Medford Arts Council

... and the Tanglewood Marionettes!

2011-10-16T10:20:00.003-04:00

Columbus Elementary School students also got to see the Tanglewood Marionettes presentation of "The Fairy Circus" last spring. The show began with a demonstration of the art of puppetry and then showcased twenty marionettes dancing and playing instruments.

Helen Keller, live at the Columbus

2011-10-16T08:41:00.003-04:00

We get pictures from our grantees throughout the year and we love to see them!

Last spring, the Columbus School brought a Historical Perspectives performance of Helen Keller to the school for all students in grades K-5. The show included the story of Keller's remarkable life and a Braille book for students to examine.

Read more about Historical Perspectives and Helen Keller here.

Arts Council meeting tomorrow night

2011-10-11T07:27:00.004-04:00

The public is invited and most welcome to all Medford Arts Council meetings.

This week we will be planning for the grant proposal review process - discussing logistics, and we will also be voting on the final dollar amount available to allocate in this grant cycle.

Medford Arts Council
Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7-8 pm, City Hall room 207
Grant review process prep meeting

Agenda:

1. Welcome, approve minutes (5 min.)
2. Fundraiser report (10 min)

Discuss leftover donations (5 min)

3. Final grant amount for 2012 (10 min)
4. Application binder prep (10 min)
5. Review grant review process including conflict of interest process (10 min)

Take our money, please!

2011-09-27T12:37:00.000-04:00

If you have ideas, we have money!

We’re the Medford Arts Council. We award grants each year to individuals and organizations who create public arts and cultural programs in Medford, including concerts, festivals, performances, classes, and field trips.

Our grant applications are short and easy to fill out. Go to our web site at www.medfordartscouncil.org and click on “Apply for funding” for details!

The application deadline for 2012 grants is October 15, 2011.

We’ll have more money for these grants if you come to our fundraiser in Davis Square on September 27, so please tell your friends.

Pizza for the Arts Tomorrow Night

2011-09-26T06:29:00.002-04:00

When you come for dinner (or get take-out), Medford audiences win!

Thanks to the generosity of Flatbread Pizza/Sacco's Bowl Haven, the Medford Arts Council and YOU have an opportunity to help fund Medford artists and creative projects for all of 2012!

Tuesday night, 5-10 pm. 45 Day Street in Davis Square. Hope to see you there!

Please spread the word to your family, friends, neighbors, fellow school parents, co-workers... and you can see a list of the projects we've funded over the years here.

Photo courtesy of the kind and talented Brad Kelly, www.bradkellyfilms.blogspot.com.

The Best Medford Silent Auction and Raffle Ever!

2011-09-21T05:55:00.007-04:00

Get ready for next Tuesday, the 27th - not only can you eat delicious Flatbread pizza and support Medford arts and culture.... You can also bid on an array of fantastic items in the first-ever Medford Arts Council silent auction, or try your luck in our raffle!

Auction bidding begins at 5 pm and ends at 8:30 pm (winners do not have to be present to win).

Check out this partial list of wonderful auction items, many by local artists (fair market values in parentheses):

2 still lifes by local artist Polly Parke ($175 each)
a circular stained glass piece by Medford artist Maureen Sonnie ($250)
2 glass pumpkins designed by MIT glass artist Peter Houk ($175 each)
a 1-hour photo portrait session by Medford photographer Otha Sonnie ($150)
a ceramic piece by Medford artist Earl Howard ($40)
a whimsical clay sculpture by Medford artist Jean Goldman ($50)
wine gift basket with handpainted wine glasses and Medford note cards, donated by Medford Square's Grapevine Travelers, Alexa Mase and June Holwell ($85)
Bentley University Bowles Performance Series 4-ticket package for 9 performances in 2011-2012, featuring Jonathan Edwards, a theatrical adaptation of the Kite Runner and the Swingin' Holiday Show ($380)

And these outstanding raffle items:

a year of free bread from Panera Bread
gift cards from Flatbread Pizza, Whole Foods, Bertucci's, Jannabee's Bakery and Shell Gas
basket of hair styling products from Jean is Hair, Medford
crocheted double afghan by Jean Goldman
4 admission tickets to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
Medford notecards set

And did we mention there's delicious Flatbread pizza too?

Save the Date - Pizza and Fun for the Arts in Medford

2011-08-08T11:53:00.003-04:00

Photo courtesy of Plutor

S A V E T H E D A T E!

When: Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

5-10 pm

Where: Flatbread Pizza at

Sacco's Bowl Haven

45 Day Street

Davis Square, Somerville

How: Come down to Sacco's and have dinner, or call for take-out

Why: Support the Arts in Medford!

Flatbread Pizza/Sacco’s Bowl Haven and The Medford Arts Council are pleased to
announce an evening of good food, bowling, and an opportunity to take home original art and community gifts.

These will include items from the Tufts University Community Music Program, Jannabee’s Bakery, Whole Foods Market, Flatbread Pizza, tickets to museums and events, and original artworks by local artists. The proceeds, along with a portion of total pizza sales (including take-out) from the evening, will go to support local arts and cultural programming in Medford through the Medford Arts Council's annual grant program.

*All* proceeds will directly benefit Medford Arts Council grant recipients. In past years these beneficiaries have included:

Medford Public Schools
Medford Family Network
West Medford Open Studios
Medford Public Library Community Read and School Vacation Performances
Medford Senior Citizens Inc./MCOA
Saving Lives Summer Concerts
Handel & Hayden Outreach in Schools
Dance in the Fells
Medford Boys and Girls Club
Medford Historical Society
CACHE in Medford
Royall House
Medford Office of Human Diversity
+ other organizations and too many individual artists and performers to list here!
(check out our past 5 years of grantees here)

The restaurant will accept call-ahead seating and bowling lane reservations. This is strongly urged, especially for groups of 10 or more. (617) 776-0552

Join us for a night of fun, or call in for take-out, and help increase the amount and quality of arts and cultural programming in Medford in 2012!

Revising our local grant guidelines

2011-07-13T15:08:00.000-04:00

Revising our local guidelines is on our agenda for our next public meeting on July 20, 2011, 7:00-9:00 pm, Medford City Hall, Room 207. If you have feedback or suggestions, please come to the meeting or post a comment here! (Council members cannot post our opinions here about what we should do, because that discussion must take place during our public meetings. But we can answer questions about how our guidelines work.)

The decisions we make will affect our 2012 grant cycle. The deadline for 2012 grant applications is October 15, 2011.

