Worcester Arts Council Announces 2011 Grant Recipients

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) just released it’s list of 2011 grant recipients, and it is exciting to see so many local artists receive the funding for their upcoming projects! I can’t wait to see the creative results. Read on to learn more…

The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) has announced the recipients of funding for the 2011 granting cycle.  WAC awarded a total of $74,304 to 37 Worcester area artists, organizations, and educational institutions.  The 2011 allocation includes two $4,000 Artist Fellowships, awarded to individual artists to assist in the funding of their artistic endeavors, which were granted to the initiator of a local poetry movement, Alex Charalambides, and visual artist, Derek Ring.

WAC selected a wide range of grant recipients ranging from innovative arts outreach initiatives, educational programming, visual arts, live music and cultural events that foster arts collaboration in the community.  WAC reviews application in the fall during a series of meetings conducted to evaluate the overall quality of the proposed programs, the project’s potential benefit to a large and diverse audience, and the proposed project’s viability.

WAC (formerly the Worcester Cultural Commission) is a municipal body consisting of nine members appointed by the City Manager.  WAC accepts grant applications on an annual basis between mid-August and October 15th, with determinations made before the end of the calendar year. Grants are issued to support arts, humanities and interpretive sciences; visual artists, performing artists, science educators, historians and other humanists; as well as community, business and civic groups, social service organizations, schools, neighborhood centers, and youth, senior and family associations. For 2010, the Worcester Arts Council granted just over $75,000 to some 60 artists and Worcester-based organizations
On Sunday, April 10^th, 2011 WAC will host a Grant Reception to all 2011 recipients from 1:00 to 3:00PM at the Goddard House (1199 Main Street, Worcester.) A complete listing of the 2011 Worcester Arts Council grant recipients is enclosed and can also be found by visiting www.worcestermass.org/WAC.

The Worcester Arts Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns on the Commonwealth.  The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year.  The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to he Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

Grant Recipients 2011

Name	Project	Discipline	Amount
AIDS Project Worcester	Boston Gay Mens Choir	Music	$1,500
All Saint’s Church	Afternoon tunes	Music	$2,750
Art in the Park	Art in the Park 2011	Visual Arts	$3,500
ARTSWorcester	ARTS Worcester’s Biennial 2011	Visual Arts	$1,000
Audio Journal	Backyard Birdcalls	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$1,440
Belmont Street Community School	Voyage to the Moon	Science	$1,050
Bissel, Edward	Caravan	Multidisciplinary	$1,200
Canal District Alliance, Inc.	Canal District Horse and Wagon Tours	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$2,250
Central Mass Arts Assembly	stART on the Street	Visual Arts	$4,250
Champeny, Susan	Totem Island	Crafts	$2,000
Channing Terrace Apartments	My Community Mapping Project	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$1,250
Chapel, Douglass	Action Greek Trade Paperback	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$295
Charalambides, Alex	Fellowship	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$4,000
Davis, Nicholas	Dirty Gerund Poetry & Variety Show	Multidisciplinary	$1,000
GIRLS INCORPORATED	Winthrop House Pool Area Mural Project	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$1,500
Goddard Homestead, Inc	Goddard House Art Show	Visual Arts	$550
Hanover Theatre	Student Critic Program	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$1,000
Hendrickson, June	Native American Culture and Craft Class	Crafts	$774
Higgins Armory Museum	CSI Higgins	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$750
Highland Arts Group	Art in the PARKing Lot	Visual Arts	$1,500
Kariko, Joan	Weaving at B&GC	Crafts	$1,021
Monteith, Theresa	Come to the Table	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$2,556
MUSIC WORCESTER	Gisellle/Pleasant Street District	Music	$1,000
Nixon, Carrie	Worcester at Work	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$750
Posk, CJ	1st of Worcester	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$2,000
Preservation Worceter	America Builds	Non-Arts/Non-Humanities	$400
Regional Environmental Council	Farmers Market Weekly Art and Music Showcase	Visual Arts	$3,250
Ring, Derek	Artists Fellowship	Design Arts	$4,000
Seven Hills Charter School	Jammin in our Wellies	Music	$925
Southeast Asian Coalition	WYND Asian Youth Lion Group	Dance	$2,250
WCUW, Inc.	Fall Jazz Series	Music	$1,000
Worcester Art Museum	Community Educational Exhibitions	Multidisciplinary	$2,000
Worcester Center for Crafts	Hot Night in the City	Crafts	$1,750
Worcester Chamber Music Society	Free Family Concert: Pinocchio’s Adventures in Funland	Theater	$1,250
Worcester County Light Opera Company	“Man of La Mancha”	Theater	$500
Worcester Cultural Commission	Worcester Mural Arts Project	Visual Arts	$10,000
Worcester Public Library Foundation	Teen Writing and Manga Groups	Storytelling	$2,630

