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CULTURAL COUNCIL
The Belmont Cultural Council (BCC) is a part of a network of local and regional cultural councils that receive funding through a central state agency, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Funds are regranted by the local cultural council (LCC) to individuals and organizations for the purpose of promoting excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences in our community.
Proposal for Town Hall Annex Art Gallery
In early spring of 2002, the Belmont Cultural Council initiated a proposal to create a public art gallery in the renovated Town Hall Annex. The concept of a public art gallery came from the recognition that, due to a lack of exhibit space in town for the visual arts, very few visual artists applied for Cultural Council funding. Shortly thereafter, a subcommittee of the Council, called the Public Display of Art (PDA) committee, was formed to further oversee the development of the gallery project.
As part of the process, the following Vision Statement was developed by the Council:
“The Belmont Cultural Council recognizes that an essential benefit of the arts is to strengthen community and broaden horizons. We are seeking to establish a permanent Gallery in the renovated Town Hall Annex which will be welcoming to all. The town Gallery will showcase and encourage excellence in the visual arts within our community, and provide a place where people of diverse interests can gather for a stimulating exchange of ideas.”
As envisioned by the Belmont Cultural Council, the Gallery in Room 314 of the renovated Town Hall Annex will exhibit artwork of high quality and appropriate for a general audience. Exhibits will be ongoing, consisting of paintings, photographs, graphics, textiles, and small three-dimensional pieces. While the Belmont Cultural Council will maintain general oversight and ultimate responsibility for the Gallery, an administrator will handle day-to-day details of running the Gallery and a curatorial committee will be responsible for making decisions on artwork to be shown. It is the Belmont Cultural Council’s goal in the future to have a gallery administrator as a paid position funded through private donations. In the meantime, the current PDA committee will function as an administrative body to handle day-to-day operations.
A number of substantial benefits for Belmont will occur with the creation of a public art gallery in the Town Hall complex. These include an enhancement of town space, the increase in community pride and spirit, opportunities for greater interaction between town administrators and the local cultural community, and a greater civic connectedness as the members of the town community come together in a beautiful public gathering space. The Belmont Cultural Council is excited to be a sponsor of this important and innovative town project.
Throughout the fall and winter of 2002, the PDA committee worked closely with Joel Mooney, chair of the Town Hall Complex Building Committee, and Mel Kleckner, Town Administrator, to coordinate the other uses of the space as a training room, small conference facility and venue for official receptions. The Belmont Cultural Council is scheduled to formally present the gallery plan to the Selectmen in early January 2003 for their anticipated vote of approval prior to the Annex project going to bid.
Cultural Grants Program
In February 2002, notification of approval was sent to the eighteen recipients awarded funding by the Belmont Cultural Council for fiscal year 2002. Our fiscal year 2002 allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council of $8,330 was deposited to our account by the state shortly thereafter. Unencumbered funds totaling $1,300 were added to the allotment for a total of $9,630 granted, to be distributed to the recipients upon completion of their projects.
Due to drastic cuts in the State Budget in fiscal year 2003, the Massachusetts Cultural Council budget was reduced by 62 percent. The Local Cultural Council program, the MCC’s second largest statewide grant program, was cut 59% with individual LCC allocation amounts being cut between 39 and 62 percent. The fiscal year 2003 allotment to Belmont from the Massachusetts Cultural Council is $3,100, which represents a slightly greater than 62 percent reduction. As a result, the Belmont Cultural Council voted to eliminate PASS funding for this year. PASS is a ticket subsidy program for school children to attend off site performances during school hours.
By the October 15, 2002 deadline, 14 grant applications requesting a total of $109,175 were received. After the review process, 6 applications were approved for fiscal year 2003. With the addition of $40 from interest income to our allotment of $3,100, a total of $3,140 will be awarded in either partial or full funding to the following projects:
Applicant Name |
Project Title/Description |
Date |
Belmont Council on Aging |
Intergenerational Art Projects |
March 12 & 19, 2003 |
Belmont Fair Housing Committee |
Community Through Film |
February 2003 |
Belmont World Film |
Foreign Film Series/ Children’s Animation |
March/April 2003 |
Butler Elementary School |
Boston Dance Collective performance |
November 26, 2002 |
Ruth Harcovitz |
Soprano Performance at Senior Center |
March 11, 2003 |
Wellington School PTO |
Meet the Author – Monica Beatty: grade 2 |
October 8, 2002 |
Approval notification including information packets will be mailed in January 2003 to the preceding list.
Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca Richards, Co-Chair
Nan Rogers, Co-Chair
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