Medford Arts Council local guidelines

Our local guidelines and funding priorities are at www.medfordartscouncil.org/apply.html along with a link to our scoresheet.

Decisions to make: Should we add, change, or remove any of our local guidelines and funding priorities? Should we change our scoresheet?

Revised state guidelines

For 2012 grants, the state has revised several guidelines. You can see an explanation of these changes at www.medfordartscouncil.org/2012/revised_guidelines.pdf.

Here are the areas the state has revised:

Clarifying who can serve on a council
Clarifying how our funds must be managed
Clarifying the timeframe for eligible projects
Clarifying that religious and non-profit schools are eligible to apply for funding for cultural programs that do not advance religion (subject to the same criteria and restrictions as public schools). For-profit schools continue to be ineligible
Revising the "no substitution" criteria
Removing the "no dependency" criteria
Creating a new reconsideration process
Clarifying the reimbursement timeframe
Creating a new process for handling incomplete projects
Changing the guidelines and applications for cultural field trips (no longer called PASS grants)

Timeframe for eligible projects

The state guidelines continue to say that the broadest allowable timeframe for LCC programs is from July 1 preceding the application deadline to December 31 of the following year. The state also says that local councils can define a shorter timeframe. The Medford Arts Council's local guidelines have said that programs must take place during the calendar year following the application deadline.

Decision to make: Should we change our timeframe for eligible projects?

Funding projects over many years

LCC grants have never been meant to be a fixed source of funding for projects occurring year after year. The previous guidelines advised LCCs that a good rule of thumb was a three year cap on funding for the same project. In response to LCC and applicant feedback, this guideline has been removed entirely as a state review criteria, however…

Councils are encouraged to develop local guidelines regarding matching funding or funding limits over time so that new projects can receive funding and the council can continue to meet the community's needs. Councils that want to continue to use Non-Dependency as a review criteria must publish this in their local guidelines before September 1.

The Medford Arts Council has considered the non-dependency guideline in the past, and has given some priority to new projects in our local guidelines and in our scoresheet.

Decisions to make: Should we revise our local guideline (which currently says that 20% of our funds go to new projects) or our scoresheet (which gives some extra points to new and evolving projects)? Should we establish a local guideline which limits funding to long-term projects in some way?

Cultural field trips (formerly known as PASS)

Changes have been made to this type of grant, but the core goal remains the same--to send children on cultural field trips. Local councils may choose to fund cultural field trips for children, grades pre-K through 12, by subsidizing the cost for children to attend programs in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences (including performances, educational tours and exhibits). Based on community input, each local cultural council may determine whether or not they accept requests for field trips, and if so, what types of expenses are eligible (student ticket cost, transportation, chaperone tickets, guide fees, etc.).

The Medford Arts Council has local guidelines based on community input which state that we do not fund transportation for field trips, and that up to 7% of the Council's funding will be granted to the schools for field trips.

Decisions to make: Should we revise our local guidelines for field trips?

New murals at the Medford Boys and Girls Club

2011-07-13T09:36:00.000-04:00

The Medford Boys and Girls Club now has two great murals painted by the kids themselves thanks to a 2011 art project funded by the Medford Arts Council. See photos and read all about it at insidemedford.com!

June 16: What the Trees Saw: Their Perspective on Medford History

2011-06-14T16:13:00.000-04:00

Do not miss the opportunity to hear historian Dee Morris give a talk at the Medford Public Library on Thursday, June 16 at 7:00 PM about "What the Trees Saw: Their Perspective on Medford History."

We may not think about trees very often but they contribute to our landscape and surroundings and have been witness to past and present history. Dee will talk about some of Medford's famous trees. This program is funded in part by the Medford Arts Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Back Pocket Dancers in West Medford on June 3

2011-05-19T08:02:00.001-04:00

Friday June 3 at 7:00 p.m., come see Back Pocket Dancers give a free performance at the West Medford Community Center!

Students are delighted by Sonho Meu afterschool programs

2011-05-18T11:17:00.001-04:00

Sonho Meu shared with us some of the wonderful notes that students wrote to them after their afterschool programs at the Columbus School!

CACHE fundraiser on April 26

2011-04-09T16:36:00.000-04:00

Medford's arts coalition CACHE is holding a fundraiser on Tuesday, April 26 at John Brewer's Tavern. The flyer is at:

http://www.medfordartscouncil.org/John-Brewers-April26.pdf

Print the flyer and bring it to John Brewer's Tavern on April 26 any time from 6 p.m. until closing, and 20% of your total bill for food and drinks will support CACHE and arts in Medford! The flyer is really important, because CACHE only receives 20% if you bring the flyer. There will also be a raffle with prizes from local businesses.

Please come on April 26, bring your friends, and pass this message along!

CACHE Organizations: Coming together to connect you to arts and culture in Medford
- Brooks Estate Land Trust
- Chevalier Theater Organ Society
- Friends of Chevalier Auditorium and Gene Mack Clubhouse
- The Historic Connection
- Medford Arts Center, Inc.
- Medford Arts Council
- Medford Artists Critique
- Medford Chamber of Commerce
- Medford Historical Society
- Monkeyhouse
- Outside the Lines
- Poetry Discussion Group
- Royall House & Slave Quarters
- Springstep
- Take a Book Leave a Book (TABOLAB)

Members of Brazilian Samba Group Sonho Meu Perform at Andrews Middle School

2011-04-06T09:37:00.001-04:00

On Friday, March 25 and April 1, 2011, two members of the local music group, Sonho Meu, treated the music students at the Andrews Middle School to a presentation. The band, whose name is translated from Portuguese to "Dream of Mine", is lead by Medford resident and Brazilian music enthusiast, Diane Amelia Read. Diane and her guitar player, Nando Costa, a native of Brazil and Berklee College of Music student, dazzled over 180 AMS students in grades 6-8 about the importance of music in Brazilian culture. Students experienced the presentation music by listening to, singing, shaking, and even dancing to live Samba music.

Congratulations to Dance in the Fells, 2011 Gold Star Award Winner

2011-03-09T20:00:00.001-05:00

Dance in the Fells, which the Medford Arts Council helped fund in October 2010, is receiving a prestigious 2011 Gold Star Award from the state. Local cultural councils like ours fund over 5000 projects and events around the state each year, and only 6 of those projects are chosen by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for Gold Star Awards for excellence in community cultural programming. We are really proud that Medford was home to a project that ranked in the top 1/10 of 1% state-wide!

