| Project Title | Project Description | Project Discipline | Project Date | Project Location | |
| “Crankie” Musical Story-Telling | Our project is to perform a 40 minute story-telling “crankie”, with live musical accompaniment by Mamaliga Klezmer Band. A “crankie” is a traditional Appalachian-American story telling medium utilizing an illustrated moving scroll. For this performance, Mamaliga is collaborating with visual artist Kiah Raymond and playwright Abigail Weaver to develop a musical story-telling piece rooted in American and Yiddish folklore. The story draws on themes explored in S. Ansky’s ethnographies of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century, focusing on the character Elijah, a trickster who is searching for their voice. All aspects of the performance will be original material, including the artwork, storyline, and musical composition. Through this artistic collaboration, our project will engage an intergenerational audience in the richness of American and Yiddish folklore. | Interdisciplinary | September 2023 | Newton Free Library | |
| 2023 Lunar New Year Gala |
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Dance | 1/28/2023 | Regis College | |
| Allen Center Outdoors Inaugural | The Newton Cultural Alliance (NCA), now operating The Allen Center for Arts & Culture (The Allen Center) at the Nathaniel Allen Homestead in West Newton will launch its premiere summer season in June 2023, of Allen Center Outdoors with an Inaugural Weekend June 10 & 11 to include FREE Saturday and Sunday performances by diverse professional and community ensembles of varied ages. Allen Center Outdoors events will take place on the Grand Lawn at The Allen Center in West Newton. Inclement weather location (in the case of extreme weather) will be indoors at The Allen Center. Led by Newton Cultural Alliance’s Managing Director (Adrienne Knudsen), Allen Center Artist in Residence (Allison Eldredge) & Producer Kyle Rees, this fun weekend will include performers from professionals to students and from a variety of genres including classical, folk, jazz; music, dance and potentially theater. |
Music | June 10/11, 2023 | The Allen Center, West Newton | |
| Art at the Bus Stop | Since launchiing Art at the Bus Stop in July 2022, the public response has been incredibly positive. This is a highly visible location in West Newton. The project leverages a pre-existing structure designed to simultaneously display two artworks each 4 feet high by 5 feet wide. These artworks are illuminated at night by solar panels. This proposal would extend the rotation of artwork from October 2023 through October 2024 with an emphasis on displaying the work of BIPOC artists.
Viewers could stand on the sidewalk that is to the north of the bike path and look at the painting on the north-facing side or viewers could stand on the sidewalk just to the south of the bike path and look at the south-facing painting. These positive associations could encourage people to return to West Newton Square more often to do business with local enterprises and organizations. See mock-up below. |
Visual Arts | October 2022 through October 2023 | Captain Ryan Park, West Newton | |
| Belmont World Film’s 20th Family Festival | Short and feature length film programs from around the world in multiple languages–many based on children’s books and featuring multicultural casts–plus several workshops: clay animation with Aardman’s (WALLACE & GROMIT) senior animator (WALLACE & GROMIT), film criticism with the Boston Society of Film Critics, and a 48 hour filmmaking class. Although not finalized yet, film highlights so far include: THE SMEDS & THE SMOOS based on Julia Donaldson’s book and featuring the voices of Oscar winner Sally Hawkins and several BRIDGERTON cast members; animated versions of the Greek myth ICARUS & THE MINOTAUR and LITTLE NICOLAS, based on the book by the creator of Asterix; LAST FILM SHOW, an Indian film about a poor boy who falls in love with movies and film right before they go digital; and THE PATH, the true story of a boy who makes a dangerous trip through the Pyrenees to escape the Nazis. | Media Arts | January 13-22, 2023 |
In person at the West Newton Cinema, Regent Theatre in Arlington, the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, the Majestic Theater in Watertown, and some programs possibly online.
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| Boston String Academy Fall Concert | Classical composers wrote timeless masterpieces that were meant to be played and enjoyed forever. Boston String Academy’s (BSA) youth orchestras unite children, teenagers, multi-generational families, and people from all walks of life with its universal appeal.
