The Building Communities through Culture (BCC) program identifies, links, and strengthens arts-based community development projects throughout New England that are characterized by arts/non-arts partnerships.

In 1995, NEFA and the New England state arts agencies nominated the lead organizers of fifteen New England-based arts/non-arts community projects as BCC fellows - one cultural fellow and one civic fellow from each project site - with the objective of supporting and advancing existing or emerging collaborations.

From 1996-1998, planning and implementation grants were awarded to the BCC fellows, and several regional convenings, held three times a year at various sites of cultural/civic activity, served to bring the BCC fellows together to discuss, strengthen, and enhance their existing projects.

In spring of 2002, BCC hosted RE| New England: Investigating Community Building through Culture, a national convening held in New Haven, Connecticut, which focused on arts and community building and shared the work of BCC fellows and other exemplary arts/non-arts community projects. At the convening, private and public funders came together with invited arts practitioners to deepen their understanding of arts and community building. Participants brainstormed and identified ways to coordinate funding efforts among foundations, private industry, and public entities. The convening was funded by Open Society Institute, with additional support from Pitney Bowes Inc.

In 2001, NEFA published a report that tells the stories of the BCC fellows and their exemplary community arts programs. Download it below.

Download April 2001 report on BCC program [3.0mb*]
* Please note that this is a very large file and may be slow to download

Funding

BCC was generously funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the six New England State Arts Agencies.