2010/2011 Season of Worcester Youth / Clark University Poetry Slam “Unified Season” Continues October 23rd w/ Special Guest, Jon Sands

I love Worcester Youth Poetry, and their slams can’t be beat. Don’t miss this one! - Doreen

The Worcester Youth Poetry Slam in conjunction with the Clark University Poetry Slam Club are proud to announce the second unified poetry slam event for the 2010-2011 Season.

The “Unified” Poetry Series continues to be supported by project grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Friday, October 23^rd, 2010, Clark University’s Higgins Student Center. The Bistro. 7-9:30pm.

The evening will begin with a short showcase of Worcester Poets, followed by a preliminary poetry slam competition featuring local teens trying to earn a spot on the 2011 Worcester Youth Team that will travel to San Francisco in July for the Brave New Voices International Youth Festival.

Our featured poet, JON SANDS is a full-time independent teaching & performing artist, as well as a recipient of the 2009 New York City-LouderARTS fellowship grant. He has represented New York City multiple times at the National Poetry Slam, subsequently becoming an National Poetry Slam Tournament Finalist. Jon has performed and facilitated workshops with university and arts organizations throughout North America, and is currently the Director of Poetry and Arts Education Programming at the Positive Health Project, a needle exchange center located in Midtown Manhattan, as well as a Youth Poetry Mentor with Urban Word NYC. He is also one-fourth of the nationally acclaimed electricity-fest, The SpillJoy Ensemble. He’s one of www.writebloody.com Newest Authors, with a full length book release due later this year!
The event will close with the second preliminary poetry slam for the Clark University Poetry Slam, as they begin selections for a team to represent the university at the next College Union National Poetry Slam, taking place in next year.

The event series, hosted by Alex Charalambides and Kate Mogel have been setting records for audience size and number of poetry slam participants. The last few slams have attracted audiences between 80 and 100.

Poetry slam is a competition in which poets perform pieces of their own original creation, 3 minutes in length, no props, costumes or musical accompaniment. Poems are then scored by 5 randomly chosen members of the audience who serve as judges. Winners earn points towards helping them qualify to make their respective teams.

The Worcester Youth Poetry Slam Competition is open to all teenagers, aged 13-19. Clark University Poetry Slam Competition is open to all Clark Students & Employees.

This is a continuation of a monthly series. Events are free and open to the public. Donations to both groups are encouraged and greatly appreciated.

For more information, visit www.worcesteryouthslam.com or e-mail Alex Charalambides at worcesteryouthslam2004@yahoo.com.

Worcester Arts Council Grant Applications Now Available

If you’re an artist, entertainer, organizer or community leader – and you have an event or project which could use some cash flow to help your idea succeed for the better of the community, then you should apply for a Worcester Arts Council Grant!! Read on to learn more…
The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is now accepting applications for its 2011 Grant Cycle. Grant funding is provided for the public benefit of the residents of Worcester, through an annual appropriation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.   The deadline to apply is October 15, 2010. Based on community input received during 2010, the Worcester Arts Council will give 2011 Grant Funding priority to collaborative community projects in the following categories:  arts education, public art, children’s programs, music, and the visual arts.

For 2011, WAC will accept applications for two types of grant programs:  Project Grants (to support public activities in the arts, humanities or interpretive sciences) and Artist Fellowship Grants (to assist artists in developing their artistic work outside the structure of a specific project or presentation).  For the 2011 grant cycle the Council has $74,270 available to distribute.  The 2010 Council grants ranged from $250 to $4,000.