BSA’s mission is to provide vibrant after school string programs for inner-city young students, offering high quality string instrument instruction, to build a strong foundation in their musical and personal growth. BSA’s unique approach nurtures every child’s potential guiding them to reach their highest levels of musical excellence and to develop a lifelong love of music. We propose a fall orchestra concert at Nathaniel Allen Center for Arts and Culture. Our young musicians will captivate the audience by playing music by Shostakovich, Sibelius and Desenne. |
Music | November 5, 2022 | Nathaniel Allen Center for Arts and Culture | |
| Broken Box Mime Theater In Newton! (BKBX In Newton!) | Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) will bring their work to the Newton community with two performances: a daytime children’s show and an evening adult show. “Destination: Everywhere” celebrates the collective (and interactive!) power of the imagination for upper elementary kids and their families, and “Above Below” is a ‘best of BKBX’ from the company’s 10-year repertoire, containing BKBX short-form narratives covering themes such as love, climate change, family, race and gender issues, and–of course!– humor. Because the shows explore storytelling without words, they are accessible to multi-language and deaf audiences.
This program marks a long-awaited debut engagement in Newton, where BKBX’s Founding Artistic Director was born and raised, and where many of BKBX’s supporters reside. Based in NYC, BKBX reimagines the medium for contemporary audiences. |
Theatre | TBD March or April, 2023 (one week) | Nearby Gallery, Newton MA | |
| Celebrations! Returns! | After a 2 year absence New Philharmonia & Boston Ballet School (BBS) will revitalize their holiday tradition, CELEBRATIONS!, with a colorful holiday season performance including excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” danced by nearly 50 students from BBS, Tamara King, Principal and local public school music students. This joyful concert often sells out to a diverse audience of 600 representing all ages. Previously this concert has been held at First Baptist Church (FBC) in Newton Center with the orchestra on half the stage & dancers on the other half. This year, with FBC closed for structural work the concert will take place at Newton’s Brown Middle School where the orchestra can occupy the floor area & the dancers/chorus the entire stage. The program will also feature this collaboration’s annual seasonal message – a joint performance of Let There Be Peace on Earth. | Music | Sunday, December 11, 2022 | Brown Middle School, Newton | |
| Cornell Coley and Afrika Gente | This is a free outdoor concert of Afro-Latin jazz music with a 5-piece band led by teaching artist and performer Cornell Coley. The band consists of top-quality local musicians with whom he works frequently and who are in demand throughout greater Boston. The placement of this event at Newton Open Studios is to share this rich music tradition with the residents, and visual art enthusiasts who popularize the annual Open Studios event. Last year’s event taught us that this audience appreciates the genre. We present this music for the purpose of cultural enrichment. Cornell Coley will elaborate on each selection for greater understanding and appreciation. In addition to American jazz, the selections draw upon various Afro-Latin traditions from the Caribbean, Latin America, Central America and Brazil. | Music | April 29 or 30, 2023 | Newton Open Studios, street site outdoors | |
| Dance & Cake: A Community Movement Project | Dance & Cake will provide an open, free space to explore movement, connect deeply with local dance both as a performer and audience member, and share experiences with other guests with no dance or movement experience necessary.
