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(BOSTON – May 14, 2009) New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) has awarded $79,500 through Fund for the Arts, a public art program for Greater Boston. Awards were made to nonprofit organizations and artists to support the planning and creation of site-specific, contemporary public art works. Fund for the Arts was established in 1981 under the leadership of arts philanthropist Phil David Fine. It supports projects that pair artists and nonprofit community organizations to create public artworks that engage audiences and encourage community participation in the arts. For more information about this program, visit /grants_services/fund_arts.
This year, a competitive pool of 21 applicants – nine more than last year - with requests of about $350,000 were reviewed. Five projects (listed below) were awarded funding for the planning or implementation of a public art project. “The projects chosen are representative of the range of communities and organizations engaging artists to produce public art in greater Boston,” comments Director of Programs Jane Preston. “Some projects have been nurtured by NEFA, such as the Our Garden Community Garden Project, which received a Fund for the Arts planning grant in 2008 and an implementation grant this year, and the Mozart Park public art project, which will install a steel sculpture by Douglas Kornfield, a first-time NEFA-supported artist.”
2009 FUND FOR THE ARTS GRANT RECIPIENTS
Midway Shutters Project
Artists: Michael Tyrell, Sandra Vieira (TVaBoston)
Organization: Fort Point Cultural Coalition (Boston, MA)
Amount awarded: $12,600
TVaBoston and the Fort Point Cultural Coalition received a planning grant of $12,600 to examine, study, design and initiate a call for artists for the site-specific installation of decorative window shutters along the back elevations of the Midway Studio Building at 15 Channel Center Street, South Boston. Midway Studios was developed to help preserve the artistic community in the Fort Point Neighborhood by providing live/work residences for artists.
Mozart Park Public Art Project
Artist: Douglas Kornfield
Organization: Hyde Square Task Force (Jamaica Plain, MA)
Amount awarded: $22,500
Hyde Square Task force has received a $22,500 implementation grant to complete the fabrication and installation of a stainless steel sculpture in Mozart Park, conceived by artist Douglas Kornfield. Mozart Park is a highly visible and well-used community park that is the epicenter of the Hyde-Jackson Square neighborhood. Kornfield engaged the Community Development Artist youth team of the Hyde Square Task Force and other neighborhood groups to learn about the diverse community that inspired this work.
LynnArts Mural Project
Artists: David Fitcher, Yetti Frenkel, and Joshua Winer
Organization: LynnArts, Inc. (Lynn, MA)
Amount awarded: $6,000
LynnArts received a $6,000 planning grant for the second stage in the design development of a three story mural for the façade of the LynnArts Community Art Center in Lynn’s Central Square. The first planning stage was completed through a NEFA Fund for the Arts grant that fostered community engagement and resulted in the selection of the artist team. The mural will be a highly visible addition to the downtown Lynn business district.
Our Garden Community Garden Project
Artist: Gretchen Schneider
Organization: Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) (East Boston, MA)
Amount Awarded: $30,000
The Our Garden project has received a $30,000 implementation grant. This grant will enable NOAH, working with East Boston artist Gretchen Schneider, to construct a gateway community garden linking the Eagle Hill Neighborhood to the Mario Umana Middle School Academy. This is an active passageway that hundreds of residents use daily, but currently it is unsafe and in disrepair. Creating a neighborhood greenspace filled with color, light, and texture will provide a pocket park that can be used as an outdoor classroom, community garden, and restful retreat for residents.
Engaging Communities Mural Project
Artists: Tova Speter and Anyahlee Canas
Organization: The Art Connection (Chinatown, Roxbury and Malden, MA)
Amount awarded: $8,400
The $8,400 planning grant will support The Art Connection in creating artist-led workshops in three identified communities: Chinatown, Roxbury, and Malden. The workshops will actively engage community residents from partnering organizations in the process of creating public art. The artists will encourage participants to “get their hands dirty” in the process, and collaborate, discuss issues, and define an aesthetic that represents their community. The process will culminate with a unique painted mural in each community.
NEFA creatively supports the movement of people, ideas, and resources in the arts within New England and beyond, makes vital connections between artists and communities, and builds the strength, knowledge, and leadership of the region's creative sector. NEFA is a 501 (c) 3 that operates with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England state arts agencies, and from corporations, foundations, and individuals.
NEFA administers nine grantmaking programs that support the performing arts, public art, and Native American artists. NEFA also leads projects and initiatives that range from the analysis of the impact of the creative economy to the creation of online tools which link and advance the regional, national, and international cultural community. For more information, please visit www.nefa.org or call [617] 951-0010.