SOUTHWICK – A dozen grants totaling $4,600 have been awarded to cultural programs in Southwick.
Southwick Cultural Council (SCC) Chairperson Susan Kochanski said the group tried to “give a little bit to as many programs as possible” when deciding how to award the grants.
The Southwick Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils 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 MCC, a state agency, which then allocates funds to community-based LCCs.
“I’m pleased to announce that Southwick has received a number of grants for arts and humanities programs,” Rep. Nicholas Boldyga said. “MCC grants help to ensure that cultural resources in Southwick and across the Commonwealth are accessible to residents.”
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, Marie Gallo, Laura Zides-Lucier, Marcia Capuano, Joan Perkins-Smith, Lisa Pentz and Ellen Miles.
“It’s the local volunteers who really make this system work,” said Sen. Donald Humason. “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.”
Kochanski said the group was challenged to select from among the numerous organizations that applied for funds.
“The SCC is pleased to be able to support requests from local organizations,” said 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 requests.”
Kochanski said this year there were several unique programs and cited the Southwick Rail Trail Historic Poster as one of the new and interesting grant recipients.
“They will be placing posters of historic interest along the trail and will highlight the history of icehouses on the Congamond Lakes,” Kochanski said.
Statewide, more than $2 million will be distributed to LCCs in 2014. Grants will support a range of grassroots activities: concerts, festivals, lectures, theater, dance, music and film. LCC projects take place in schools, community centers, libraries, elder-care facilities, town halls, parks and wherever communities come together.
Kochanski said all SCC events are free and open to the public.
The 2014 grants for Southwick include:
Carnival Music Program – The Southwick Firemen’s Association, Inc. hosts an annual Firemen’s Carnival. The grant will be used to provide music during the carnival in the summer of 2014.
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 summer competition.
Southwick Council on Aging – Golden Oldies Singer Calum Shand will perform a variety of songs at that convey the charm and effervescence of seniors’ youthful days. The performance will be scheduled at the Southwick Senior Center.
Springfield Symphony Orchestra – A cultural field trip to the Springfield Symphony Hall is scheduled on April 9 for Grade 4 students from Southwick Woodland School for the purpose of introducing the students to musical performing arts.
Southwick Public Library – Figuring out Fingerprints. Students from grades 3-6 will have the opportunity to learn about fingerprints. They will also have the opportunity to try their hand at collecting a readable set of their own prints. The program will be scheduled as part of the summer Suntime Reading Program.
Southwick Public Library – Pinta Bella Hoops. All family members will have the opportunity to learn about the hula hoop, its emotional, social, and physical benefits. They will also learn about the different types and use and what can be done with a hoop. The program will be scheduled as part of the summer Suntime Reading Program.
Southwick Public Library – Greenville Energy City. A program designed for teens (grades 7-12) to link the science of energy transformations, electrical circuits, and magnetism, with social and engineering issues for the purpose of powering a city will be scheduled sometime during 2014.
Southwick Rail Trail Historic Posters and Trail Map – Friends of the Rail Trail will create a series of posters that portray the history of Southwick including Congamond Lakes, the Hampshire and Hampden Canal, Ice Houses and inventions and industries in Southwick as well as a “You Are Here “:map of the trail. The posters will be displayed on the four kiosks located on the six mile section of the Rail Trail located in Southwick.
Sublime Sunflowers: Pastel Paint Like the Masters – Gregory Maichack from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston will present a workshop on the works of pastel artists (old masters including van Gogh, Monet and Georgia O’Keeffe), for the purpose of inspiring the participants to create their own sunflower paintings. The workshop will take place at the Southwick Public Library on February 26 from 6-8 pm.
Historic Stenciling at the Moore House – The Southwick Historical Society will create an exhibit depicting the stenciled wall friezes and borders within the Moore House with emphasis on the restored Coffin Door Room walls and the restoration of the double width upstairs Tavern room walls. The exhibit will feature the period art form at the Southwick Cultural Council Art Show scheduled for May 4-5 at the Southwick Town Hall.
An Evening with Charles Neville & Friends “Food for the Soul” – Our Community Food Pantry will host an event to raise awareness about hunger. The local pantry supports families in Southwick, Tolland and Granville. The grant will be used to provide music for the event to be scheduled in early 2014.
A time to Laugh, A time to Weep – Richard Clark will present a one-hour performance to include scenes from some of the most dramatic, amusing, and well known American masterpieces including The Prisoner of Second Avenue and California Suite by Neil Simon, and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. The program.will be scheduled at the Southwick Public Library in September of 2014.
The SCC meets the third Thursday of each month at the Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway, Southwick, at 7:00 p.m.