The Gold Star award is based on "artistic quality, success in reaching out to underserved constituents, extent to which the project highlights a unique quality of the community, and ability to engage with the community." Dance in the Fells was a perfect example, bringing dance lovers into our tremendous natural resource in the Fells and bringing a day of performances to hikers and dog walkers and bikers.

Dance in the Fells was created and organized by Two Roads, a performance project company founded by Kyna Hamill and Wanda Strukus. On a sunny Saturday afternoon in October, the Middlesex Fells were filled with new outdoor, site-specific work by EgoArt, Inc./Nicole Pierce, Joan Green, John Kramer, Monkeyhouse Dance, and Sara Smith. Performances took place throughout the Fells at Wright’s Tower, Panther Cave, South Reservoir, The Sheepfold, Molly’s Spring, and Bellevue Pond.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in supporting Dance in the Fells: Springstep, Friends of the Fells, our colleagues at the Winchester Cultural Council, The Boston Foundation, and many more. And a huge congratulations to Kyna Hamill and Wanda Strukus for organizing Dance in the Fells, and to the choreographers and performers, the many volunteers, and everyone who came and made the event such a success!

The official presentation of the Gold Star Award to Dance in the Fells will take place later this spring.

Photograph of Nicole Harris, Monkeyhouse Dance, by Wanda Strukus.

Book Reading and Signing by Local Children's Author

2011-01-28T15:01:00.002-05:00

Local children's author, Chuckie Veneziano, will read his book My Time on Nantucket Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 6:00 – 7:30 pm at Medford High School. The reading is for families with children preschool age and older. Each family will receive a copy of the book, and Mr. Veneziano will be available to sign copies after the presentation. This event is sponsored by Medford Title I and the Medford Family Network. Please register for the event by calling the MFN at (781) 393-2106.

Student Art Showcase and Ice Cream Social

2011-01-28T14:29:00.004-05:00

The Medford Arts Council is proud to co-sponsor the children's art show at the Friends of the Medford Family Network's Valentine Fun'raiser Ice Cream Social and Student Art Showcase. The second annual Art Showcase will feature artwork by Medford students from grades 3 through 7 and can be viewed free of charge without a ticket. The Ice Cream Social Fun'raiser, which costs $5 per person or $20 for a family, will include frozen custard and sorbet sundaes, a Sing-A-Lingo performance with songs in Spanish and English, face painting, speed sketches, a bake sale (with *free* Starbucks coffee), Valentine's Day crafts, and more! The Ice Cream Social ticket sales will benefit the Medford Family Network's wonderful free programs for Medford families with young children.

When: Saturday, February 12, 1:30-3:30pm

Where: McGlynn Middle School, off Riverside Ave. near Lapham St., Medford MA

Tickets can be purchased at www.medfordfamilies.org, 781-606-0293, or at the door (cash only).

Nine days until grant applications must be postmarked!

2010-10-06T11:18:00.000-04:00

Grant applications must be postmarked by October 15. We received several excellent questions yesterday:

Do I need to have every detail of my plans worked out before I send in the application?

We do need to see detailed planning, including letters of support from all the key people and venues involved. You don’t have to commit to a particular date a year in advance. But if you’re planning an event at the library, you need to include a letter from the library saying that they want to host your event. If you have not yet chosen performers, show us that you have a track record of putting on this sort of event. We want to fund events and projects that we are sure will happen.

How much information should I put on the application form?

You should include as much information as you can fit and still have it be readable. We photocopy the completed application forms and distribute them to all of the members of the Medford Arts Council to evaluate.

How much supporting material should I include with my application?

We want to see any supporting material that will tell us more about your plans and about the key people or groups involved. Try to consolidate supporting material onto fewer pages or include a one-page summary of the additional material. We photocopy and distribute only the supporting material that seems key to understanding the application fully, and we review other supplementary material when questions arise during our evaluation of the grant applications.

Ask us for help with your grant application

2010-09-24T11:12:00.000-04:00

Are you considering applying for a Medford Arts Council grant? Wondering how to answer a question on the application form, or what information we’re looking for?

Come talk to us this weekend:

September 25, 2010, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Medford Public Library book sale, Medford Arts Council table

September 26, 2010, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tufts Community Day, Medford Arts Council table

We support a wide range of projects: big and small, new and established, in arts, culture, humanities, and science. We’ll be happy to answer your questions, take a look at a draft of your application, and explain our review process!

Dance in the Fells on October 9

2010-09-24T10:44:00.003-04:00

www.tworoads.org/danceinthefells.html

Grant application deadline is October 15

2010-09-01T11:13:00.001-04:00

What you do:
Create arts and cultural programs!

What we do:
Give you money!

We’re the Medford Arts Council. We award grants each year to individuals and organizations who create public arts and cultural programs in Medford, including concerts, festivals, performances, classes, and school field trips.

Our grant applications are short and easy to fill out. Go to our web site at www.medfordartscouncil.org and click on “Apply for funding” for details!

The application deadline for 2011 grants is October 15, 2010.

Officers for the coming year

2010-08-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

At last night’s Medford Arts Council meeting, we elected our officers for the coming year:

Michael Bernstein and Maria Daniels, Co-chairs
Will Tenney, Treasurer
Alexa Mase, Recording Secretary
Anita Tucker, Corresponding Secretary

We were also delighted to welcome three new people who are considering joining the Medford Arts Council. If you’d like to join our ranks and help support arts and culture in Medford, talk to any of us on the council and start coming to our meetings! We’re all volunteers, we all share an interest in giving back to our city, and we’re a productive group!

Going national!

2010-07-08T11:56:00.002-04:00

Alix Roy wrote a lovely article last week for Boston.com about our postcards. This week our postcards are featured in the July 7, 2010 Arts Watch newsletter from Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. In fact, you can find us today on the home page of Americans for the Arts under “Local, National, and International News”—follow the link “Water Bills Livened with Art.”

If you live in Medford, look for a free postcard in your July water bill at the end of this month. You can also buy the postcards at the Royall House gift shop when they’re open on the weekends.

If you’d like to order sets of all 3 postcards by mail, send e-mail to michael@medfordartscouncil.org and we’ll let you know as soon as we’re set up for that. Meanwhile, here’s what the back of one of the postcards looks like:

Postcard back

You can see all 3 postcards in our earlier post about our postcard images.

Setting our priorities

2010-07-01T09:25:00.003-04:00

Each fall, we have to decide which grant applications to fund. We receive far more requests for good programs and projects than we can support with our budget. So we use our scoring sheet to rate each grant application, and use those scores to help us figure out which grants get more or less money.

