~ Submitted by the Bedford Cultural Council | January 31, 2022
State Senator Mike Barrett, State Representative Ken Gordon, the Bedford Select Board, Town Manager Sarah Stanton, and Bedford Cultural Council (BCC) Chair Barbara Purchia, have announced the award of 32 grants totaling $14,277 for cultural programs in Bedford or for Bedford residents. This represents a record amount of grant money awarded. A complete list of recipients and grant amounts can be found below and at https://www.bedfordma.gov/cultural-council .
On behalf of the Select Board, BCC liaison Emily Mitchell said, “Arts and culture help communities thrive. Bedford has long been a leader in supporting innovative programs and projects in the fine arts, music, humanities, and education, as this year’s roster of grant recipients demonstrates. I’m grateful to the Cultural Council for all their thoughtful hard work in evaluating this year’s applications, and to the Commonwealth and Town Meeting for providing the funding to make these projects possible.”
Town Manager Stanton added her approval, saying, “Congratulations to the Bedford Cultural Council and all of its grantees on another successful, and record-setting, round of cultural grants! I am excited to witness this diverse group of initiatives roll out and enrich the Bedford community over the coming year.”
For many years Senator Mike Barrett has been a key advocate for funding cultural programming, as has Representative Ken Gordon. “By supporting this array of cultural activities and artistry from people in our neighborhood, the Bedford Cultural Council highlights their importance and brings our community closer,” said Rep. Gordon. “These grants will support a variety of important projects and provide Bedford residents with meaningful and exciting opportunities. I look forward to seeing the impact of the BCC’s work this year.”
This year’s grants include:
- Bedford High School Performing Arts Department for The Drowsy Chaperone and Mamma Mia.
- Sarah Scoville for the utility box mural project
- Bedford Embraces Diversity for Martin Luther King Jr Day Community Breakfast
- The Bedford Citizen for Arts and Culture Reporter
- Bedford Arts and Crafts Society Community Service Project
About the Bedford Cultural Council
The Bedford Cultural Council (https://www.bedfordma.gov/cultural-council) is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) 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 Mass 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 Breena Daniell, Bobbie Ennis, George Epple, Jane Franklin, Elaine Grace, Rebecca Hazelton, Angel Pettitt, Barbara Purchia, Erin Sandler-Rathe, Susan Schwartz, and Christine Wojnar.
Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) award over $4 million every year, supporting more than 6,000 cultural programs that include everything from field trips to lectures, festivals, public artwork, and dance performances.
To Apply in the Next Grant Cycle
The Bedford Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. For guidelines and information on the Bedford Cultural Council, visit the website at https://massculturalcouncil.org/local-council/bedford/ or contact Barbara Purchia at 781-275-2464 or [email protected].
Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/.
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