A participatory dance event with no dance or movement experience necessary. Guests can expect a decorated party space to explore themes such as the fun of celebrating, the anxieties of aging and the traditions at play in modern birthdays. And there will be cake! |
Dance | March 19, 2023 |
John M Barry Boys & Girls Club, 675 Watertown Street Newton, MA
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| Dance Caliente Ballroom/Latin Workshops | Through a partnership with the Newton’s COA, and at their request, we wish to teach 3 Ballroom Social Dance Workshops (1 1/2 hours each) that will take place weekly at the senior center. Each lesson will focus on one dance giving each participant an experience of three multi-cultural styles of Ballroom/Latin dance (chosen from Waltz to Salsa). We, Eileen and Raul will encourage all participants (from wheel-chair to fully able) with unique teaching techniques like “Oonka Ah” (a singing alternative to counting) and others developed for this age group (including dancing from chairs). We will connect with each student through humor, clarity in direction, consistent encouragement and chit chat about the origins of each dance style. These workshops are the desired follow-up to the mini-lessons conducted intermittently in our performance of ‘Dancing Joy with Dance Caliente’, last year. | Dance | Oct. 16, 23, and 30 | Newton Senior Center | |
| Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of The World | This is a multi-media one-woman show based on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. It uses music, videos, costumes and props to create a whole professional production. It will be shown at The Woburn Senior Center. AS Eleanor once said “As individuals we live cooperatively, and, to the best of our ability, serve the community in which we live…our own success, to be real, must contribute.” – Eleanor Roosevelt | Theatre | April 2023 | Newton Senior Center | |
| Emerging Musical Artist Series | Boston Concert Artist Society will organize a concert series in Newton. This concert series will offer young emerging artists opportunities to deliver their musical art of the highest caliber. We will select musicians through a public audition. BCAS will fully fund and manage their debut concerts. We will present them to the communities of Newton. | Music | March and Oct 2023 | Grace Episcopal Church in Newton | |
| EveryBody Signs | EveryBody Signs will continue to offer American Sign Language classes and story times to children and families, and we will continue to offer ASL events to the Newton community. Over the course of the year (Fall, Spring and Summer semesters), our classes, some in-person, some on zoom, have achieved the following goals: Theyprovide ASL instruction to learners who do not have easy access to this language; they provide a local language community to Deaf community members and ASL users of all ages, and they produce stories and mini-performances that we can share with the larger Newton community. We will present recordings via NewTV, including Steve Weiner’s “Books for Breakfast” ASL story series. We are also (finally!) planning in-person events: a Halloween event this fall, a winter party/performance, and spring-summer events or performances in 2023. | Humanities | Sunday mornings, weekly, Monday afternoons, occasional events | Zoom, Auburndale Library, NewTV | |
| FenceART | FenceART is a public art project dedicated to bringing vibrant, engaging art to neighborhoods throughout Newton. Annually, a jury of professional artists chooses 20 works by Newton artists, through a public call for art. No artist fees are charged, to encourage applicants of varied economic means.
The jury seeks well-executed works in a broad range of styles and media (within boundaries of propriety for public outdoor art). The works, printed on vinyl banners, are rotated to 5 public fence locations for approximately 10 weeks at a time, in groups of 4 works. Over the course of a year, all 20 works are shown at each location. Locations: Newton Senior Center, Newton Free Library, Watertown st at Bridge st, Beacon at Collins rd, Beacon at Cold Spring Park. Additional locations host banners from previous years. Example, 16 older banners exhibited during ’22 Newton Festival of the arts. |
Visual Arts | 2023, all year. |
5 accessible outdoor locations, including 3 city permitted locations and 2 private entities with permission.
