Arts on Main has launched Phase Three of its project to enhance the Gloucester Main Street facility and the resources it offers to the public.

Phase Three will involve creating a ceramics studio, adding educational space, upgrading the kitchen for community use, and other improvements, said a press release. Educational programs are slated to expand, reaching a wider geographic area and targeting pre-k, youth, and teens, as well as older adults and residents of continuous care facilities. The organization also seeks to strengthen its own sustainability.

Supporting Phase Three, Arts on Main has received a $100,000 challenge grant from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation. The challenge will involve raising at least an additional $100,000 in new matching gifts and multi-year pledges. The overall plan requires raising $1.5 million from private and public sources, said the release, adding that more than $374,000 has already been raised in early lead gifts and pledges.

In two earlier...