Massachusetts Cultural Council Archive

Three Berkshire Programs Awarded Adams Grants!

Published: February 12, 2010Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, STATE NEWSTags: assets for artists, Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, Economic Development, economic impact, Funding, Grants, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announces release of more than $700,000 in grants to stimulate new economic activity, job creation, and community revitalization through arts and cultural projects across the state.

The MCC’s Adams Arts Program for the Creative Economy will invest in 27 projects in every region of Massachusetts, including the Berkshires’:

Assets for Artists, North Adams*
The project provides an innovative set of tools to enable artists of all disciplines to advance entrepreneurially and financially through financial education, microenterprise training, home ownership assistance, and access to capital.

Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, North Adams
The Berkshire Cultural Resource Center provides resources, training, and support that: bring a creative class of people to the Berkshires; provide work opportunities in the creative sector for young adults currently living in the region; and support the existing creative class of artists and arts organizations in the county.

Cultural Pittsfield
Cultural Pittsfield is a campaign to support and grow the creative economy in Pittsfield through collaborative marketing and technical assistance, with a focus on seed funding and support for new entrepreneurial initiatives and events; and to provide networking and professional development opportunities for artists and creative workers.

Adams is the oldest and most-far reaching program of its kind in the nation, supporting projects that harness the unique assets of the Commonwealth and the creativity of its residents. Adams grants fuel a creative sector that has a $4.2 billion total impact on the state’s economy and provides more than 109,000 jobs.

“I am delighted to see the results of our ongoing investments,” said Senate President Therese Murray of Plymouth at a State House announcement this morning. She cited Adams-funded projects such as Harbor Your Arts! in Hyannis, which “helped local artists generate $121,000 in sales in one year.”

“The creative sector is a proven engine for economic development and revitalization,” said Anita Walker, the MCC’s executive director. “This year’s Adams grants will generate real dollars for these communities at a time when innovative strategies to produce wealth and create jobs are sorely needed.”

MCC’s Adams grants will:

Promote cultural tourism in the Pioneer Valley through Museums 10, a cross-promotional effort by seven college museums and galleries and three independent museums in the region. The partners are collaborating on a joint themed exhibition, Table for 10: The Art, Science and History of Food, which will bring together several sectors of the local economy: artists and artisans, small farmers, restaurants and inns, food writers, and food aficionados.
Invest in the Gateway Cities: New Bedford, Pittsfield, Fitchburg, Worcester, and Leominster through a range of strategies to generate new, arts-based commercial activity in downtown districts.
Create opportunities for Massachusetts artists to compete in the global arena with Transcultural Exchange, which includes a biennial conference that has resulted in hundreds of local artists finding jobs and residencies worldwide, and draws visitors from as far away as Mongolia and Nigeria.
Reinvest in the Cambridge Science Festival, a project of the MIT Museum that attracts 30,000 annually to the Greater Boston area, and estimates annual visitor spending at $652,000.

“These grants will help connect our region’s natural beauty with local businesses and tourist services,” said Senator Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), whose district is home to the North Quabbin Woods Arts and Culture Portal, which uses the work of local artisans to drive ecotourism in the North Quabbin Woods region. “I am proud to support these important cultural grants that will help increase economic sustainability for our district and promote the connection between ecotourism, arts, and culture.”

Click here to see the full list of Adams grants!

*Berkshire Creative Partner Initiative

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State and Local Leaders to Discuss Arts and Achievement at Berkshire Charter School

Published: December 14, 2009Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETINTags: achievement, Advocacy, Arts, Education, Massachusetts Cultural Council, State

State legislators and local officials will join the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) at the Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BArT) to see how the arts and creativity have helped the school advance student achievement.

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 10 a.m.

Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School, 1 Commercial Street, Adams

The MCC has invested in BArT since 2005 to improve literacy and writing skills through school-wide projects that integrate visual and performing arts with English language arts (ELA), math, and science. The state Department of Education recently identified BArT as a “high growth” school in both ELA and math achievement. The Adams school also earned a highly competitive National Endowment for the Arts grant to preserve teaching jobs in the arts. The event will include a discussion with administrators, teachers, and students, a showcase of student work, and a tour of the building.

“As our state and federal governments consider a range of education reform proposals,” says Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director, “BArT’s success can provide important lessons on how the arts can be central to academic success.”

Expected attendees include: Senator Benjamin Downing of Pittsfield; Representative Dan Bosley of North Adams; Anita Walker, Executive Director, MCC; Julia Bowen, Executive Director, BArT; Jonathan Butler, Adams Town Administrator; Richard Alcombright, Mayor-elect, North Adams.

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Shakespeare & Co. Poised for Restructuring

Published: October 14, 2009Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETINTags: Massachusetts Cultural Council, non-profit, Shakespeare & Company, theatre

Shakespeare & Company, a Berkshire cultural mainstay since 1978, announces results of independent financial study and plans to remedy financial crisis.

Geoff Edgers writes in today’s Boston Globe, ” Shakespeare & Company, central to the artistic life of the Berkshires for more than three decades, is facing a cash crunch so severe it would need to raise $2.3 million just to survive until next March and could be unable to meet its payroll as soon as this month, according to a report released today.”

Leaders of the Lenox-based company acknowledged the crisis after the release of a 37-page report from the Nonprofit Finance Fund, a service agency that examined Shakespeare & Company financial books and laid out a stark picture of the organization. It is saddled in debt and has built up an accumulated deficit of $4.75 million over the last five years.

The organization’s liabilities now exceed its assets by a ratio of almost seven to one, according to the report.

But Shakespeare & Company’s leaders, who had requested the report to establish a baseline to help them develop a recovery plan, said they don’t expect the organization to close and have already put in place cost-cutting measures to keep it alive.

“The way the report is structured today is that if we do nothing then these are the bad things that will happen,” said Tony Simotes, the company’s artistic director. “I couldn’t agree more. The good news is that we are not only not doing nothing but we’ve already put some changes in place, many of which this report suggests and others which will come down the road.”

These changes include a staff cuts, a hiring freeze and performance schedule shifts that will cut down on days the theater needs to be closed during its prime summer season. The company is also in talks to restructure its nearly $8 million in loans with Century Bank of Medford.

Click here to visit the Boston Globe online and read the full article!

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Join us at the BeCreative BarCamp!

Published: September 30, 2009Posted in: BERKSHIRE CREATIVE, EVENTS, FEATURES 1, HAPPENINGS + EVENTSTags: BarCamp, Berkshire County, Berkshire Creatives, Berkshire Museum, For-Profit, Jobs, MASS MoCA, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Money, non-profit, Pittsfield, Presentations, Professional Development, Resource, Small Business, theatre, Website, Writers

The BeCreative BarCamp is ideas and creativity!

A chance for Berkshire Creatives to have an open conversation about their businesses, ideas, projects, and creative visions!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

5:30-9:30pm

Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA

Free

Click here for directions to the museum!

RSVP DEADLINES

TO PRESENT: OCTOBER 21,2009 /TO ATTEND: OCTOBER 26, 2009

Click here to present @ BeCreative BarCamp or click here to RSVP to attend!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE BECREATIVE BARCAMP ONLINE AND LEARN MORE!

The BeCreative BarCamp is about creating conversation and opportunity. It’s about creating connections between people and their interests in a dynamic new way that we hope will catch on in the Berkshires. It’s about bringing out the creativity all around us and hearing new voices. It’s about what you make of it!

Training Sessions for the Cultural Data Project

Published: September 28, 2009Posted in: ARCHIVES, FEATURES 1, HAPPENINGS ARCHIVETags: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Data, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Museums, non-profit, Resource, State

Get the most from the Massachusetts Cultural Data Project (CDP). Attend a free training session that will show users how to enter data and use its powerful reporting features.

