Westfield Cultural Council
The Westfield Cultural Council is a commission of the City made up of mayorally-appointed members. The main purpose of the WCC is to allocate grant monies annually from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. We aim to make Westfield a little brighter and more welcoming by enabling the growth of arts and culture right at home.
Contact
Rebecca Blackburn
beckersbc11@gmail.com
413-284-7117
Address
Westfield City Hall
59 Court Street
Westfield, MA 01085-3445
FY22 Allocation
$37,000
FY22 Local Priorities
Westfield Cultural Council Funding Priorities:
These priorities are based upon a survey to the general public undertaken by council members during the summer of 2021 online. Our hope is to provide funding to programming which reflects the will of the public, diversity and all walks of life within our community.
– Artist-led projects, especially outdoor public art projects.
– Collaborative projects between artists, cultural groups and community organizations.
– Quality public events, like concerts and festivals, open to the general population.
– Programming for school-aged children which provide enrichment outside of schools. These programs need not serve only children, but perhaps serves as a subset of a larger program (i.e: a mural project which invites children to collaborate)
Westfield Cultural Council Local Guidelines:
1. All events must take place in Westfield.
2. The Westfield Cultural Council is committed to bringing new cultural events to the city and, realizing that other local support may be difficult to secure for an untried event, may fully fund it in the first year; however, to best leverage the funds provided by the State, we encourage organizations to apply to the WCC for partial funding for subsequent years, while finding other sources of financial support.
3. First priority will be given to grants written by individual artists, however, they will be considered only when the event has a definite venue and date.
4. Applications for field trips will not be considered.
FY22 Local Guidelines
1. All events must take place in Westfield.
2. Applications must include plans to acknowledge the Westfield Cultural Council (WCC) as a source of funding in ALL printed materials related to each event. Failure to do so may compromise future grant funding for an organization. Reimbursements requests must include the copies of the publicity containing acknowledgment.
3. The Westfield Cultural Council is committed to bringing new cultural events to the city and, realizing that other local support may be difficult to secure for an untried event, may fully fund it in the first year. However, to best leverage the funds provided by the State, we encourage organizations to apply to the WCC for partial funding for subsequent years, while finding other sources of financial support.
4. First priority will be given to grants written by organizations. Grants written by artists and supported by organizations will be considered when (and only when) the event has a definite venue and date.
5. Those applicants seeking grant funds over $800, or first-time applicants, may be asked to attend a WCC Meeting.
6. Every three years, the WCC is required by the State to do a “Satisfaction Survey.” All recipients are expected to participate in this survey so that the WCC can learn how to better serve arts organizations and the community.
7. Any change to any funded event, including a change of date, purpose of the event, change in artists or venue must be submitted in writing to the Westfield Cultural Council two (2) months before the event. The WCC will consider the changes and vote before providing the grant funds for disbursement.
8. All grant requests must follow the MACC and WCC Program Guidelines to be considered for funding.
How Grant Recipients Are Paid
Reimbursement Grants
FY22 Funding List
| Name | Project Title | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, Inc. | Art Studio Programming | $2,000 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | Open Mic | $500 |
| Amelia Park Children's Museum, Inc. | Literacy Learning Initiative | $1,819 |
| Westfield Athenaeum | Reptiles Rock | $425 |
| Highland Elementary PTO | To Bee or Not To Bee | $1,200 |
| MUSIC Dance.edu | Hip Hop Dance Chair Exercise for Seniors! | $600 |
| Westfield Athenaeum | Felted Totoro | $275 |
| Westfield Athenaeum | Candle Making for Teens | $324 |
| Edward L. Cope, Jr. | Reading is Magic | $650 |
| Sandra Pearl | Science Take Home Kits for Library: Circuits | $210 |
| Westfield Athenaeum | Let's Draw Cartoons! | $250 |
| Westfield Athenaeum | Manga Drawing Workshop | $175 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | Downtown Live Concert Series | $1,000 |
| Rebecca Blackburn | Hiking the Appalachian Trail | $335 |
| Rebecca Blackburn | The Softer Side of Celtic | $275 |
| Westfield Farmers Market | Music at the Market | $2,000 |
| Roger L. Tincknell | Children's Songs and Sing Games Family Concert | $500 |
| Westfield on Weekends, Inc. | PumpkinFest 2022 Enhancements | $4,000 |
| Young Singers of Greater Westfield | Young Singers of Greater Westfield Spring Concert | $500 |
| Westfield Middle School | The Firebird by the Puppet People | $1,300 |
| Westfield Middle School | Malik the Magic Guy | $650 |
| Rona Leventhal | Goblins and Giggles: Stories For Halloween! | $585 |
| Abner Gibbs Elementary School | Capoeira: Afro-Brazilian Martial Arts, Music, and Dance | $1,005 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | Articulture 5 | $600 |
| Greater Westfield Choral Association, Inc. | Ducharme Mass A Major | $2,000 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | Articulture Westfield 2022 - Art & Authors! | $400 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | Dance Outside! | $1,000 |
| The Stanley Park of Westfield, Inc. | Stanley Park's Sunday Night Concert Series | $3,000 |
| Rhonda M Fazio | Dyeing to Wear It: Creating Community through Color | $600 |
| Matt York | Songs and Stories - The Highwaymen | $500 |
| Roger Bruno | Too Human: A Celebration of Song-The Great American Songbook and Beyond | $700 |
| Westfield on Weekends, Inc. | Up Close and Musical | $2,500 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | New Horizons in Art | $800 |
| ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc. | ARToberFEST | $1,000 |
| Piti Theatre Company | Inclusion Improv | $550 |
| Westfield on Weekends, Inc. | Cookies, Cupcakes and Community | $1,319 |
| Westfield High School | Antonina & David, The Mentalists Show | $1,800 |
