Bedford Cultural Council Announces Current Grant Awards

Submitted by Barbara Purchia for the Bedford Cultural Council

MCC logo greenState Senator Mike Barrett, State Representative Ken Gordon, and Barbara Purchia, chair of the Bedford Cultural Council, have announced the award of 16 grants totaling $5,621 for cultural programs in Bedford or for Bedford residents. According to Purchia, “Over 68 percent of the awarded grants are from Bedford residents. We are so excited about this year’s award recipients. They are helping enrich Bedford’s cultural community. There are lots of opportunities for Bedford residents to enjoy the events that are sponsored in part by a grant from the Bedford Cultural Council.”

Grant recipients include the Multicultural Diversity Town Event, Friends of Fawn Lake, the Bedford Social Club, the Kammerwerke Double Wind Quintet, the Bedford Center for the Arts, the Bedford Arts and Crafts Society, the Jenks Nature Trail Working Group, and the Friends of Bedford Depot Park.

This year’s grants list includes:

  • Acton Community Chorus – 2014-2015 Concert Series – $100
  • Bedford Arts and Crafts Society – Painting Demonstration – $225
  • Bedford Center for the Arts – Teen Drama: Improv Style! -$500
  • Bedford Cub Scout Pack 194, Den 11- Lexington Symphony -$176
  • Bedford Social Club         Fairy Homes and Gardens Presentation – $230
  • Richard Clark, “Two to Tango” a 2 person play at the COA – $200
  • Friends of Bedford Depot Park for Railroad Baggage Cart Restoration – $488
  • Friends of Fawn Lake       Spring Fawnstock – $400
  • Ruth Harcovitz, Songs of World War II at the COA – $200
  • Jenks Nature Trail Working Group Signage for Jenks Nature Trail – $165
  • Kammerwerke Double Wind Quintet, three concerts – $1,670
  • Mariou Barsam, Multicultural Diversity Town Event – $700
  • Sam Perkins, One-Bid Wonders Intern Joe Neveux – $100
  • Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, Boston Symphony Orchestra –         $220
  • The Umbrella Community Arts Center, Travel the World: Free Drop-In Family Art Days – $200
  • Brendan Welch, Minuteman Bikeway Little Free Library –         $40

About the Bedford Cultural Council

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The Bedford Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in 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 the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the Bedford Cultural Council are: Barbara Purchia: Chair, Breena Daniell: Asst. Chair, Ginny Packer: Treasurer, Linda Connelly: Secretary, Gyasi Burks-Abbott, George Epple, Susan Grieb, Polly Herz and Leslie Wittman.

“These grants ensure that Bedford’s wealth of cultural groups will continue to thrive,” Senator Barrett said. “From the looks of it, local volunteers buckled down and stretched every dollar to support an impressive 16 organizations.”

“The work of the Bedford Cultural Council is an example of the best of our community,” said Rep. Gordon. “As a former Chair of the BCC, I am aware of the hard work and dedication of this group. Bedford residents should feel proud of their town and grateful to this group when they notice the wonderful statues, gardens, and art works on display in town, or when they read about musical, theatrical and educational opportunities provided through grants offered by this program.”

About the Massachusetts Cultural Council

Statewide, more than $2.77 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in FY2015. Grants will support an enormous range of grass-roots activities: concerts, exhibitions, radio and video productions, field trips for schoolchildren, after-school youth programs, writing workshops, historical preservation efforts, lectures, First Night celebrations, nature and science education programs for families and town festivals. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people.

How to Apply for Next Year’s Cultural Council Grants

The Bedford Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. Information and forms are available online at (www.masscultural council.org). The application process starts on September 1 and applications are due Oct.15.

“The Massachusetts Cultural Council encourages applications from local artists, educators, performers and those involved in the sciences and humanities,” said Rep. Gordon. “The application process takes only a few minutes to complete, and there is nothing to lose.”

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