We started using the scoring sheet in 2008, and we revised our local funding priorities and scoring sheet a year ago after reading your responses to our 2009 community input survey. Tonight (July 1, 2010) we’ll be discussing what to change for this fall’s grant review process, and you’re welcome to join us in that discussion. We’ll meet at City Hall Room 201 from 7:00 until approximately 8:15 or 8:30. City Hall is sometimes locked at night, so we encourage you to come to the front entrance of City Hall by 7:00 so you can come in with us.

The local guidelines, funding priorities, and scoring sheet that we approve tonight will be the ones we use this fall. They’ll help us decide whether to fund a mural or a film festival, a drumming class or a community read. Come tell us what you want happening in Medford in 2011.

Update after our guidelines meeting: We voted to raise our limit on PASS grants to 7% of our budget for 2011, and we revised our scoring sheet to give more weight to the artistic/cultural merit line.

Our postcard images

2010-05-19T11:07:00.001-04:00

We've chosen the three postcards we'll produce for 2010: an illustration of Medford Square by Laura Dorson, a photo of the John Hand Footbridge over the Mystic River by Lauren DiLorenzo, and a photo of the McGlynn School playground by Paul Marotta.

The Medford Arts Council received more than 60 images in response to our call for art featuring images of Medford. Amateur and professional artists submitted photographs, paintings, illustrations, woodcuts, and digital collages. The Medford Transcript hosted an online gallery and poll showcasing 19 of the images, and over 200 people voted for their favorites. At our May 12 meeting, we selected the final three images to turn into postcards, and they were unveiled at our reception on Sunday.

Illustration of Medford Square by Laura Dorson

Laura Dorson is a local graphic designer and illustrator. This image highlights the familiar turret and curving facade of the Bigelow Block building in the middle of Medford Square. The Bigelow Block was built in 1886 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Laura describes the illustration as "hand-done, if that can be said of digital art." The image has a cheerful mid-century vibe.

Photo of the John Hand Footbridge by Lauren DiLorenzo

Lauren DiLorenzo is Medford's Director of Community Development. She considers herself an amateur photographer, although she took her first photography class over 25 years ago. The John Hand Footbridge is photographed here from the Cradock Bridge the morning after a snow and ice storm. Also known as the Medford Pipe Bridge, the footbridge was constructed in 1897 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Lauren says, "This vista is my favorite in Medford. Usually I like the image of the rear of the buildings, their colors, styles and the fading lettering, but on this day, the color and reflection of the bridge and the snowy embankment of the Mystic River are what captured the eye."

Photo of the McGlynn School playground by Paul Marotta

Paul Marotta is a photographer and publicist who grew up in Medford and recently returned to the area. Paul took this striking photograph at the McGlynn School playground, which was designed and built as part of the McGlynn School complex completed in 2001. The wall follows the design at this playground showing the historic contours of the Mystic River from before the river was redirected for construction of the Amelia Earhart Dam and the Route 16 off-ramp. Paul Marotta's photography is represented by Getty Images Worldwide. More of his work can be seen at www.perfectbokehphotography.com.

We'll be printing these postcards in July. 14,000 of the postcards will be distributed to Medford residents for free as an insert in their July water bills, thanks to Mayor McGlynn and funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Thank you to everyone who sent us images!

2010-05-07T16:50:00.002-04:00

We are delighted with the response to our call for art! We’ll be selecting the postcard images next week. You can see some of them now and vote for your favorite!

Call for art featuring Medford!

2010-03-25T16:29:00.001-04:00

Have you created an image of Medford? Do you want to show it off?

The Medford Arts Council is producing a series of postcards. Each card will have an image of Medford on the front along with our web address (www.medfordartscouncil.org), and information about the Medford Arts Council and the artist's name on the back.

DEADLINE: April 30, 2010.

SUBJECT: Anything in Medford, though we're particularly interested in recognizable landmarks.

STYLE: Any sort of painting, photograph, illustration, or drawing, as long as it is now a digital file.

SPECS: Color digital image at 300 dpi, at least 5.7 inches wide by 3.2 inches tall (larger is ok). The final printed image size will be 5.5 inches wide by 3.1 inches tall, and we need the image to extend beyond those margins so that the cards can be trimmed to size.

SUBMISSION FEE: None!

Selected artists will receive 50 copies of their card, as well as distribution of their card to thousands of Medford residents thanks to Mayor McGlynn and funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Send your image to michael@medfordartscouncil.org along with your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Include 1–3 sentences about yourself, and 1–3 sentences about the artwork. You may submit up to 4 images.

Know a deserving arts advocate/educator? Nominate them!

2010-02-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

This information is from the Massachusetts Cultural Council's newsletter. The deadline for applicants is March 1st.

http://www.artslearning.org/programs/advocacy/pr/annual_awards/MAEC

Arts|Learning Requests Nominations for Arts Advocate Award
From 1984 through to the present, the MA Champion of Arts Education Advocacy Awards have recognized over 175 teachers and arts advocates in our schools and communities for their accomplishments educating students and for supporting arts education. Arts|Learning continues this tradition of recognizing excellence in arts education programs and advocacy. Nominations may be submitted by any Massachusetts resident and current A|L members. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Awards are given in the following categories:

* Distinguished Arts Educator Advocate
* Excellence in School Administration Arts Advocate
* Outstanding Parent Advocate
* Outstanding Community Arts Collaborative
* Corporate/Business Support of Arts Education
* Outstanding Student Advocate
* School Committee Advocate
* Schools of Distinction in Arts Education

Learn more about the awards on Arts|Learning's website.
http://www.artslearning.org/programs/advocacy/pr/annual_awards/MAEC

2010 arts, culture, and humanities grant winners announced!

2010-01-25T00:24:00.004-05:00

Thirty-one worthy arts, humanities, and culture applicants have received grant funding from the state, distributed through the Medford Arts Council's annual grantmaking process.

Although our annual allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council was significantly reduced this year, I and the other members of the Arts Council believe these award winners are a wonderfully diverse, strong, and capable group. They will add tremendously to Medford's cultural scene in the coming year. Watch for public notices of their programs and special events!

More about the winners

Award winners will bring music, dramatic performances, dance, the visual arts, history, and more to many diverse groups in our community, including children, seniors, families, and the general public.

