News 2021: Star Store Stories: Celebrating 20 years of the Star Store Campus

Submit what the Star Store means to you!

UMass Dartmouth Galleries has launched an oral history project – celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Star Store campus – and encourages you to share your stories about Star Store!

Do you remember shopping there? Did you work there? Have you heard stories about its holiday displays or pneumatic tubes? Did you make art in Star Store studios or visit its galleries? What does Star Store mean to you?

The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at UMass Dartmouth is collecting “Star Store Stories” through December 31. Anyone with a story about Star Store – workers, shoppers, neighbors, visitors, students, alumni, and more – is invited to contribute. UMass Dartmouth Galleries aims to tell the story of how this historic downtown New Bedford icon intersected with your life. Did you meet your partner there? Did your grandmother take you to lunch there? Did you study there? How have the changes at Star Store reflected changes in the New Bedford area? What does the Star Store mean to you?

“As we celebrate CVPA’s 20th anniversary in the building this Fall, we look to the much longer and richer history of Star Store. Help us document and tell the story of the building's history and its place in the life and identity of New Bedford,” said Viera Levitt, Gallery Director of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

To participate, there are two options:

1. You may share a story by phone by calling 508-999-8906 and leaving it via voicemail in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Please try to record in a quiet environment if possible.

2. If you'd rather write your response down, or tell your story in other languages, please share it with us by filling out the Star Store Stories Form. You may also share photographs with the gallery by sending them to the email in this form.

We encourage sharing stories about your personal connection to Star Store that include surprising or unexpected information about the building and its history! Recordings of up to five minutes, or texts of up to 250 words, can be accepted. The gallery will then compile and share stories collected with the general public in a form to be determined. The gallery retains editorial discretion about inclusion in the presentation.

The window for sharing stories is live and will run through the end of the calendar year. Stories will be made public next year. All are welcome to participate.