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Creative City Has Thus Far Funded 26 Projects
Granting $248,500 in Allston, Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roxbury, and South End
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[Boston, MA] The New England Foundation for the Arts announces the third round of artist grantees for its Creative City program, which supports public art projects of all genres that engage directly with Bostonians in their neighborhoods. Round three awards seven artist projects that will take place throughout 2017 totaling $70,000.
| Program Title/Artist(s) | Genre | Neighborhood |
| Humanities not Statistics: Leadership Through Theatre Molly Gilbert and Zahra Belyea |
Theatre | Dorchester |
| Ifé Franklin's Indigo Project Ifé Franklin |
Sculpture | Roxbury |
| Immigration Nation Nora Valdez |
Visual Art | Jamaica Plain |
| Latin Quarter Mosaic Project Richard Youngstrom |
Visual Art | Jamaica Plain |
| MassQuerade Ball Daniel Callahan |
Interactive Art | South End |
| Stitched Into Memory Stephen Hamilton |
Textile Art | Fort Point |
| The Table/La Mesa Melissa Nussbaum Freeman |
Interactive Art | Dorchester |
Creative City public art programs extend into Boston neighborhoods featuring creative expression of many disciplines including theater, music, dance, visual art, spoken word, and more. Programs offer a variety of opportunities for community participation, including performances, workshops, receptions, and interactive story-telling.
Creative City was launched in 2015 by New England Foundation for the Arts with hopes to support individual artists to enliven neighborhoods and engage communities. The grant program has awarded $248,500 to 26 projects in three rounds of applications. In addition, Creative City has also awarded $15,000 to 15 community partners ($1,000/each) to support/collaborate with the individual artist programs (more partner applications are in process now). February 21, 2017, is the deadline for the fourth invitation for individual artist applications. For program eligibility information, visit www.nefa.org/creative-city-grant. Creative City is funded by the Barr Foundation with additional support from the Boston Foundation.
“Boston is home to an amazing range of artists with many voices who work across many genres and mediums. Creative City is a unique opportunity to fund artists – bringing their creative visions to life across the city and directly in neighborhoods where Bostonians live, work, and play,” said Cathy Edwards, NEFA executive director. “Creative City is an expression of NEFA’s desire to both support area artists and to engage the public with art in ways and locations that are surprising.”
“We continue to be excited to see the varied scope of new work and creative experiences Creative City artists will inject into communities across Boston over the next year," said San San Wong, Barr Foundation’s senior program officer for arts and creativity. "It has been our privilege to partner with NEFA in supporting so many talented artists and see new stories of neighborhoods come alive through this new program. We’re also glad to see the relationships taking shape between artists and community partners – really helping each artist’s project evolve and penetrate community life.”
Learn about the round two Creative City grantees.
Learn about the round one Creative City grantees.
Learn about the Creative City Community Partner Grantees.
About Creative City
Creative City supports individual artists, artist collectives, and artistic collaborations in all disciplines and with roots in diverse cultures, forms, and aesthetics. Grants range from $2,500-$10,000, and an additional stipend will be available for community partners to help support presentation costs. Creative City is made possible with funding from the Barr Foundation. For more information about funding priorities, eligibility, and criteria, visit www.nefa.org/creative-city-grant.
About New England Foundation for the Arts
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in the arts to enrich communities in New England and beyond. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Visit nefa.org for more information.
About the Barr Foundation
The mission of the Barr Foundation is to invest in human, natural, and cultural potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. Based in Boston, Barr focuses regionally, and selectively engages nationally to elevate the arts for vibrant, vital, and engaged communities; to advance solutions for climate change; and to expand educational opportunity. For more information, visit www.barrfoundation.org.
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CONTACT: Ami Bennitt | 617.797.8267