Our Mission

Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center, a ministry of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is dedicated to:

• Proclaiming the goodness of God
• Providing a unique educational setting - to "educate for life"
• Forming a global community and being global people in an interdependent world
• Being responsive to the poor in the most abandoned places.

We do this as we strive to become a model of ecological sustainability through education, the arts and agriculture.

Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center - Who We Are

Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center, established in 1983, is a mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Ipswich, Mass. Located on approximately 15 acres of woodlands, fields, gardens and animal pastures, Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center is founded on the principle that all of life is sacred and that the diversity of life is essential for the well being and sustenance of the planet.

Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center consists of four interwoven entities:

• Cuvilly's nationally accredited and state certified Pre-School and Kindergarten is the only local educational center for young children renowned for a curriculum that extends beyond the educational basics, teaching students how to live harmoniously with nature, one another and the world community.
• Cuvilly's Environmental Education Programs encourage older children and families to learn to live in harmony with the natural world. Biking, gardening, canning locally produced fruits and vegetables, learning how to conserve energy - all are incorporated into Cuvilly's current offerings. Past programs have included wool spinning workshops, soap making, weaving and knitting classes. Every summer, Cuvilly offers a special program, Simply Keep It Local (SKIL), designed to teach 4th through 7th graders how to thrive in their natural surroundings.
• Cuvilly's Farm is home to an array of farm animals, including a herd of Nubian goats being raised for donation to the Heifer Project, an international non-profit organization dedicated to ending world hunger and poverty. The farm also includes organic vegetable gardens cultivated by members of the larger community.
• Through a series of photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine constructed atop one of the hills on the property, Cuvilly's Alternative Energy Initiative generates most of the Center's electricity. The photovoltaic system serves as the experimental prototype for hospitals and schools operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at their missions throughout Africa.