Note from MCC: Participation in the CDP is required of all Partners and Colleagues in the MCC’s new Cultural Investment Portfolio for arts, humanities, and science organizations. CDP data must be entered by December 4, 2009. In order to meet that deadline, we strongly encourage all organizations to participate in a training session, and to get started on their CDP profiles well in advance.

October 13 – 15, 2009

Boston
October 13, 2:00 pm
New England Aquarium

Amherst
October 14, 9:30 am
Amherst Cinema Arts Center

Cape Cod
October 15, 9:30 am
Barnstable Town Hall

November 3 – 4, 2009

Boston
November 3, 9:30 am
The Boston Foundation

Worcester
November 4, 1:00 pm
Worcester Art Museum

Not able to attend the on-site training sessions listed above? Attend a training ONLINE via webinar!

WEBINAR
October 19, 1:00 pm

WEBINAR
November 6, 10:00 am

Please feel free to attend the session with more than one representative of your organization, including your executive director, your development director, and your finance manager/bookkeeper. Refreshments will be served.

Get started by visiting the Massachusetts CDP website http://www.massculturaldata.org today!

Questions? Visit http://www.massculturaldata.org or contact the
Massachusetts CDP Help Desk at help@massculturaldata.org or 1-877-MASSCDP (1-877-627-7237).

Olver, NEFA and MCC Announce Arts Stimulus at Norman Rockwell Museum

Published: September 23, 2009Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, STATE NEWSTags: Berkshire County, Berkshire Museum, Berkshire Theatre Festival, For-Profit, Funding, Government, Grants, Jacob's Pillow, MASS MoCA, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Norman Rockwell Museum, Shakespeare & Company, State

The Berkshire Eagle reports:”Cultural institutions play a crucial role in the economy of the Berkshires, and artistic and legislative leaders from across the state gathered at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Friday to announce an influx of funding to help through these tough economic times. U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, and a collection of speakers announced that $1.3 million in federal economic stimulus funds have been awarded to nonprofit arts organizations in Massachusetts. The funds are administered by the National Endowment for the Arts, which received $50 million in appropriations through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”

“I wish we could do 10 time as much,” Olver said.

Locally, the NEA awarded $50,000 grants to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation in North Adams, and the Rockwell Museum.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) awarded $10,000 stimulus grants to The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge and Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. The Colonial Theatre Association in Pittsfield received a $4,500 grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Click here to read the full Berkshire Eagle article!

Click here to view the full list of recipients!

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From the Berkshire Eagle

Published: September 22, 2009Posted in: NEWS BULLETIN, News ArticleTags: Berkshire County, Berkshire Theatre Festival, economic impact, Funding, Government, Grants, Jacob's Pillow, MASS MoCA, Massachusetts Cultural Council, non-profit, Norman Rockwell Museum, Shakespeare & Company, State, The Berkshire Museum, The Colonial Theatre

The arts get a reward

By Trevor Jones

Saturday, September 19, 2009

STOCKBRIDGE — Cultural institutions play a crucial role in the economy of the Berkshires, and artistic and legislative leaders from across the state gathered at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Friday to announce an influx of funding to help through these tough economic times. U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, and a collection of speakers announced that $1.3 million in federal economic stimulus funds have been awarded to nonprofit arts organizations in Massachusetts. The funds are administered by the National Endowment for the Arts, which received $50 million in appropriations through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“I wish we could do 10 time as much,” Olver said.

Locally, the NEA awarded $50,000 grants to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation in North Adams, and the Rockwell Museum.

“We would not be able to present this collection and share it with the nation,” without the NEA and MCC funding, said Rockwell Museum CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt.

Moffatt said the funding for the Rockwell Museum will be used to maintain current staffing levels, help create a scholarship program, and allow online availability to the museum’s catalog.