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| FURTHUR | FURTHUR was created during a residence at Sculpture Space. The postindustrial landscape of Utica, NY, taught me a lot about the invisible America. I am mystified by the modern ruins, abandoned farms, empty spaces, rivers, mountains, and land with so much forgotten history. Despite maintaining indigenous names, the culture, ancestry, and magic that lives in the ground, plants, and animals are mostly unspoken. The word FURTHUR calls upon improvement, starting with a more historically accurate understanding of how we got here. The typo, yes, there is a typo 🙂 is the desire for something further than further, and a nod to accepting imperfections. I am searching for new horizons, more grounded in love and freedom, rid of domination, with infusions of humor and sweetness to avoid hopelessness. Each flag adds a symbol of inclusion, diversity, and peaceful coexistence to the conversation. | Visual Arts | April 2023 | Newton City Hall | |
| Generations of Fun: An Inter-Generational Performance | This program celebrates families, seniors & children, as well as the cultural diversity of the New England region. Award winning performer Davis Bates will share participatory songs and stories designed to educate and entertain a wide age range, and to create a feeling of community. The program includes play party games, traditional and contemporary folk songs, folk tales, rhymes, family stories and oral history narratives. Instruments played include spoons, limber-jack and a variety of ethnic percussive instruments. The concert is about 60 minutes in length, and will tbe sponsored by the Newton Council on Aging on Thursday, June 29th, 2023. A video link will be provided to the COA following the performance, providing access to a related program of songs & stories that can be shared via social media for a period of up to three months, greatly increasing the number of people served. | Multidisciplinary | Thursday, June 29th, 2023 at 1:30 pm | at the Hyde Bandstand in Newton, MA | |
| Haiku Newton 2023 | Haiku Newton involves the outdoor installation of 15 metal-framed yard signs featuring 30 winning Haiku’s accepted from a pool of applicants. The yard signs will be installed in various public spaces in Newton on a rotating basis throughout April and May. Local poets (and non-poets) will be encouraged to submit up to 3 haikus each for the contest. The haikus will be printed in full color on both sides of the signage (2 different haiku per sign). They will bring pops of warmth, color, poetry and inspiration to the community. There will be an adult category for submissions as well as a youth category. There will be a team of 3 judges including myself, Elizabeth Lund, host of NewTV’s Poety Lines program and one other city affiliated individual. The public spaces for display include Captain Ryan Park, Newton Centre Green, Newton Upper Falls Greenway, and Farlow Park. | Literature | April to May 2023 | Public Parks in Newton | |
| Holi, A celebration of Color | A Community celebration of Holi, the Indian festival of Spring and color. Over the past two years I have organized a City-wide celebration of Holi at City Hall that is open to everyone in the City of Newton. It is a wonderful celebration where the people become the canvas and we all throw color powder on one another in a fun and festive celebration to welcome Spring. | Interdisciplinary | March 11, 2023 (March 18, 2023 rain date) | Newton City Hall Grounds | |
| Indigenous Peoples Day Newton Ceremonial Celebration | The Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration in Newton will spotlight and celebrate the music, dance, poetry and visual art of diverse Native artists who currently live in the Northeast. It will be an outdoor, daytime, family-oriented cultural and spiritual celebration that is open, accessible, and welcoming to all Newton residents.Music, dance, and spoken word performances will take place on a main stage. Educational exhibits will encourage children and adults to see the world through an Indigenous perspective. Indigenous chefs, business people, artists and community and advocacy organizations will host tables to share their work, demonstrating that, contrary to what the dominant culture tells us, Indigenous people are still here- they are neighbors, friends, classmates, business owners in Newton and throughout New England. |
Interdisciplinary | October 9, 2023 | Albemarle Park, Newton, MA | |
| Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts | Now in its 8th year, the Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts has spanned many facets of arts & culture including several genres of music from blues to baroque, classical guitar to R&B & opera to jazz. This community festival continues to be free and accessible to all and has served as a catalyst for the cultural life in the city since 2015 and as a showcase for local and regional talent, NCC grant recipients, art organizations and creatives over the years. In 2023, in addition to musical acts, we hope to include theatre, dance, story telling, poetry, visual arts and a craft fair. Last July, we had 20+ performances over 3 days on 4 village stages. Iin 2023 we will hold the Festival over 2 nights and 1 day and host two stages at the Hyde Playground which will alternate performances throughout Saturday. On Friday evening we will open the Festival with a large community concert. | Multidisciplinary | July 2023 | Hyde Playground, Newton Highlands | |
| Lindy Hop and Jazz Education in Newton | A participatory dance event with a one-hour Lindy Hop beginner lesson and then a two-hour social dance session with a live band. The Lindy Hop is an American dance born in Harlem, NY in 1928, and evolving ever since. | Dance | February 2023 |
Newton, hopefully at a community center or other partner venue
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| MCA’s WCT ASL Storytime & Interactive Creativity Workshop | Since reopening last November, MCA has sought to rebuild and diversify its audiences, and expanding accessible arts programming is a key component of MCA’s vision. In efforts to build our ASL programs and reach more diverse, multigenerational audiences, MCA is seeking funding for Arts Access with ASL: WCT’s ASL Storytime & Interactive Creativity Workshop. WCT’s ASL Storytime events include an explanation of American Sign Language (ASL) featured in stories read so that audience members can participate with ASL during the storybook presentation [by reader] and interpreted [by ASL Teaching Artist]. ASL Storytime sessions will also include a creative hands-on art project that relates to the story. The project will be presented at public libraries again this year, expanding to local farmers markets when appropriate. Programs will be videotaped and presented virtually to maximize access. |
Multidisciplinary | 1/1/23 – 8/31/23 | Newton Library and On-line/ virtual platform | |
| Mothers’ Voices |
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Dance | May 2023 |
This project will be performed in the Dance Complex at Cambridge and recorded to share with the community of Newton and beyond.
