Two Franklin County towns are each receiving a $15,000 grant as part of a program that trains town officials on how to engage in public art projects most effectively.

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) chose Northfield and Ashfield as two of the 10 municipalities across Massachusetts to be a part of the 2025 “Making It Public” training program, which is in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s Arts & Culture Department. The other 10 communities to receive funding this year are Andover, Beverly, Chelsea, Cohasset, Gloucester, Malden, Pittsfield and Worcester.

The six biweekly training sessions will commence this month and conclude in early April, according to Northfield’s Grant Development Director Leslie Roberts, who will be participating in the training. Towns can then put out a call for art before the December 2026 deadline.

“I’m definitely excited about it,” Roberts said. “Art is really something we could use here [in Northfield] so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

Roberts, following discussions with Northfield residents, identified a few potential project ideas relating to the arts, such as a summer concert or porch festival similar to what is offered in Shelburne Falls, a community-wide participatory art event or recruiting a local artist to design a statue representing Northfield’s history. Roberts emphasized that a final decision will be made after hearing community input.

“[The potential projects will] be put out to the community before we decide,” she explained. “I want people to know that their voices will be heard.”

In Ashfield, meanwhile, the “Making It Public” training is being taken on as a joint effort between the Town Clerk’s Office, Belding Memorial Library, the town Cultural Council, the town Park Commission and other community partners, according to Town Clerk Alexis Fedorjaczenko.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our town,” Fedorjaczenko said. “We applied for the grant with the support of Ashfield’s Selectboard, Cultural Council, library and Park Commission, and we are now working collaboratively on next steps. A site in Ashfield will be selected this spring.”

Like in Northfield, no decisions have been made in Ashfield yet as a call for art will not be issued until late 2025. However, potential projects could include a physical art installation such as a mural or sculpture in a public location in town, or a series of events involving music and dance.

“We’re proud to contribute to the rich creative life of Ashfield,” said Belding Memorial Library Director Sarah Hertel-Fernandez.

Montague was the local recipient of funding through the “Making It Public” program in 2024. After Montague Public Libraries Director Caitlin Kelley, Montague Parks & Recreation Director Jon Dobosz and RiverCulture Director Suzanne LoManto attended the training program, RiverCulture is now planning a temporary mural project that will expand public art across multiple villages this summer.