The Grant Guidelines and application forms can be found on the web at http://www.worcestermass.org/arts-culture-entertainment/worcester-arts-council and are available at the main branch of the Worcester Public Library as well as the WAC office located at 44 Front Street, 5th floor.

WAC will host a grant writing workshop and artist social for all interested citizens on Thursday, September 30, at 6:30 PM, at WCUW Radio Station (front room) 910 Main Street, Worcester.

The Local Cultural Council Program, the second largest grant program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is a grassroots complement to the agency’s centralized grant programs. Allocations are made to all of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns to support community cultural activities. The LCC Program is the most extensive system of its kind in the nation to support arts, sciences and humanities.

WAC (formerly known as the Worcester Cultural Commission) is a council whose nine members are appointed by the City Manager of Worcester for three year terms. The Council’s annual appropriation of state funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council allows for grants to be made available to the community through the guideline and application process. For over 35 years, the Council has awarded grants to individual artists, cultural organizations, neighborhood councils, teachers, public agencies, and cultural institutions for projects that take place in the City of Worcester. WAC is one of the few councils in the Commonwealth to offer Artist Fellowship Grants.

WAC Grant Writing Workshop on August 26

In an effort to help creative organizations and individuals secure funds necessary to bring their creative goals to completion, The Worcester Arts Council is hosting a Grant Writing Workshop & Artist Social on August 26 from 6:30-8:30p.m.

Stop by the Hibernian Cultural Center, 19 Temple Street, Worcester to learn how to complete the new Grant Application for the Worcester Arts Council. Get your questions answered, learn the focus of their grants this year, and meet other artists and community members building their grants! Search them on facebook and RSVP today!

Artists Announced for Third Annual Art in the Park

You know it’s summer in Worcester when you start to hear a buzz about Art in the Park, held at Worcester’s historic Elm Park (Highland Street and Park Avenue) from August 1-October 1.

Produced by the Worcester Arts Council, during Art in the Park, outdoor sculpture is placed throughout Elm Park in a vibrant display of outdoor art. This fantastic display of art is accessible to all in a beautiful setting, and showcases some of the areas top artists.

This year’s artists have been announced and include:

Lisa Barthelson http://www.lisabarthelson.com/

Cory Clinton www.CoryClinton.com

Peter Dellert www.dellertfurniture.com

Fernando DeOlivera www.fernandodeolivera.com

Lu Heintz www.luheintz.com

Linda Hoffman www.lindahoffman.com

James Kitchen  www.jameskitchen.com

Kathryn Lipke Vigesaa

Gary Orlinsky

Ken Reker

Antoinette Prien Schultz

Marcella Stasa

John Weidman

Susu Wing

Get excited! Mark your calendars now for Art in the Park, learn more at worcestermass.org

Worcester Cultural Council now called Worcester Arts Council

Worcester Arts Council

“The arts, sciences, and humanities have the power to build healthier, more livable, more vital communities. They enrich, exalt, and provoke. They are an essential part of a strong educational system. They contribute enormously to our economy. They build bridges across cultures. They can be used to address–or better yet, prevent–some of our most stubborn social problems. They help us interpret our past and shape our future. They help us understand what it means to be human.”

Worcester Arts Council (formerly the Worcester Cultural Commission) is a municipal body consisting of nine members appointed by the City Manager. The Council is charged with promoting the cultural affairs of the City of Worcester; conducting studies and research and publishing reports of cultural activities; advising municipal agencies on cultural matters; and allocating funds received by the Council for cultural projects and programs.

The Council accepts grant applications on an annual basis between mid-August and October 15th, with allocations made before the end of the calendar year. Grants are issued to support arts, humanities and interpretive sciences; visual artists, performing artists, science educators, historians and other humanists; as well as community, business and civic groups, social service organizations, schools, neighborhood centers, and youth, senior and family associations. For 2010, the Worcester Arts Council granted just over $75,000 to some 60 artists and Worcester-based organizations.

In addition to its monthly meetings, held the last Thursday of each month, the Worcester Arts Council also hosts its own locally originated projects including the restoration of the Greendale Eagle Project and an annual Art in the Park Sculpture Exhibit which the Council has hosted for two straight years in Worcester’s historic Elm Park.