This can be a museum, a Jack Kerouac center, with artifacts and a story but also a place throbbing with current culture, offering a multi-faceted educational component. We think of what it can be as a gathering place, welcoming to all for both pilgrims from afar and students just blocks away.
The main (sanctuary) part of the church will become a mid-size performance space where artists can come to Lowell to pay homage, to showcase their work through the lens of stained glass and Kerouac’s spirit. We anticipate there will be no shortage of willing artists.
The downstairs will house the museum, with artifacts and visiting collections, and it will place in context Kerouac’s place in the world at large, the world of literature and art, and within Lowell.
We imagine other parts of the church as laboratories to foster young writers, to educate students, and we envision working with area schools, colleges, and universities to make this a truly immersive experience.
Perhaps there can eventually be a Jack Kerouac Scholarship for promising writers.
RENDERINGS & PLANS BY: SCB ARCHITECTS