Placemaking: Our Library In Our Community with Ethan Kent

The Sawyer Free Library will officially relaunch the Gloucester Lyceum with a special event, Placemaking: Our Library In Our Community, featuring internationally renowned placemaking leader Ethan Kent, Executive Director of PlacemakingX.

The program will be held Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Sawyer Free Library’s Community Room, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester. Free and open to the public, registration is required at sawyerfreelibrary.org. Space is limited.

The program will begin with remarks by Mr. Kent, followed by interactive conversations with fellow attendees throughout the various spaces of the newly renovated, expanded, and modernized Sawyer Free Library. The perspectives shared in these dialogues will inspire closing insights from Mr. Kent, allowing participants to reflect on how Gloucester can continue to build meaningful, inclusive spaces—starting with its newly reimagined Library.

“Placemaking is about strengthening the connection between people and the places they share,” said Ethan Kent. “It’s about making the spaces we live, the places we love.”

The Gloucester Lyceum: A Tradition Renewed

Founded in 1830, the Gloucester Lyceum once brought thought leaders such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau to Cape Ann. Today, the Sawyer Free Library’s relaunch builds on this proud tradition, offering marquee programs that bring contemporary voices into dialogue with the community.

“The relaunch of the Gloucester Lyceum is about renewing a proud tradition of bringing people together for public discourse within a collaborative forum. True to the notion that a lyceum is “where the city comes to think,” we are honored to welcome Ethan Kent as our first speaker in this new chapter. His work around the world embodies the very spirit of community dialogue and imagination that we hope to cultivate right here in Gloucester,” said Laura Ventimiglia, Chair of the Gloucester Lyceum. 

“Welcoming Ethan Kent to Gloucester to help relaunch our historic Lyceum is both timely and inspiring,” added Mern Sibley, President of the Board of Trustees of the Sawyer Free Library. “Our newly reimagined Library is the hub of the community—offering so much to so many. Ethan’s work demonstrates how meaningful public spaces can bring people together, foster belonging, and strengthen communities.”

About the Sawyer Free Library

For nearly 200 years, the Sawyer Free Library has served Gloucester as a hub of culture, learning, and civic life. Its newly renovated and expanded building continues this mission, providing equal access to resources and programs that support the community’s evolving needs.

For more information and to register for this special evening, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org. Space is limited, so register today!