FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 6, 2016
Contact: James Ostis, Lowell Cultural Council Co-‐Chair
E-‐mail: jamesostis@gmail.com
THE CITY OF LOWELL AND LOWELL CULTURAL COUNCIL ANNOUNCE
THIS YEAR’S GRANT RECIPIENTS
Over 40 arts and humanities community projects received grant funding for 2016!
Lowell City Manager Kevin Murphy and Lowell Cultural Council (LCC) Co-‐chairs James Ostis and Jason Hantzis are proud to announce the award of 41 grant projects totaling $70,232 for cultural programs taking place in the City of Lowell. Ranging from festivals to film production, public art collaborations to school-‐based programs, live performances to personal storytelling, these projects demonstrate the breadth of creativity and commitment on the part of the grant recipients.
Decisions about which projects to fund are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers – the Lowell Cultural Council – who meet several times a year to fulfill the obligations of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s grant cycle which runs from January to December. The LCC is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. These Councils represent 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 Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.
Statewide, more than $2.5 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2016. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people.
The Lowell Cultural Council will seek applications again in fall 2016 for the 2017 grant cycle (January – December). Information and forms are available online at www.mass-‐culture.org/Lowell. Applications for 2017 are due October 15, 2016.
Current members of the Lowell Cultural Council are: Joseph Antifonario, Colleen Brady, Sean Daniels, Carolyn Delehanty, Maxine Farkas (Treasurer), Laura Frye, Jason Hantzis (Co-‐chair), J. Haley (Secretary), James Ostis
(Co-‐chair), Van Pech, and Dahvy Tran. The LCC recruits new members year-‐round – to learn more about the Council and its role in Lowell’s community please contact Suzzanne Cromwell at 978-‐674-‐1483 or scromwell@lowellma.gov.
Below is a complete list of the Lowell Cultural Council’s 2016 Grant Recipients. For project names and grant funding information, please visit www.mass-‐culture.org/Lowell.
Acre Coalition to Improve Our Neighborhood
Acre Family Child Care
Angkor Dance Troupe
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell
Coalition for a Better Acre
Cultural Organization of Lowell
DIY Lowell
Andrew Duncan
Nikki Giraffo
Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell
Mary Hart
Jay Hungate
J.G. Pyne Arts Magnet School
Lowell High School
Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra
Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival
Making Art with Artists (MAwA)
Crystal McCarthy
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Donna Miceli
Mill City Grows
Mindy Dopler Nelson
Jack Neary
Eddie Ocasio
Barbara Poole
St. Patrick School and Educational Center
The Luna Theater
The Marble Collection, Inc.
The Miracle Providers Northeast/The Onyx Room
Tobias Marx
UMass Lowell String Project
UTEC (United Teen Equality Center)
Whistler House Museum of Art
Alan Williams
Youth Dance Company