A recent MCC survey found that nearly half of the arts organizations that receive state funding have laid off at least one employee since the start of the economic recession. Many others have either reduced salaries, cut workers’ hours, or are implementing hiring freezes.

MCC Executive Director Anita Walker said nonprofit arts organizations are important because they enrich communities and transform lives. She said the stimulus funding acknowledges the importance of their work.

“This was an amazing moment, because the money had impact,” said Walker of the inclusion of NEA funding in the stimulus bill. “It confirmed that these are real jobs that matter in America.”

Olver joked about the proportion of funds going to the Berkshires and not to the other areas in his district. But he said the creative economy plays a crucial role in Berkshire County.

“You have the venues, and they interconnect so well,” he said.

Moffatt said the funds will not only aid the art institutions, but the greater community as well.

“We’re keeping employees not only at the Norman Rockwell Museum, but employees through the restaurants, hotels, banks and all the beneficiaries of a robust creative economy,” said Moffatt.

Click here to visit the Berkshire Eagle online and learn more about what is happening in Berkshires and beyond!

State Budget Cuts Prompts Cuts MCC Programs and Staff

Published: September 15, 2009Posted in: FEATURES 1, NEWS BULLETIN, STATE NEWSTags: Funding, Government, Grants, Massachusetts Cultural Council, non-profit

In response to state budget cuts, the board of the Massachusetts Cultural Council approved a spending plan for the current fiscal year that calls for cuts to a range of grant programs supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences statewide, and also cuts staff and spending at the agency itself.

The MCC’s state appropriation for Fiscal Year 2010 was reduced from $12.7 million to $9.7 million-a cut of just over 23 percent. In response, the MCC eliminated five full-time staff positions, cut administrative spending, and ended several partnerships and initiatives. Taken together, these decisions allowed the agency to lessen the impact of the budget reduction and ensure that no organization, school, or local cultural council sees its grant cut by more than 23 percent.

“This is a very difficult year,” said Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director. “But we have done our best to manage this significant budget cut as equitably as possible, and to preserve as much money as we can for our core grant programs for nonprofit cultural organizations, communities, schools, and artists.”

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ARTS LEADERS JOIN U.S. REP. OLVER TO HIGHLIGHT ARTS SECTOR’S ROLE IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Published: September 14, 2009Posted in: FEATURES 1, LOCAL NEWS, NEWS BULLETIN, STATE NEWSTags: Advocacy, Event, Funding, Massachusetts Cultural Council, NEFA, non-profit, Press Event, State

Arts leaders from across Massachusetts will gather at the Norman Rockwell Museum Friday, Sept. 18 with Congressman John Olver to highlight the arts sector’s role in the U.S. economic recovery effort. The announcement will begin at 1 p.m.

Olver will formally announce the release of more than $1.3 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to non-profit arts organizations across Massachusetts. The stimulus funds come from a $50 million ARRA appropriation to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). ARRA funds were then made available to Massachusetts arts organizations via separate programs administered by the NEA, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

“The arts sector is a vital contributor to the economic life of Western Massachusetts, and a major component of the creative economy statewide,” said Olver. “These grants will help preserve jobs in this sector while also ensuring that our arts organizations continue to provide public programs that enrich our communities and educate our young people.”

Congressman Olver (D-MA 1^st District) is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Chair of its Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. Joining him for the announcement will be Mass. State Representatives Smitty Pignatelli of Lenox and Rosemary Sandlin of Agawam—members of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development— along with NEA Director of Dance Douglas Sonntag, MCC Executive Director Anita Walker, and Norman Rockwell Museum CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. Other participants include state Reps. Dan Bosley of North Adams and Chris Speranzo of Pittsfield, MCC Board members Ira Lapidus and Ronald Feldman of Williamstown, local cultural council members from Western Mass., and officials from NEFA and Berkshire Creative.