Funded projects include the second annual Community Read, a collaboration between the Royall House and art students at Medford High, an oral history project, and the first-ever dance performance in the Middlesex Fells.

Full list of winners:

Summer Family Performances, Medford Public Library, $890.00, Multidisciplinary
Two School Vacation Performances, Medford Public Library, $540.00, Multidisciplinary
Medford's Rising Star Spectacular, Jingle Bell Festival Committee, $380.00, Multidisciplinary
Hands on History - Continental Soldiers by the 7th Mass Regt., $380.00, History
Medford Community Read, Medford Public Library, $1,120.00, Literature
Mabray Doc Kountze Art and Film Festival, Medford Art Center, Inc., $1,250.00, Visual Arts
Doc Kountze Annual Booklet, $250.00, Multidisciplinary
How to Pastel Paint Expressively: Van Gogh's Starry Night, Gregory Maichack, $435.00, Visual Arts
Open Air Circus After School Club, Columbus Elementary School, $140.00, Multidisciplinary
West Medford Open Studios XI, West Medford Open Studios, $1,000.00, Visual Arts
Musical Programs (for Seniors), Denise Doucette, $780.00, Music
Songbirds of the Northeast, John Root, $260.00, Science
Education Outreach Program, Handel and Haydn Society, $330.00, Music
West Medford Elder Project, Otha Sonnie, $2,190.00, Photography
Dance in the Fells: 5 Pieces, 5 Places, Kyna Hamill, $1,000.00, Dance
International Family Festival, Medford After School Program, $700.00, Multidisciplinary
World Percussion Program, Medford After School Program, $460.00, Music
Folk Tales From Around the World, Medford After School Program, $250.00, Multidisciplinary
Sing-a-Lingo Summer Concert, Medford After School Program, $160.00, Music
Medford Historical Society Permanent Collection, Medford Historical Society, $500.00, History
Voices of Medford (working title), Medford Office of Human Diversity, $1,210.00, History
Creative Community Program, Outside the Lines Studio, $1,000.00, Visual Arts
Weekend Workshops Series, Springstep, Inc., $950.00, Multidisciplinary
Contact: The Magic of Communication Assembly, Scott Jameson, $100.00, Theater
Royall House & Slave Quarters Illustrated, Royall House Association, $750.00, Visual Arts
MACI Promo Videos, Johnathan Carr, $500.00, Visual Arts
Tsongas Industrial History Center, Roberts Elementary School, $185.00, History
Belmont Habitat Education Center, Columbus Elementary School, $185.00, Science
Bamidele Dancers and Drummers, Saint Joseph School in Medford, $185.00, Music
Museum of Science, Andrews Middle School, $185.00, Science
Wheelock Family Theatre: HONK: The Musical, Brooks PTO, $185.00, Theater

Grant application assistance

2009-09-25T16:48:00.002-04:00

Our grant application deadline for 2010 projects is October 15, 2009. Do you have questions about the grant application process or how to fill out the forms? We encourage all grant applicants to come by and talk to us:

September 27, 2009, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tufts Community Day, Medford Arts Council table

October 8, 2009, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Medford Public Library, Magoun Room

We'd love to hear about your project and help you submit a better grant application. You can also contact us by phone or e-mail.

Our prize winners!

2009-09-01T12:43:00.005-04:00

Several lucky respondents to the Medford Arts Council's summertime Community Input Survey have won prizes in a random drawing.

The survey was included in the May 2009 water bill mailing to all homeowners, reported in local news sources, distributed at venues around the city including the Medford Public Library and the Danish Pastry House, and made available online at the Council's Web site: www.medfordartscouncil.org.

The winners are:

Five Medford Square Farmers Market gift certificates, $20 each
Carol Luongo
Rebecca Kietnicks
Maureen Feeney
Barbara Kerr
Lisa DiMatteo

One-year membership to the Medford Arts Center, Inc.
Maryann Aberg

One-year membership to the Medford Historical Society
Ted Adams

One-year membership to the Medford-Brooks Estate Land Trust
Maria Judge

One-year membership to the Royall House Association
Katrin Peterson

One-year membership to Springstep
Mary Ellen Tobin

Two Magnetic Melody refrigerator magnet sets
Kelly Umstott
Jun Lee

Photograph, "Les Coquilles, Paris" by Will Tenney
Jennifer DesAutels

Palladium-print photograph, "Boston Public Library" by Maria Daniels
Millicent Hamilton

Over 200 Medford residents responded to the survey. People chose concerts and performances as a top funding priority, with a significant number requesting more events at the Chevalier Theatre or the Condon Shell. Respondents also rated activities for children, ranking in-school enrichment activities higher than field trips. See earlier blog postings for more detail.

The random prize drawing was held at the Medford Arts Council's public meeting at Medford City Hall on Monday, August 15, 2009. The Council expresses sincere gratitude to the prizes' donors and to everyone who took time to respond and provide valuable community input.

Over 200 Medford residents answered our 2009 survey!

2009-08-17T08:20:00.003-04:00

The Medford Arts Council distributed our second community input survey in the summer of 2009, and we were delighted to receive 224 responses! The first two questions were the most important in guiding our funding priorities for the upcoming year:

What would you like to see more of in Medford? The most popular choice was concerts and performances (149 people), followed closely by art exhibitions and crafts fairs (137 people). 108 people chose classes in art, music, crafts, dance, or writing, and 106 people want to see more public art such as murals and sculptures. Rounding out the answers were talks and exhibitions about Medford’s history (88 people) and open studios (64 people).

We know from last year’s survey that the spring West Medford Open Studios is a very popular, visible, and highly valued event, so we see the comparatively lower number of people asking for more open studios as partly reflecting the success of the existing open studios. Overall, our grants have lined up well with your priorities. The exception is public art, which is a category we’d like to fund more but that we’ve had few grant applications for.

For children, we fund school field trips, enrichment programs in the schools, and children’s programs outside of the schools. Which are the most important? 122 people chose enrichment programs in the schools, 74 people chose school field trips, and 50 people chose children’s programs outside of the schools. We’ve updated our funding priorities for the coming grants cycle in two ways to reflect your answers. We’ve removed the 25% cap we had on how much of our funding was allocated to the schools, and we’re limiting our PASS grant funding for field trips to 5% of our total funding.

We also asked how important it is to fund new events, and how important it is to fund established events. Most of you answered that both categories are very important. It’s clear that you like the established events in Medford and that you want more. We have a state mandate to favor new events, and that preference is reflected in our scoring sheet (pdf). We have also increased the amount of money that will be granted to new projects to at least 20% of our total funding.

