by Heidi Gómez ·
Friday, April 24, 2026
Housed in the lovely Romanesque Revival style building on Fairbank Street is another Harvard gem. Fivesparks is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to cultivate artistic and cultural opportunities. Since 2017, Fivesparks has built a roster of offerings, including art exhibits and classes, concerts, theater productions, and enrichment programs for children. It continues to add more.
AnaMaria Nanra, Fivesparks executive director, and Cary Browse, board president, discussed the evolution of programming with this reporter. Nanra said, “We are passionate about a lot of different things at the same time.” This is evident in the diversity in what they offer to both adults and children.
There are a few long-running art programs. One such is Ann Gillespie’s pastel painting classes. Gillespie had never taught a class before she started with Fivesparks in 2017 but has felt support from the organization from the very beginning. In a telephone interview, she said, “I feel like they are always trying to find new partnerships. They keep growing and connecting and helping artists.”
Another long-established class, outside the realm of visual arts, is Taiwan Mahjong for Beginners. Harvard local Fay Childers has been teaching novice participants the game for the past couple of years.
Programs have expanded greatly in the past year or so. One addition is Music is Meditation. Nanra said that the instructor, Kevin Moll, is another local who will be giving instruction regarding meditation while playing the keyboard.
The first session of the Drawing Room will begin in May. Nanra said that the instructor had taught at Fivesparks before but is now envisioning developing a professional drawing school with a series of classes.
The Adult Improv Workshop is a brand new offering also in May. A participant from the comedy troupe that has performed at Fivesparks in the past will conduct this workshop for no cost, after having received a grant from the Harvard Cultural Council.
In the offing is the Rebound Boot Exercise program, which involves working out while wearing specialized boots. Browse said that this is very popular in Europe. “The class might bring in other people who might not usually come through,” she said. An open house will be held on May 16 to introduce and demonstrate the class.
A significant development in the past year has been Fivesparks Theater. In a telephone interview, volunteer coordinator Bob Eiland, said he put up a successful holiday short-play festival about two years ago. This in turn prompted him to write a proposal to develop a theater program, and Eiland produced the first play in May 2025. He currently plans to have a spring and a fall play each year.
Eiland described the work that goes into putting up a production, from reading and choosing plays that can be performed given the building’s space constraints (for example, the absence of a backstage), auditioning actors, creating scenery, finding a director, recruiting the stage crew, and much more. He said that almost everyone involved is a volunteer, but he wants more involvement from the community, to have a larger pool of people doing the different tasks, and to have bigger turnouts at auditions. “It’s tough recruiting. We are still building our brand. My ambition is for it to grow in brand and organization,” he said.
Ticket sales from theater productions are a source of funding for the nonprofit, along with registration fees, grants, and donations. Browse said, “It’s often misunderstood. Many people think we are funded by the town. But that is not the case.”
In addition to adult programming, Nanra said that “expanding youth programs seems to be the biggest push we’ve done since last summer.” Both she and Browse recognize the need for more after-school enrichment activities, and they have been working to develop a relationship with Hildreth Elementary School. Last fall, Nanra gave a presentation to teachers and staff at HES describing opportunities for them to teach classes organized and promoted by Fivesparks.
HES Principal, Rebecca Katsh-Singer, said this was well received. “We don’t have a mechanism within the school to offer short-term workshops,” she said in a telephone interview. Therefore, partnering with Fivesparks provides an opportunity for these to occur. In addition, Katsh-Singer very much appreciated Fivesparks bringing in a musician-in-residence who went to each music class to address the students and allow them to interact with violins. “I’d like to see the relationship continue to grow, for us to find ways to support what they are doing at Fivesparks [and] for us to find more ways to collaborate and bring the arts into school,” she said.
From this partnership, HES students are now able to enjoy classes at the school. Canvas and Cocoa and Paint & Popcorn are guided painting classes, with drinks or snacks included. Slime Time with Miss Lisa allows students to create different kinds of slime. Fairy Terraries teaches the participants to make miniature fairy garden terrariums.
Last summer, Fivesparks was approached by Snapology which offers STEAM classes (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). With Snapology, “We increased our offerings for youth by leaps and bounds,” Nanra said. Naomi Ahuja, Snapology executive director and owner, said that the community programming available through Fivesparks was a good fit for them.
Ahuja has received positive feedback from parents and children regarding having more programming in the town that is not sports based. Ahuja said that everyone at Fivesparks has been welcoming, “even when our kids get loud and rowdy.” Nanra made a similar observation, but said, “I think that’s fantastic!”