Massachusetts cultural nonprofits provide nearly 37,000 jobs and have a total economic impact of over $4.2 billion. But the economic downturn has hurt this dynamic sector: A recent MCC survey of arts organizations that receive state funding found that nearly half have laid off at least one worker since the start of the current recession. Many others are reducing salaries and work hours, and instituting hiring freezes. In the broader nonprofit sector of Greater Boston, more than 4 in 10 organizations are reducing staff or salaries, according to a recent report by the Boston Foundation.

“The inclusion of the arts in ARRA was a welcome acknowledgement that the creative sector is an important part of our economy, and will be an important part of our recovery,” said Walker. “That could not have happened without supporters like Congressman Olver, and we are deeply grateful for that support.”

“Creative workers are a backbone of the Berkshire County economy and the stimulus funds provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and National Endowment for the Arts will help sustain employment and drive economic recovery. We are grateful for Congressman Olver’s leadership in recognizing the importance of the creative sector which drives 25% of the workforce of the Berkshires,” added Laurie Norton Moffatt, CEO/Director of Norman Rockwell Museum and co-founder Berkshire Creative Economy Council.

NEA Grants to Massachusetts:

Boston Dance Alliance, Inc.	Boston	$50,000
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Inc.	Becket	$50,000
Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, Inc.	Boston	$50,000
Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, Inc.	Dorchester	$25,000
Raw Art Works, Inc.	Lynn	$50,000
Aspect, Inc.	Brookline	$25,000
Grub Street, Inc.	Boston	$25,000
City of Somerville, Massachusetts	Somerville	$25,000
Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, Inc.	Fitchburg	$25,000
Association of Independents in Radio, Inc.	Dorchester	$50,000
Center for Independent Documentary, Inc.	Sharon	$50,000
From the Top, Inc.	Boston	$50,000
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Inc.	Boston	$50,000
Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, Inc.	Stockbridge	$50,000
Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Inc.	Malden	$50,000
Emmanuel Music, Inc.	Boston	$50,000
Handel & Haydn Society	Boston	$50,000
Boston Academy of Music, Inc.	Boston	$25,000
Cloud Foundation	Boston	$50,000
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation, Inc.	North Adams	$50,000
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School	Adams	$50,000
Lesley University	Cambridge	$50,000
Massachusetts College of Art	Boston	$25,000
Worcester Center for Crafts, Inc.	Worcester	$50,000

MCC Arts Stimulus Grants (All grants are $10,000)

Arlington Center for the Arts, Arlington
ArtsBoston, Inc., Boston
Bay State Performing Arts, Inc., Boston
The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield
Berkshire Theatre Festival, Inc., Stockbridge
Boston Center for the Arts, Inc., Boston
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Inc., Boston
Community Music School of Springfield, Springfield
DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst
Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Provincetown
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton
Images Cinema, Williamstown
Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Inc., Boston
Medicine Wheel Productions, Inc., Boston
Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell
The Nora Theatre Company, Cambridge
Provincetown International Film Festival, Provincetown
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
South Shore Conservatory, Hingham
Spontaneous Celebrations, Inc., Boston
The Springfield Museums, Springfield
The Theater Offensive, Cambridge
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro
Underground Railway Theater, Cambridge
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester
Zeiterion Theatre, Inc., New Bedford
Zumix, Inc., Boston

New England Foundation for the Arts Grants in Massachusetts:

Performing Artist Fee Support

The Colonial Theatre Association, Pittsfield, MA, to present The Acting Co., New York, NY ($4,500)

Lawrence Sons of Italy, Lodge 902, Lawrence, MA, to present Circus Smirkus, Greensboro, VT ($2,500)
University of Massachusetts, Fine Arts Center, Amherst, MA, to present Zakir Hussain, San Anselmo, CA ($10,000)
Worcester Elementary Arts School, Worcester, MA, to present Patricia Campbell, Newtown, CT ($1,301)

Presenter Salary Support

Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston, MA ($15,000)

Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion, Boston, MA ($15,000)

New World Theater, Amherst, MA ($15,000