Weston Cultural Council Grants Announced for 2023
The grants for the Weston Cultural Council have been announced for fiscal year 2023. It’s an eclectic group of award-winners. Many readers will be familiar with Stamps Come Alive programs at the Spellman Museum (snakes! owls!) and Land’s Sake, Golden Ball Tavern, Discovery Museums, and Rivers Symphony Orchestra are in there as past and current winners (past winners can be found on the town page).
New this year are “Shake-scene” which I cannot wait to hear about and an AIC mural done by art teacher Jake Ginga which will undoubtedly be awesome. I also can’t wait to learn more about the Growing Pains film and can only hope it deals with the mental health of parents of 16-year-old boys who are learning to drive.
Congratulations to all!
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Argyrople, Catherine | Growing Pains – Feature Film | $800 |
| Cardinal Spellman Philatelic Museum, Inc. | Stamps Come Alive | $500 |
| Clear Path for Veterans New England, Inc. | Native American Style Flute | $300 |
| Discovery Museum, Inc. | Open Door Connections | $300 |
| Golden Ball Tavern Keepers, Inc. | Moving Beyond Intolerance: Creating a New Nation after the American Revolution | $800 |
| Kirby, Poornima | Shake-scene | $800 |
| Land’s Sake, Inc. | Open Farmyard: Experiencing Farm Life | $1,285 |
| Regis College | Access Through the Arts: Allison Maria Rodriguez Exhibit | $500 |
| The Rivers School Conservatory | Rivers Symphony Orchestra 2022-23 Season | $1,000 |
| The Weston Friendly Society of the Performing Arts, Inc. | Weston Friendly Society Rehearsal/Production Mirrors | $1,000 |
| WeStar Corp. | Boston International Asian Music Festival (Weston) | $1,000 |
| Welles, Christopher | Monthly Concert & Jazz Jam | $900 |
| Weston Art and Innovation Center | Mural by Jake Ginga, aka MakerJake | $1,200 |
| Weston Council on Aging | Women in World Jazz Concert | $800 |
| Weston Garden Club and the Provisional Group | Indoor Gardens for All | $1,000 |
Here’s the official information on how grants are decided for the Town of Weston (also available in full on the Mass Cultural Council website).
The Council is charged with distributing money in the form of grants allotted to the Town of Weston through the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program, the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation supporting thousands of community-based projects annually. Volunteers appointed by the Weston Select Board evaluate and oversee grants for projects and programs accessible to a broad spectrum of town residents that promote excellence, education, diversity and inclusion in three areas:
Arts — including the performing arts (e.g. music, theater, film), visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, photography), crafts, folk, design, and interdisciplinary arts.
Humanities — including history, social studies, philosophy, criticism, and literature.
Interpretive Sciences — including lectures and activities to engage people in nature, science, and technology in ways that connect to their lives.