Medford Arts Council Awards $34K for Arts & Culture Projects

Paintings by Jason DeWaard at last year’s West Medford Open Studios. The annual event is one of many receiving financial support from the Medford Arts Council.

The Medford Arts Council announces its grant recipients for the 2014 calendar year, distributing $34,000 in funding.

The 48 funded projects include:

– A city-wide Children’s Art Showcase at the Meadow Glen Mall in March

– West Medford Open Studios in May

– The Holiday Singers’ Community Chorus

– Performances at Circle the Square in Medford Square during the summer

– Projects at Medford’s historic Royall House and Slave Quarters and The Brooks Estate

– CACHE’s annual Arts Across Medford Festival in October

– A collaborative sculptural installation at MacDonald Park by artist Carolyn Lewenberg

– and dozens more arts and culture programs serving seniors, school children, and the general public through the calendar year

The Arts Council’s 2014 allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council totaled $17,660. An additional $13,000 came from a first-time allocation from the city budget by Mayor Michael McGlynn, following an October 2013 vote by the Medford City Council to fund arts and culture in the city. Medford Arts Council members and the community increased the total granting amount through fundraising efforts, including local donations from individuals and businesses.

“These grants help build a better quality of life in our community,” said Mayor McGlynn.  “Programs funded by the Medford Arts Council benefit our children, seniors, the general public and many local organizations.  Arts and culture are sources of joy, reflection and insight in our daily lives.”

Visit www.medfordartscouncil.org for more information.

A complete list of 2014 grant recipients follows.

Tsongas Industrial History Center, Farm to Factory Presentation
Columbus Elementary School, January 2014, $140

Third grade Lexington Symphony field trip: Orchestrating Kids Through Classics
Brooks Elementary School, January 2014, $336

Mirror Mirror Theater Project at the Medford Boys and Girls Club
Jennifer Lewis, January-March 2014, $650

ASK for Art at Medford High School
Outside the Lines Studio, February 3-April 4, 2014, $1,700

Community Gospel Concert 2014 at Cohen Auditorium, Tufts University
Stacie Clayton, February 24, 2014, $500

Black History Month Cultural Expo
West Medford Community Center, Inc., Four Fridays in February 2014, $800

Brooks Estate Historic Artwork Conservation
Medford-Brooks Estate Land Trust, Inc. (M-BELT), February 2014, $400

Two School Vacation Performances
Medford Public Library, February and April 2014, $500

Kids Open Mic
Laura Brereton, Feb., May, and Nov. 2014, $800

Concert: Great Day for the Irish at the Medford Senior Center
Ruth Harcovitz, March 13, 2014, $350

Hands on History: The Revolutionary War, Brooks Elementary School
Denis Cormier, March 14, 2014, $260

Medford Children’s Art Showcase at the Meadow Glen Mall, $700

Field trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Andrews Middle School, March 2014, $228

West African Folktales for Second Graders at Brooks, Columbus, McGlynn and Roberts Elementary Schools
Sharon Kennedy, March-April 2014, $1,000

Collaborative Sculpture Installation at McDonald Park
Carol Lewenberg, April-May 2014, $1,650

Senior Citizen Road Shows
Sandy Strate, April-June 2014, $425

West Medford Open Studios XV
May 10-11, 2014, $1,500

Field trip to the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Andrews Middle School, May 2014, $240

Introduction to Playwriting at the Medford Public Library
William E. Doncaster, Spring 2014, $700

Student Art Inspired by the River-Life Mural
Andrews Middle School/Peter Gallagher, Spring 2014, $1,150

World Percussion Program at the McGlynn Elementary School
Shelley Gross/Medford Public Schools, Spring 2014, $350

One Minute’s Freedom: The Story of Mum Bett
Royall House and Slave Quarters, $500

Local History Curriculum Support Materials
Medford Historical Society, Spring 2014, $850

Field trip to the New England Aquarium
Andrews Middle School, Spring 2014, $571

Life Cycle of Raptors at Brooks, Columbus, McGlynn, and Roberts Afterschool
Shelley Gross/Medford Public Schools, Spring 2014, $700

Four Summer Family Performances
Medford Public Library, June-August 2014, $900

Concert at the Medford Public Library
Leslie Havens and the Solstice Sackbuts, June 19, 2014, $300

All The Presidents’ Women at the Medford Senior Center
Delvena Theatre Company, June 2014, $350

Circle the Square in Medford Square
CACHE – The Coalition for Arts, Culture and a Healthy Economy in Medford, June – September 2014, $1,800

Industrial Eden: The Legacy of Haywardville at the Medford Public Library
Ryan D. Hayward and The Preservation Collaborative, July 9 and 23, 2014, $450

Family Drum Fun at Wright’s Pond
Shelley Gross/Medford Public Schools, July 2014, $400

Brooks Community Garden Nights
Carolyn and Geoff Montello, Summer 2014, $500

Dancing Through The Decades with Dance Caliente at the Medford Senior Center
Eileen Herman-Haase, Fall 2014, $600

Art + Experience Senior Art Classes and Art Show
Mystic Valley Elder Services, September 2014, $700

Arts Across Medford Month-long Festival
CACHE – The Coalition for Arts, Culture and a Healthy Economy in Medford, October 2014, $1,200

Letters to Medford 1855 at the Medford Historical Society
Two Roads Performance Projects and Hannah Verlin, October 2014, $800

Roots Music Collective
Columbus Elementary School, Week of Nov. 17, 2014, $600

Educational Outreach Program
Handel and Haydn Society, School year 2013-14, $625

Holiday Singers: A Community Chorus, Medford Senior Center
Janet Casey, through 2014, $1,000

Dance It Out Dance and Performance Project
Medford Boys and Girls Club, through 2014, $2,300

Making Art Together: Children and Their Families
Medford Arts Center, Inc., through 2014, $1,000

MUSIC Dance.edu at the Medford Public Library
Rondae Drafts, Date TBD, $300

Bestsellers Cafe Sing Alongs
Matthew Heaton, Dates TBD, $300

Musical Programs at the Medford Rehabilitation & Nursing Center and the Glenridge Nursing Center
Denise Doucette, Dates TBD, $600

Louisa’s Girls at the Medford Public Library
Delvena Theatre Company, Date TBD, $375

Dance Caliente Children’s Latin Dance Workshop at the Columbus, McGlynn, and Roberts Elementary Schools
Eileen Herman-Haase, Dates TBD, $600

Live Jazz Music at Bestsellers Cafe and Bookstore
Raleigh Green, Dates TBD, $300

Off The Square Screening Room
Medford Arts Center, Inc., Dates TBD, $1,000

– Information from Maria Daniels