You gave us hundreds of specific comments as well about arts and culture in Medford, what sorts of projects are important to you, and how we can reach the community most effectively. The most prominent repeated comments were that you want to see more projects at the Chevalier Theatre and the Condon Shell, so we’ve added points on our scoring sheet for projects at those venues. Many of you also suggested that we should try reaching people through Facebook, so we now have a Facebook page. Come become a fan and post to our wall!

Thank you to Mayor McGlynn and the Vocational School for printing the survey and to the more than 200 residents who responded.

The Community Read: A Great Success!

2009-06-14T21:53:00.004-04:00

In the latest library newsletter, Barbara Kerr reports that this year's Community Read reached an estimated 700 people. Congratulations to Barbara and the hard-working crew that put this terrific town event (really a series of events over several months) together!

The book, Stephen Puleo's Dark Tide, is a Boston-area bestseller that tells the story of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. Also offered was a children's book, Joshua's Song, by Joan Hiatt Harlow, which tells the same story from a boy's point of view.

When they applied to the Medford Arts Council for funding, the Community Read folks estimated their audience at between 200-500 people. They easily surpassed that estimate and offered a wide range of events to help Medford readers participate. Some highlights (again from the newsletter):

They had two full buses for the North End tours that took place in March and April. From all reports, it was a great time (and a great lunch!)
The most popular book discussion group met at Medford Square's ice cream spot, Coleen's, where the staff offered Rum Raisin ice cream and Molasses Flood sundaes in honor of this year's books.
Over 90 (!!) people attended the author's talk, hosted at Tufts, and asked great questions.
The library's companion lectures and film screening brought audiences in to the library and demonstrated how interested Medford residents are in local history.

Congratulations again, Community Read team and the Medford Public Library! What book is on tap for next year?

Summer Family Performances at the Medford Public Library

2009-06-14T21:45:00.002-04:00

Join the fun at the MPL this summer! All performances start at 7 pm.

Thursday, July 9

Pumpernickel Puppets presents "The Frog Prince" with master puppeteer John McDonough. Z-2000, the "light-up" space robot, will make a special appearance!

Thursday, July 16

Theatre of Life Puppets with Lesley Smith & Sammy Snail presents "Wild and Furry Puppet Adventure." This environmental puppet show will have the audience singing their connection with the natural world!

Thursday, July 23

Dennis Caraher, award-winning children's musician and songwriter, presents "Dog Bone Town: Songs for Kids."

Thursday, August 13

The Activated Storytellers present "Triumphant Tales: Stories of Creative Conquest" featuring heroes, an oversized book, audience participation, and hilarious non-stop action!

These events are funded in part by the Medford Arts Council, and by the Friends of the Medford Public Library.

2009 Medford Arts Council survey

2009-05-29T15:04:00.003-04:00

The Medford Arts Council is currently collecting community input from Medford residents through our 2009 survey. (You may receive a copy along with your next water bill.) If you complete our survey before July 1 and include your contact information, we will enter you in a drawing for a fun local prize. More than a dozen respondents received prizes last year!

Each year we provide funds to support numerous public activities in Medford in the areas of arts and culture, including concerts, festivals, performances, classes, and school field trips. Your input helps us decide which activities to fund each year, so please speak up.

on-line survey:
http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1229070

pdf file of survey:
http://www.medfordartscouncil.org/medfordarts2009survey.pdf

If you fill out the survey on paper, please mail it to Medford Arts Council, Medford City Hall, 85 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, MA 02155, or e-mail your answers to Maria Daniels at chair @ medfordartscouncil.org. Thank you!

Promoting Medford

2009-05-14T13:09:00.007-04:00

The Massachusetts Cultural Council has chosen to spotlight some of the Medford Arts Council’s recent work on their internal website for the 329 Local Cultural Councils around the state. It turns out that along with promoting the arts within Medford, we can also promote Medford to a statewide audience!

Here’s a screenshot of the “LCC Happenings” page (it’s an image, so the links won’t work):

April 25-26: West Medford Open Studios

2009-04-20T14:48:00.001-04:00

West Medford Open Studios is next weekend, April 25 and 26, from noon to 5:00 each day. Talk to working artists, listen to writers and musicians, and see the thriving arts community here in Medford!

Our 2008 community input survey received over 100 responses

2009-04-07T13:02:00.000-04:00

The Medford Arts Council distributed a community input survey in the summer of 2008, and received 104 responses! We asked a number of questions to guide us as we allocate state funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support a wide range of arts and cultural projects in Medford each year. The survey was mailed to over 14,000 Medford households in the August water bill, distributed at the Medford Square Market and at City Hall during the summer, and announced on our web site (www.medfordartscouncil.org) and on local e-mail lists. Here’s a summary of the responses we received:

We asked which programs are most valuable, which programs are missing, and which programs you'd most like to see launched in Medford. The wide range of answers we received reflects both the breadth of existing programs and the deep interest in more arts and cultural programming in the city. Specific programs that were commonly singled out as most valuable were West Medford Open Studios (28), Medford Arts Festival (16), Springstep (16), Medford Square Market (9), and Doc Kountze Festival (9). The programs in demand cover everything imaginable: more high profile public events and performances, outdoor concerts, theater, and film, gallery space in the city, and expansion of the existing open studios and arts festivals.

We asked residents to rank the most important priorities for arts and cultural funding in Medford. For each of the answers, the numbers in parentheses reflect the number of 1, 2, and 3 responses, with 1 being the most important.

Public events like concerts, festivals, and open studios (42, 27, 16)
Youth arts programs outside of school (16, 23, 14)
Projects by local artists or performers (13, 17, 16)
After-school programs and school field trips to museums (12, 13, 9)
Support for community arts and cultural organizations (11, 10, 19)
Classes and performances at senior centers (1, 8, 16)

We asked whether residents feel it is more important to fund new events or established annual events. We received 68 responses in favor of funding new events, and 52 responses in favor of funding established annual events. (Several people favored funding both.)

We asked how residents currently hear about arts and cultural activities. The range of answers was broad, with the most common being the Medford Transcript (31), e-mail and web sites (21), and word of mouth (20). A number of people specifically said that they don't hear about arts and cultural activities as much as they would like to, and 91 out of 104 people (87.5%) said they would like to receive announcements of upcoming events.

Thank you to Mayor McGlynn and the Vocational School for printing the survey, to our donors who generously contributed prizes for our survey drawing, and most importantly to the 104 people who took the time to respond to our survey.