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| Music Mondays at the Scandinavian Center | We are an all women-run program connecting local musicians with appreciative audiences for casual, yet professional Monday afternoon performances. The concerts are live, in person, as well as live-streamed via Zoom, and run for an hour from 2-3pm. We provide an accessible venue where attendees can gather to enjoy a shared musical experience. The music genres we offer are typically classical, but we also include some jazz, ethnic and folk content. The ensemble configuration varies (quartets, duos, solos), as do the types of instruments (piano, strings, woodwinds, guitar, voice). After each concert guests can linger for some Q & A as well as time to chat with the artists. We follow up each performance with a written review which we share with our email list, our subscribers, and it is posted on our Facebook page often with a video link. | Music | approximately once a month, on Mondays from 2-3pm | Nordic Hall, Scandinavian Cultural Center | |
| Music of the Waterlines | The musical program, focused on water and its social, political, and material implications, is proposed for presentation at the Waterworks Museum in Newton, MA. The program, which represents an offshoot of a collaboration with the Waterlines exhibition at the Somerville Museum, centers on the aesthetics and discourses surrounding water, fluidity, and nature. The program continues a long musical tradition in which composers and creators find inspiration in water in its various manifestations: as a source of natural beauty, as a crucial resource for human survival, and as the basis for sound itself. Compositions include “scripted” pieces – Julien Malaussena’s Eight Minutes after Boiling, Carolyn Chen’s Drown (for Allie) – and more fluid pieces by Pauline Oliveros in which the musicians are placed in specific spaces within the museum, performing in real-time sound installations. | Music | April 2023 | Waterworks Museum | |
| New Art Center’s Free Community Cultural Celebrations | New Art’s mission offers everyone, at all levels of ability, opportunities to make, exhibit, view, think and talk about art. New Art continues to expand on this with free programming that celebrates cultural, ethnic as well as LGBTQIA+ identities in our student body/community. By curating 5+ free Family Days around cultural heritage and LGBTQIA+ identities and hosting 3+ exhibitions by BIPOC curators, New Art provides deeper community engagement in diverse, equitable, inclusionary and accessible arts programming. Now in our second year of this program, New Art will celebrate Festivals of Light (Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, and Las Posadas) in December, Asian Lunar New Year in February, Holi Festival of Colors in March, Juneteenth and Pride Month in June. Our BIPOC curators will highlight Arabic women artists and 20th century Black musicians among others. | Multidisciplinary | December 2022 – June 2023 |
New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville MA 02460
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| New repertoire for a traditional art form |
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Folk/Traditional Arts | Jan-Dec 2023 | In Newton and in the Greater Boston area | |
| Newton Artists at the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music | The Boston Festival of New Jewish Music (BFNJM) is a free monthly concert series presenting original music drawing from the Jewish cultural experience. We catalyze the creation of new Jewish-inflected art, foster connections within and around the creative community, and build infrastructure for supporting composers and performers of Jewish music in the Boston area.
