Gloria Hall and Art in the Park to receive Harvey Ball Smile Award on World Smile Day

WORCESTER — When Gloria D. Hall and her Art in the Park team set the dates for this year's biennial public art outdoor sculpture exhibit at Elm Park for June 10 to Oct. 6, they did not know that Oct. 6 was also World Smile Day, she said.

As things turned out, "that happened to coincide nicely," noted Hall, ideator and cofounder of Art in the Park that began 15 years ago in 2008.

Just a few days after the exhibition opened at Elm Park, The Worcester Historical Museum announced that its 2023 Harvey Ball Smile Award, often called "The Harvey," will be presented to Gloria Hall and the Art in the Park Committee on Oct. 6.

'Something to smile about'

The award is named for Harvey Ball, a Worcester native and freelance artist who invented the iconic smiley face in 1963 to help raise morale at State Mutual Life Assurance Co., now the Hanover Insurance Group. In response to what he felt had become the over-commercialization of the smiley face, Ball created World Smile Day in 1999, held annually to encourage people to devote one day to smiles and kind acts. The event is held each year on the first Friday in October and has grown to be celebrated around the world.

On Oct. 6, Elm Park will have Art in the Park activities for families on the final day of the exhibition and a celebration of the 25th annual World Smile Day from 1 to 4 p.m. Then, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (VIP reception 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.), the 22nd annual Harvey Ball at St. Spyridon Cultural Center, just across from Elm Park at 102 Russell St., will include the presentation of the Harvey Ball Smile Award, performances by Central Mass Dance Academy and live entertainment by The MidTown Horns (a 16-piece band), raffle packages curated by local Worcester businesses, a Wall of Spirits raffle, hors d’oeuvres, food stations, and more.

William Wallace, executive director of the Worcester Historical Museum, said "The ‘Harvey’ is presented annually to an individual, organization, or group of individuals whose commitments have made a difference in the city of Worcester … and helped people throughout the community smile.”

Art in the Park "is a public art exhibit created to present large-scale sculptures in historic Elm Park, enriching the lives of those that live, work, study, play, and visit spaces and places in Central Massachusetts," the museum said in its announcement about this year's Harvey Ball Smile Award. "Art in the Park 2023 is a testimony to the impact of public art in Worcester, truly making our entire community smile."

"It's an honor," Hall said of receiving the award. "I'm glad they're able to say it's something to smile about."

'Joy, Community, Creativity'

Art in the Park started in 2008 as an annual event until 2011, after which it became biennial, making this year's exhibition the 10th. It gets support from the City of Worcester (including the Parks and Forestry departments), individuals, local businesses and foundations.

"One of the reasons we do it, we want people to respond to it and hopefully it does bring a smile to people's faces," Hall said.

Hall said her team is small. "We're a very lean group. Six of us on the committee." The 28 works in the exhibition were chosen by a jury of three, and includes national, regional and local artists.

This year's exhibition has "been received very well," Hall said.

The theme of Art in the Park this year is “Love in Action: Joy, Community, Creativity."

Hall said she was talking to one person viewing the exhibition not long after it opened "who used the word 'joy,' and I felt, well, OK."

'The icon for happiness and good will'

Coming close to the end of the exhibition, Hall did not want to ponder the next Art in the Park just yet during a recent interview. "I'm taking a break from thinking about it," she said. "We'll just see what happens."

However, "One of the exciting things is other shows that came about in direct response," she said.

Art in the Park and Anna Maria College in Paxton have collaborated to bring public art to the college campus, and Clark University has an upcoming Art in the Heart of Main South show, Hall said.

The first Harvey Ball Smile Award was presented to Allen W. Fletcher,  now founder and president of the Worcester Public Market off Kelley Square and former president of the Canal District Alliance and owner of Worcester Magazine, in 2001.

The award and the annual Harvey Ball were created by the Worcester Historical Museum just after Ball's death in 2001 at the age of 79.

"One of our (Worcester's) claims to fame is the icon for happiness and good will from Worcester, Massachusetts," Wallace said.

He recalled that around the time of the first award, he was quoted as saying "If Hollywood can have the Oscars we can have the Harvey."

This year sees several anniversaries involving Harvey Ball and Art in the Park at Elm Park, Wallace observed.

This is Art in the Park's 10th exhibition and the organization is 15 years old. This year is also the 170th anniversary of the decision in 1853 to purchase land in Worcester (actually purchased in 1854) for a municipal park that we now know as Elm Park, Wallace said.

Meanwhile, 2023 is the 60th anniversary of the creation of the smiley face in 1963, and the 25th annual World Smile Day, Wallace said. "You don't now which card to buy."

Wallace knew Ball and said "he wanted people to remember that it (the smiley face) came from Worcester."

'A friend-raiser and fundraiser'

The recipient of each year's Harvey Ball Smile Award is decided by the Worcester Historical Museum's board of trustees.

"It could be an individual, an organization, or a loose set of individuals," Wallace said.

Besides Fletcher, other recipients have included  Denis Leary, Leslie Courtney, John W. Spillane, Charles F. Monahan Jr., Richard B. Kennedy, Timothy P. Murray, Jane Petrella, Mary DeFeudis, the Crowley family, Myles and Jean McDonough, Michael V. O'Brien, Mary and Warner Fletcher, Charles P. Ball, the Canal District Alliance, Mark and Janice Fuller, Patty Eppinger, Cliff Rucker, Dale LePage, the Worcester Red Sox, Ed Augustus, Michael Hirsch, Mayor Joseph Petty, Melanie Bonsu, Sen. Harriette Chandler, Ricky Duran, Martha Grace, Judi Kirk, Satya Mitra, AiVi Nguyen, Alisan Porter, POW! WOW! Worcester, St. John's Food Pantry, stART on the Street, Imrana Soofi, Nellie Toney, Dolly Vazquez, Vision for Worcester, Dee Wells, James Welu, WooFood Favorites and the Worcester Women's Oral History Project.

The annual Harvey Ball is "a friend-raiser and fundraiser," Wallace said. The event raises "a little money" but it's an event recognizing people in Worcester.

"This year it's Gloria and her team and Elm Park," Wallace said.

Art in the Park/World Smile Day

When: 1 to 4 p.m.

Where: Elm Park

How much: Free

22nd Annual Harvey Ball

When: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6

Where: St. Spyridon Cultural Center, 102 Russell St., Worcester

How much: VIP Reception, held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., $150; general admission from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. $100. For tickets and more information, visit worcesterhistory.org.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Gloria Hall and Art in the Park to receive Harvey Ball Smile Award