Medford Transcript profiles June Holwell

2009-04-04T21:48:00.001-04:00

The Medford Transcript has published an in-depth article about June Holwell, past chair and treasurer of the Medford Arts Council, on being given the Massachusetts Cultural Council's Leadership Circle Award last month.

Medford Arts Council hosts reception for grant recipients

2009-03-13T20:07:00.000-04:00

The Medford Arts Council hosted a reception for 2009 grant recipients at the Royall House and Slave Quarters on March 8, 2009. Each fall, the Medford Arts Council reviews grant applications for funding local arts and cultural projects through the Local Cultural Council (LCC) program. In February, the Medford Arts Council announced their allocation of just over $30,335 to 43 grant applications for festivals, concerts, talks, classes, and field trips taking place in 2009.

The reception featured live music by Joe Walters of the Medford Arts Council and Dan Murphy, as well as a presentation of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's (MCC) Leadership Circle Award to June Holwell, past chair and treasurer of the Medford Arts Council. Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn, State Senator Pat Jehlen, State Representative Sean Garballey, and Medford City Councillor Michael Marks joined the grant recipients, the Medford Arts Council, and representatives from the Massachusetts Cultural Council at the reception. Food and drinks were provided thanks to generous donations by Cascadilla Press, CVS, Danish Pastry House, Johnnie's Foodmaster, Kappy's Liquors, Shaw's Supermarkets, Whole Foods Market, and members of the Medford Arts Council. Three door prizes were donated by the Columbus School, Springstep, and West Medford Open Studios.

About the Medford Arts Council

The Medford Arts Council is a city-appointed agency of volunteers working to promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts and humanities in order to improve the quality of life for all Medford citizens and foster a sense of community.

The Council administers the distribution of funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the form of grants to individuals, schools and non-profit organizations. The Council funds high-profile public events like the West Medford Open Studios, the Saving Lives Outdoor Summer Concert Series, and the Medford Arts Festival, as well as dozens of concerts, classes, field trips, performances, and other activities in disciplines including dance, theater, music, science, history, archaeology, and the visual arts.

Grant applications for the 2010 funding cycle will be available in September 2009, and will be due on October 15, 2009. Details are available on the Council's web site at www.medfordartscouncil.org.

Current Medford Arts Council members:
Maria Daniels (chair)
Michael Bernstein
Peter Houk
Alexa Mase
Sandie Shaheen
Will Tenney
Joe Walters

Contact:
Medford Arts Council
P.O. Box 615
Medford, MA 02155
chair@medfordartscouncil.org
www.medfordartscouncil.org

June Holwell of Medford receives Massachusetts Cultural Council's Leadership Circle Award

2009-03-08T20:18:00.000-04:00

June Holwell, past chair and treasurer of the Medford Arts Council, was presented with the Massachusetts Cultural Council's (MCC) Leadership Circle Award at a reception for grant recipients hosted by the Medford Arts Council at the Royall House and Slave Quarters on March 8, 2009. Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn, State Senator Pat Jehlen, and State Representative Sean Garballey presented the award.

The Leadership Circle Awards annually recognize outstanding volunteers from among the 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) across the state. These local arts leaders play a crucial role in supporting projects that celebrate diversity, foster collaboration, showcase artistic excellence, and provide learning experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds.

June Holwell is one of four LCC volunteers throughout the state to earn a Leadership Circle Award this year. The Leadership Circle Award winners were nominated by LCC members and then evaluated by an MCC-appointed panel. The LCC program is the largest volunteer-run, grassroots arts funding program in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences annually. Local events funded by the Medford Arts Council for 2009 include the Doc Kountze Festival, West Medford Open Studios, Medford Community Read, and dozens of concerts, talks, classes, and field trips throughout the city.

June moved to Medford in 1994, and has been very involved in the city's active arts and cultural scene. In addition to her work on the Medford Arts Council, June served as president of Medford Arts Center, Inc. (MACI). She established an ongoing exhibit series for local artists at rotating locations throughout Medford, and she has exhibited her own watercolor paintings at the Medford Square Market and numerous other venues. June led recruitment of new members for the Medford Arts Council and ensured a smooth transition of leadership before her move to New Orleans later this spring. The Medford Arts Council is delighted that June's hard work and dedication has been recognized by this Leadership Circle Award.

About the Medford Arts Council

The Medford Arts Council is a city-appointed agency of volunteers working to promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts and humanities in order to improve the quality of life for all Medford citizens and foster a sense of community.

The Council administers the distribution of funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the form of grants to individuals, schools and non-profit organizations. The Council funds high-profile public events like the West Medford Open Studios, the Saving Lives Outdoor Summer Concert Series, and the Medford Arts Festival, as well as dozens of concerts, classes, field trips, performances, and other activities in disciplines including dance, theater, music, science, history, archaeology, and the visual arts.

Current Medford Arts Council members:
Maria Daniels (chair)
Michael Bernstein
Peter Houk
Alexa Mase
Sandie Shaheen
Will Tenney
Joe Walters

Contact:
Medford Arts Council
P.O. Box 615
Medford, MA 02155
chair@medfordartscouncil.org
www.medfordartscouncil.org

Medford arts and culture applicants win funds from state

2009-02-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

Forty-three worthy arts, humanities, and culture applicants have received grant funding from the state, distributed through the Medford Arts Council's annual grantmaking process.

"These award winners will make significant contributions to the artistic and cultural life of Medford in the coming year," says Arts Council chair Maria Daniels. "Watch for public notices of their programs and special events."

The award winners will bring music, dramatic performances, poetry, the visual arts, history, and more to many diverse groups in our community, including children, seniors, families, and the general public.

Funded projects include:

Medford Community Read, Medford Public Library

International Family Festival

Teaching Children to Write Poetry

Bibliotheca Publicus: An Endangered Species

Springstep Summer Saturdays Series

Medford Arts Center, Inc. Showcase of Artists

West Medford Open Studios

Royall House Early Music Historical Concerts

Traveling Organ Educational Program

Medford Children's Arts Festival

Two School Vacation Performances, Medford Public Library

Folk Tales from Around the World

Columbus Elementary School Pottery Class

Medford Historical Society Public Programming and Outreach

Summer Gardening Program

Doc Kountze Arts Festival and Annual Booklet

Behind the Mask Theater

Engineering: Windmill Workshop

Community Gospel Chorus Concert at the Chevalier Theater

Handel & Haydn Educational Outreach Program

How to Pastel Paint as the Impressionists Workshop

Lecture: Butterflies of the Northeast

MLK: Amazing Grace

Mystic Players Variety Show for Children and Adults

Four Family Performances, Medford Public Library

Mural Painting for Children

Musical Programs for Seniors

Kids' Art at the Medford Square Farmers Market

Saving Lives Outdoor Summer Concert Series

School field trips to Lowell National Park, Salem, Boston University Shakespeare, Silent Women Heroes of American History, the North Shore Music Theater, the Museum of Science and Witnessing History at the Federal Court House

Visit the Medford Arts Council's Web site at www.medfordartscouncil.org for more information on this year's and past grant recipients.

