The Belmont Cultural Council (BCC) is 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 re-granted 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.
Belmont Gallery of Art
Throughout the year, members of the Belmont Cultural Council continued to develop plans for the creation of a new permanent public art gallery, to be located in the Homer Municipal Building (Town Hall Annex). The BCC worked with Joel Mooney, chair of the Town Hall Complex Building Committee, Mel Kleckner, Town Administrator, and the Board of Selectmen to coordinate the other uses of the space as a training room, small conference facility, and venue for official receptions. The Gallery is scheduled to open in spring 2005, shortly after renovation of the historic building is complete.
In response to a call for artists, nearly 60 artists living or working in Belmont applied for inclusion in the Inaugural Exhibition. In July 2004, the curatorial committee, drawn from the Belmont community, convened to jury submissions and to finalize the selected artwork. Accepted artists were notified over the summer. The second call for artists for solo shows commencing after the Inaugural Show was made in October 2004 with a January 15, 2005 deadline.
Cultural Grants Program
In January 2005, notification of approval was sent to the seven recipients awarded funding by the Belmont Cultural Council for fiscal year 2005. Our fiscal year allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council of $3,100 was deposited to our account by the state to be distributed to the recipients upon completion of their projects.
As a result of the continued reduced allotment from the Mass. Cultural Council, the Belmont Cultural Council once again voted to eliminate funding for the PASS ticket subsidy program for this year. With such limited funds to distribute, the Belmont Cultural Council focused on funding local artists and programs taking place within the schools.
By the October 15, 2004 deadline, 19 grant applications requesting a total of $10,065 were received. After the review process, seven applications were approved for fiscal year 2005. The approved applicant names/project descriptions are listed below:
Applicant Name Project Title Date
Donald J. Bastarache Music of the Swing Era (free public concert) July 1-Aug. 30, 2005
Belmont World Film Family Film Series April, 2005
Chenery PTO “Sharing the World of Anne Frank” (presentation) April 8, 2005
Anne Donovan Belmont Senior Center Sing-Along Spring 2005-Fall 2005
Lawrence Martin Belmont Senior Center Sing-Along Spring 2005-Fall 2005
Jane Sherwin The Farm Where You Live Oct. 2004-Sept. 2005
(Belmont Agricultural History Project)
Wellington PTO Petticoat Patriot (performance) Spring 2005
Approval notification was sent in mid-January to the preceding list.
Respectfully submitted,
Genevieve Fisher, Co-Chairman
Rebecca Richards, Co-Chairman
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