Southwick awarded grants
Ellen Miles
Southwick Cultural council
Senator Michael Knapik and Susan Kochanski, Chair of the Southwick Cultural Council, have announced the award of nine (9) grants totaling $5,432 for cultural programs in Southwick.
The Southwick Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCC) serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the umbrella of the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The MCC 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 Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to community-based LCCs.
Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of town-appointed volunteers. The members of the Southwick Cultural Council are Susan Kochanski, Pat McMahon, Karen Deyo, Laura Zides-Lucier, Marilyn Girace, Jennifer Bruno, Joyce Banish, Frank Quirk, Marcia Capuano, Joan Perkins-Smith, Lisa Pentz and Ellen Miles.
“It’s the local volunteers who really make this system work,” said Senator Knapik. “They make limited resources go as far as possible, and they make the tough decisions about which projects should be supported. Thanks to them, the arts, sciences and humanities are part of people’s everyday lives in every community across the Commonwealth.”
“The Southwick Cultural Council is pleased to be able to support requests from local organizations,” said Chair Kochanski. “We try to award grants in a manner that supports all segments of the population from senior citizens to students and young children. These are very tough decisions and each year we hope the funding will increase a little so we can fund additional grant request.”
Statewide, more than $2.34 million will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2012. Grants will support an enormous range of grassroots activities: concerts, exhibitions, radio and video productions, field trips for schoolchildren, after-school youth programs, writing workshops, historical preservation efforts, lectures, First Night celebrations, nature and science education programs for families and town festivals. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people.
The Southwick Cultural Council will seek applications again in the fall. Information and forms are available online at www.massculturalcouncil.org. Applications are available in October of each year.
The 2012 grants for Southwick include:
Reading is Magic – Edward Cope’s 45-minute interactive magic performance emphasizes the value and importance of reading skills. The session is suitable for all age groups and will be scheduled in the near future.
How to Pastel Paint Flowers – Gregory Maichack, twice nominated for the MCC gold Star Program Award, and award-winning pastel painter, will present a new workshop entitled The Art of Georgia O’Keeffe: How to Pastel Paint Flowers. The workshop is ideal for teens, adults and seniors. The workshop will be scheduled at the Southwick Public Library.
Contempaissance-Flute and Guitar – Gary Jackson, a classical guitarist and composer will perform pieces from the late Medieval and Renaissance periods through the present. It is an educational experience for all age groups teaching different styles and eras of music and the workings of the musical instruments. The performance will be scheduled at an upcoming event in Southwick.
Lt. Joseph Moore, Revolutionary Martyr – The Southwick Historical Society will provide an exhibit for the Southwick Cultural Council Art Show which visually tells the story of Joseph Moore’s brief but tragic military service in the American Revolution. Documents from national and international collections will trace Moore’s life from his appointment as a lieutenant to his memorial marker in Granby, Connecticut. Scheduled for April 28 and 29 at the Southwick Town Hall.
Grill’n Daze, BBQ and Chili Cook-off Challenge – The Southwick Rotary Club will host a competition for the best barbecue and chili. This community-based event is family oriented. The grant will be used to provide music during the July event at the Southwick Recreation Center.
History, Life, Times and Music of Louis Armstrong – Dixieland Stomp will present music, history and performance of Louis Armstrong. The majority of the music is from Louis’ recordings with the “Hot 5” and “Hot 7” made in the late 1920s in Chicago. The performance is for all age groups and will take place October 14 at the Southwick Congregational Church.
Creepy Tales and Urban Legends – The Southwick Public Library will present Mary Jo Maichack, national award-winning storyteller. She will recount, sing and play guitar while inviting the audience to participate in her version of Creepy Tales and Urban Legends. The one-hour story telling performance is for grades 7 through 12 and is scheduled for July 17.
Springfield Symphony Orchestra – A cultural field trip to the Springfield Symphony Hall is scheduled March 14 for students from grade 4, Woodland School, for the purpose of introducing the students to musical performing arts.
Interacting with Shakespeare – The Southwick-Tolland Regional High School English Department will schedule an interactive workshop with two experienced Shakespearean actors and lead the students through Shakespeare’s language and times, literary devices and universally themed scenes featuring student performances. Four 60-minutes workshops are tentatively scheduled on Aprll 28 with Shakesperience Productions.
These programs are supported in part by grants from the Southwick Cultural Council (SCC), a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), a state agency. The SCC meets the third Thursday of each month at the Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway, Southwick, at 7:00 p.m.
