The Westfield Cultural Council met Tuesday to discuss the new arts grant funding cycle. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield Cultural Council (WCC) is looking to award over $30,000 in community art grants this year, an increase of almost 30% over last year’s funding of $20,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Artists, art-and-humanities based nonprofits and municipal groups, such as schools, are invited to apply for up to $5,000 in grant funding. Applications for grants became available online on Sept. 1 at www.mass-culture.org/westfield, and are due by Oct. 15.
The online application is simple, according to past president Morgan Drewniany; asking applicants for basic budget information and a scope of the project. At a meeting of the WCC on Tuesday at City Hall, Drewniany announced that Westfield will participate in a pilot program this year, giving funding upfront to artists. Previously, grants were reimbursed upon completion of the projects.
“They’re thinking this will attract more new people,” Drewniany said. She said in the new system, recipients will have to submit reports and return unspent money following the completion of their projects.
The committee spent the summer conducting community surveys to find out what type of projects residents would like to fund. The survey was done online, and member Rissa Larsen also polled visitors to the Farmer’s Market over the summer.
WCC priorities for 2019 — based on community input — are artist-led projects, especially outdoor public art; collaborative projects between artists, cultural groups and community organizations; quality public events, like concerts and festivals, and programming for school-aged children.
Drewniany said the survey reflected that people do want public art, and they are hoping to get the word out.
Earlier in the meeting, new WCC members including Patricia Conant, retired Westfield State arts professor, playwright and Westfield Theatre Group member Steve Henderson, and Margaret “Peg” McLennan, a retired Mass Mutual professional on the board of Sarah Gillett Services for the Elderly in Westfield, introduced themselves to the committee. The fourth new member Linda Slozak, who served on the Westfield 350 committee, Friends of Athenaeum, and is a third grade teacher, was not present.
Also present at the meeting was Wayne Weatherwax, who expressed an interest in joining and was invited by Drewniany. Weatherwax is the current chair of ArtWorks Westfield.
Drewniany explained the main mission of the WCC is to award the $30,000 in grant funding from the MCC. She said last year, the committee received 50 applications and granted a little more than half.
“Sometimes we grant in full, sometimes we grant in part,” she said.
The applications go to the MCC in mid-October, which prepares a panel book from the .pdf’s which is returned to the committee in the beginning of November.
Holly Robbins, a standing member of the WCC, said that people take the time to review the applications and come to the meeting prepared.
WCC treasurer Candy Pennington said applications that are denied receive a letter in December and have 30 days to file an appeal, although Drewniany said she hasn’t had any appeal during her term.
Typically, award letters go out in mid-January.
More details on the grants are available by contacting Drewniany at 413-454-1195 or [email protected].
Amy Porter can be reached at [email protected].
