MIDDLEBORO — A public art display is scheduled to be installed in Middleboro, thanks to a grant received through the office of Economic and Community Development.

This artwork could help attract people to the town and learn more about its offerings, said Mel Jenks, grant writer for the Office of Economic and Community Development. 

“I see art as a huge driver of economic development,’’ she said. “They bring people to town.’’

The grant was awarded through the Making It Public for Massachusetts Municipalities program, which works to encourage communities to support, create and promote more vibrant and equitable public art making. 

Of the $15,000 awarded, $12,000 will be used to fund the artist or artists while the additional $3,000 will pay to install and maintain the artwork on display, Jenks said.

The next phase is a program to inform artists on how to apply for the program. The application deadline to learn more is Feb. 13. 

The deadline for the application itself has yet to be determined. A call for artists will be sent out by Dec. 31. The project is scheduled to be installed in 2024.

Jenks said she hopes that encouraging artists to participate will “build our bank of artists in Middleboro.’’

She is hopeful that new faces will make themselves known. “There’s an emphasis on underutilized artists,’’ she said. They might be early in their art careers, she said, or might not have had a chance to be spotlighted previously. 

“Hopefully some will come out of the woodwork,’’ she said.

Artwork can encourage economic growth, she said, which is one reason her office is particularly enthusiastic about the project. 

Art displays can be “place making,’’ she said, by helping to create “a place where people want to spend time.’’

They can visit the art displays then “see the coffee shops and restaurants’’ and other attractions. 

For more information about the workshop or the artist program in general, visit oecdstaff@middleboroughma.gov or grants@middleboroughma.gov. To sign up for the newsletter, visit mbresourcenter.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97283b0e7ebf17b463caae404&id=409b68c2eb