Nearly two dozen Jamaica Plain organizations were on hand during a reception at MassArt’s Pozen Center held to congratulate the 2019 Boston Cultural Council (BCC) organizational grant winners and mark Mayor Martin Walsh’s largest ever investment in local arts organizations. Walsh said the grants are part of an effort to bring accessible opportunities to engage in the arts throughout the entire City.
Twenty three Jamaica Plain nonprofits were among the 221 grant recipients that shared in $487,000 in grant money as part of a partnership between the BBC and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
The selected organizations in Jamaica Plain and citywide represent an array of disciplines, including visual arts, theater, film, music, dance, and the humanities.
In Jamaica Plain organizations like the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library, the Jamaica Plain Music Festival, Urbano Project and Theatre Espresso were just some of the grant recipients announced by Mayor.
The organizations here were evaluated on a series of criteria, including diversity of the organization, how well they serve historically represented populations, whether they provide public benefit, and whether they meaningfully reflect the goals and ideas of the Boston Creates cultural plan.
“The organizations that received Boston Cultural Council grants this year demonstrate the enormous power of creative expression, and reflect the cultural vitality of our city,” said Mayor Walsh. “I’m eager to see how each organization strengthens Boston’s neighborhoods through arts programming in 2019.”
The Mayor’s Arts Chief Kara Elliott-Ortega said grants of up to $5,000 were awarded to organizations in two categories. Organizations with a budget of less than $1 million received general operating support, and organizations with a budget of over $1 million received project-specific support. In order to be eligible for either award, organizations had to either be based in the City of Boston, or offer programming in the City. The City of Boston contributed $300,000 in funding and the Mass Cultural Council (MCC) contributed $187,000 in funding to the BCC.
“Boston is home to so many incredible arts organizations and cultural institutions that work tirelessly to bring opportunities to engage in creative expression to every individual, in every neighborhood,” said Elliott-Ortega. “It’s great to see Boston provide increased support and resources to these organizations year after year, and witness the impact it has on our local communities.”
The full list of grant recipients in Jamaica Plain are as follows;
• Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library
• Gravity Arts, Inc.
• Sheffield Chamber Players
• Sound Energy Trio
• Transient Canvas
• Music as a Second Language
• Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston
• Jamaica Plain Music Festival
• Theatre Espresso
• BOMBAntillana
• FINEX House
• MetaMovements
• BalletRox
• Girls Rock Campaign Boston
• Spontaneous Celebrations
• OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center
• Urbano Project
• Boston Makers, Inc.
• Non-Event
• The Footlight Club
• Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts
• Rehearsal for Life, Inc. (formerly Urban Improv/Freelance Players, Inc.)
• Boston Scores