions.

The MBACC would look to state and national grants, philanthropic giving, and historic preservation tax credits for funding, Miller said.