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For Immediate Release Contact: Mary Ann Cicala
March 25, 2003
Phone: 617-349-4385
E-mail: mcicala@ci.cambridge.ma.us
2003 Gold Star Projects Funded by the Cambridge Arts Council
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The Cambridge Arts Council is pleased to announce that projects
produced by Outside the Lines Studio and the Community Art
Center, Inc. have been recognized by the Massachusetts Cultural
Council as 2003 Gold Star Projects. Both upcoming projects
received funding through the Cambridge Arts Council Grant
Program in 2003.
The Gold Star Program was established by the Massachusetts
Cultural Council to document innovative programs funded through
the Local Community Councils (LCC) program. The awards recognize
programs that foster collaboration, build community and showcase
the work of individual artists. Like all LCC-funded projects,
these programs frequently address the needs and interests
of underserved audiences.
Outside the Lines Studio received funding for Eight
Faces of Truth, an outdoor mural consisting of eight self-portraits
by artists with profound developmental and mental disabilities.
The mural will be placed in public spaces throughout Cambridge
starting in June 2003. (Locations for display are still being
sought and selected.)
Outside the Lines Studio is located in East Cambridge and
provides individuals labeled "mentally retarded"
with the tools, materials and support needed to create art.
Eight Faces of Truth is intended to confront the stigma of
negative labels, educate the community about a commonly marginalized
and invisible population and challenge preconceptions about
mental retardation.
The Community Art Center created the Do It Your Damn Self!!
National Youth Video and Film Festival (DIYDS) in 1996.
Run by youth in the Community Art Center's Teen Media Program,
DIYDS provides diverse youth with the opportunity to speak
on issues that affect their lives through the medium of video
production. The festival is a weekend long event that includes
screenings at MIT's Bartos Theatre, involving local high school
students and the general public.
DIYDS is an integral component of the Teen Media Program,
which is offered free of charge to Area IV teens ages 12-19.
In addition to managing the festival, teens learn video production
and photography skills. The program teaches critical viewing,
writing, research and public speaking skills and the resulting
videos are presented and distributed as community education
materials.
The Gold Star awards will be announced locally at the Cambridge
Arts Council's Fifth Annual Grant Awards Celebration on Wednesday,
March 26. Free and open to the public, the event will showcase
the 29 projects awarded funding in 2003. It will be held from
6:00-9:00pm at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, located
at 41 Second Street in Cambridge.
Outside the Lines Studio and the Community Art Center will
be honored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their
accomplishments at a special ceremony on April 12, at a statewide
conference for Local Community Council members. The conference,
Celebrating Community will be held at Mechanics Hall, 321
Main Street, Worcester, MA from 9:00am - 3:00 pm.
The Cambridge Arts Council's Grant Program awards funding
to high quality artistic projects that directly benefit Cambridge
citizens. The funding categories are Creating & Presenting,
to help artists present innovative work; Education & Access,
to teach residents about the arts and ensure access to the
arts for all citizens; and PASS, to subsidize ticket costs
so youth can attend professional arts productions. Each year
a diverse panel of Cambridge artists, arts professionals and
community members review applications and make funding recommendations.
Support for the Cambridge Arts Council's Grant Program comes
from the City of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Cultural
Council, a state agency.
The Cambridge Arts Council was recently recognized by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council with the 2003 Commonwealth
Award in the category of "Community." Chosen by
a committee of arts and business leaders, the Commonwealth
Award is given to an organization or individual that has significantly
integrated the arts, humanities or sciences into a community.
The Cambridge Arts Council is the official arts agency for
the City of Cambridge, established in 1974 to ensure that
the arts remain vital for people living, working and visiting
in Cambridge. The Cambridge Arts Council produces high quality
arts programming designed to strengthen the cultural community
including the Cambridge River Festival, an award-winning Public
Art/Percent-for-Art Program, the Grant Program, Summer in
the City, Art Among Us and a lively Street Performer Program.
Central to all activities is a vibrant community input process
that ensures new and existing programs are responsive to the
needs of the Cambridge community.
For more information, contact:
Cambridge Arts Council Phone: 617-349-4380
Jane Beal Web: www.cambridgeartscouncil.org
Massachusetts Cultural Council Phone: 617-727-3668 x343
John Michael Kennedy Web: www.massculturalcouncil.org
Community Art Center Phone: (617) 868-7100 ext. 11
Joe Douillette Web: www.communityartcenter.org/home.html
Outside the Lines Studio Phone: 617-252-0966
Rachel Vidal Web: www.outsidethelinesstudio.com
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