Boston Cyberarts awarded MCC Adams Fund Grant

On February 9th, George Fifield and I attended an awards ceremony/announcement forum for projects funded through the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Adams Art Program. In 2004, Massachusetts Legislature created the Adams Arts Program, which funds projects that create jobs and income, revitalize downtowns, and draw cultural tourists.

From the MCC website:

“Adams-funded projects leverage the assets of the creative sector – artists, cultural organizations, and arts-related businesses – inherent in Massachusetts’ communities to generate real income. ”

The Boston Cyberarts Festival is cited, as an example of these type of projects, on the home page of the Adams Fund website.

This year’s MCC Adams Arts Awards Ceremony was held at the State House, so that Massachusetts legislators could be present, and both talk to and with constituents funded through the Adams Program. Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Boston Cyberarts’ local representative, gave emphatic remarks on the pride she takes in representing the non-profit cultural activities in her district, and also cited Boston Cyberarts as a big contributor to the cultural excellence of the Jamaica Plain/Roxbury area.

It was inspiring for me to witness direct support come from the mouths of people I never really think about, those high-ups whose names appear on ballots and with whom I never have any personal connection. These are the people who make state funding for the arts possible. It was evident that they are pleased with the cultural community throughout Massachusetts, and will continue to fight for funding for all kinds of arts and cultural programming.

Examples of types of funded projects and people I saw include Transcultural Exchange and the ever-talented Mary Sherman, Carole Walton at the BRA, organizing the upcoming Powering Up Conference, Catherine Peterson at ArtsBoston.org, and projects like the Cambridge Science Festival and the ArtsUnion program of the Somerville Arts Council. I felt in great company, the energy in the room was terrific, and we all left to get back to that grind- yet, with a bit of money, and a lot of support.