Governor Deval Patrick's fiscal year budget recommendation, released on January 28, did not subject the Massachusetts Cultural Council to mid-year cuts.

As a result, the Medford Arts Council received its full allocation of critical grant funds that will be used by dozens of city event coordinators, artists, performers, teachers, and others to support and enrich Medford residents' lives.

Allocations are based on a local aid formula devised by the state.

About the Medford Arts Council

The Medford Arts Council is a city-appointed agency of volunteers working to promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts and humanities in order to improve the quality of life for all Medford citizens and foster a sense of community.

The Council administers the distribution of funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the form of grants to individuals, schools and non-profit organizations. The Council funds high-profile public events like the West Medford Open Studios, the Saving Lives Outdoor Summer Concert Series, and the Medford Arts Festival, as well as dozens of concerts, classes, field trips, performances, and other activities in disciplines including dance, theater, music, science, history, archaeology, and the visual arts.

Council meetings are held at Medford City Hall and are open to the public. Check the Council's Web site at www.medfordartscouncil.org for a schedule of upcoming meetings. The 2009 funding cycle is closed. The 2010 cycle will begin in late summer, with applications due in October 2009.

Medford residents respond to arts and culture survey, win prizes

2008-09-12T20:44:00.000-04:00

Several lucky respondents to the Medford Arts Council's summertime Community Input Survey have won a selection of prizes in a random drawing.

The winners are:

Five Medford Square Farmers Market gift certificates, $20 each
Heather McCurdy
Audrey Stanwood
Alam Family
Debra Maloney
Jennifer Hunter

Two Kelly's Roast Beef gift certificates, $20 each
Anna Laskey
Cambia Davis

Three DVD sets of PBS AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentary films: "Ansel Adams," "The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "Patriots Day"
Patricia Wheeler
Tammy Bernardi
Vera Carroll

One-year membership to the Medford Arts Center, Inc.
Tom Lincoln

Artist's print of the Medford Square Market, by June Holwell
Tara Hurley

Photograph, "Summer Iris," by Will Tenney
Nikole Roome-Torres

The survey was included in the August 2008 water bill mailing, reported in the Medford Transcript, distributed at venues around the city, and made available online at the Council's Web site: www.medfordartscouncil.org.

The random prize drawing was held at the Medford Arts Council's public meeting at Medford City Hall on Monday, September 8, 2008. The Council expresses sincere gratitude to the prizes' donors and to everyone who took time to respond and provide valuable community input.

Survey responses will help shape the Council's funding priorities in the coming grant season. Look for more news about the survey's findings this fall.

About the Medford Arts Council

The Medford Arts Council is a city-appointed agency of volunteers working to promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts and humanities in order to improve the quality of life for all Medford citizens and foster a sense of community.

The Council administers the distribution of funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the form of grants to individuals, schools and non-profit organizations. The Council funds high-profile public events like the West Medford Open Studios, the Saving Lives Outdoor Summer Concert Series, and the Medford Arts Festival, as well as dozens of concerts, classes, field trips, performances, and other activities in disciplines including dance, theater, music, science, history, archaeology, and the visual arts.

Council meetings are held at Medford City Hall on selected Monday nights at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. Check the Council's Web site at www.medfordartscouncil.org for a full schedule of upcoming meetings. Grant applications for the 2009 funding cycle are due on October 15, 2008.

Current Medford Arts Council members:
June Holwell (chair)
Michael Bernstein
Maria Daniels
Peter Houk
Alexa Mase
Sandie Shaheen
Will Tenney
Joe Walters

Contact:
Medford Arts Council
P.O. Box 615
Medford, MA 02155
chair@medfordartscouncil.org
www.medfordartscouncil.org

The Medford Arts Council (MAC) wants to give you money!

2008-09-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

If you are an individual, an organization or an educational institution, and have plans for an arts or cultural event that you plan to present to and for the Medford community during the calendar year of 2009, we want you to apply for a Local Cultural Council (LCC) 2009 Grant or a PASS 2009 Grant (for educational institutions) before the state-mandated grant applications deadline of October 15, 2008.

Both LCC and PASS Grant applications are available through MAC's website www.medfordartscouncil.org or directly from the Massachusetts Cultural Council's website: www.massculturalcouncil.org.

Grant information and guidelines are also available through these websites. However, if you want some individual support and information about submitting your grant, please try to attend one of the two sessions planned for this purpose.

On Thursday, September 25th, a group of MAC members will be at the Medford Square Market from 3-6 PM at a table clearly marked as "The Medford Arts Council - 2009 Grant Season" for drop in support and to assist those with questions for the grant application process.

On Tuesday, September 30th, a group of MAC members will be at the Magoun Room at the Minuteman Public Library from 7-9 PM for drop in support and to assist those with questions for the grant application process.

The Medford Arts Council (MAC) is a city-appointed body of volunteers whose goals and objectives are to promote excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts and humanities in order to improve the quality of life for all Medford citizens and foster a sense of community. MAC administers the distribution of funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the form of grants to individuals, schools and non-profit organizations which are determined by the MAC, with community input, to best help us reach our goals and objectives.

MAC welcomed 3 new council members this year; Maria Daniels, Alexa Mase & Will Tenney. These three dedicated volunteers, City-appointed members, join June Holwell (Chair), Michael Bernstein, Peter Houk, Sandie Shaheen, and Joe Walters as Council Members.

We also wish Anita Tucker the very best in her well-deserved year off from the council. Anita has worked tirelessly over the last 6 years as a council member for our community. MAC has requested that Anita continue to support the council as a non-voting member, and we sincerely hope that she will.

The Chair of Medford Arts Council can be reached at chair@medfordartscouncil.org or by mail:
P.O. Box 615, Medford, MA 02155.