The Greater Fall River Art Association and city leaders on Sept. 27 dedicated The Griffin, a mobile art studio that will bring arts programming to neighborhoods and community events across Fall River, organizers said at a ceremony at Heritage State Park.

The Griffin was funded in part with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated by Bristol County and the city of Fall River, Dana Barnes, past president and current treasurer of the Greater Fall River Art Association, said. "The goal of this van is to bring art to people who really want to be creative," Barnes said, describing the vehicle as a fully equipped mobile art studio that can set up, run activities, clean up and leave with no work required of hosts.

The project received recognition from the City Council: City Councilor Andrew Raposo presented a citation he said the council adopted Sept. 23 honoring the association’s launch of the mobile studio. Raposo read portions of the citation at the dedication and said the resolution was signed by the council president and the city clerk.

Mayor Paul Coogan praised the collaboration between the art association, the City Council and municipal partners, placing The Griffin in a series of mobile city services that have included a mobile library and a mobile health-registration van. "We're getting on the road and we're coming out where the people are to make everything a little bit easier," Coogan said at the event.

Barnes thanked multiple local partners and volunteers for outfitting and maintaining the vehicle. She singled out Troy City Graphics and Kyle Furtado for designing the van’s exterior from an artist’s work and Mello’s Garage for maintenance. She identified Ron Gagnon as the association’s current president and thanked Heritage State Park and Jimmy Lopes for providing the site for the dedication.

Barnes described the van as an older vehicle that has been "tricked out inside," saying, "This is a mobile art studio. We have every single thing inside this van. All we literally need to do is come and set up." She said The Griffin will serve children and adults at parties, gatherings and public events and that "all ages are welcome." Specific scheduling and request procedures for the van were not specified at the ceremony.

The dedication was ceremonial; the transcript shows the City Council’s citation was adopted earlier (Sept. 23) rather than voted on at the event. Organizers said the van’s launch relied on ARPA funding from Bristol County and the city; details on the exact funding amounts were not provided.

Organizers and city officials encouraged residents to look for The Griffin at future events, including summer programming in city parks, though specific dates and operational details were not given at the dedication.