This grant request is specifically to partially fund two concerts featuring artists from Newton – Matthew Shifrin and Nat Seelen. The concerts will take place at the Boston Synagogue and live streaming over Zoom. |
Music | October 2022 – June 2023 | The Boston Synagogue and live streaming | |
| Newton Open Studios | A perennial favorite, Newton Open Studios happens annually in April with 140 artists at pop-up exhibit/sales location throughout Newton. These pop-ups-at artists homes, studios, backyard, and local institutions present paintings, jewelry, ceramics, sculptures, wearable art, photography, handmade objects and more. NOS is a community-wide celebration of our talented local artists. Visitors attend free or charge using our printed or digital guide. They can prepare their self-guided tour around the city to meet artists, have close encounters with their creative process, purchase original artwork in a festive and welcoming atmosphere. The event helps educate visitors about Newton’s year-round rotating exhibits, recent public art initiatives and festivals. NOS provides visibility to artists on social media vehicles, and it is a healthy way to gather and to celebrate the vibrancy of Newton. | Visual Arts | All over Newton | Spring 2023 | |
| Newton Piano Summit | The Waban Improvement Society will present 8 concerts featuring world-class talent presented over 4 weekend afternoons in May. Performers in either solo, duo, trio, or larger configurations will play one hour concerts free to the public at the Second Church in Newton. Primary audience is people who follow Jazz and Classical but we are motivated to gain more from those who follow piano performance, Global, R&B, Blues, and popular music. Expanding our audience is a goal. Concerts are recorded by a professional video crew and edited into short videos which are featured on several Facebook pages and YouTube with currently over 40K. If possible, we may livestream. | Music | May 6,7,13,14 2023 | Second Church Newton | |
| Newton PorchFest 2023 | Newton PorchFest (PF) 2023 is planned as an afternoon of free music performed outside homes in Auburndale, Newton Lower Falls, and Waban. Heading into its fourth year, Newton PF has established itself as a one-of-a-kind Newton music event. Residents provide the space for a wide range of musical talent and genres to perform; attendees stroll the neighborhood, engaging with the music. In 2018, PF hosted approximately 80 musical acts performing on 60 porches throughout Auburndale. In 2019 and 2022, the event expanded to include Newton Lower Falls and Waban. Over 100 acts representing country, pop, classical, reggae, blues, rock, jazz, Latin, R&B and more, performed. (See 2022 event brochure attached.) We are committed to providing an inclusive event, open to musicians who wish to share their talent with an audience of music lovers. A committee of 6 volunteers will coordinate the event. | Music | June 3, 2023 |
Auburndale, Newton Lower Falls, and Waban
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| NightLife | Night light is a family friendly, interactive Dance/Theater production following the main character Pachuco aka Pac searching for acceptance, respect, and love for others while overcoming fear and adversity. It’s a fast paced, entertaining, and fun show for all ages told through dance and comedic improv with a story based in a1920’s night club to the soundtrack of contemporary music. Highlighting the dance styles of Popping, Locking, Jazz, Tap, House, Lindy Hop, and Salsa. As a fully interactive show, the audience plays a dynamic role helping the main character Pachuco make decisions and navigate through difficult situations on his journey towards finding his voice and self acceptance. | Opera/Musical Theatre | January 27th and 28th |
American Legion Nonantum Post 440, 295 California St., Newton MA 02458
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| North of the Tracks: A Newton Corner Story | This walking tour of Newton Corner north of the MassPike will focus on the neighborhood’s immigrant history, highlighting historical socioeconomic divides in Newton that relate to racial and socioeconomic divides today. It will incorporate discussion of the building of the MassPike and its Newton Corner exits, as well as discussion of issues in housing equity.
We plan to repeat the tour in future years, but we will also rely on this body of research for other projects, including to support an upcoming portion of an ongoing project — outdoor educational signs highlighting sites and stories of historical interest in Newton’s villages. Having this research completed will not only allow us to deliver the walking tour in Spring/Summer 2023 and thereafter but also better prepare us to complete Newton Corner signs when they come up for that project. |
Humanities | Spring/Summer 2023, repeated thereafter | Newton Corner | |
| Observation/Transformation: public drawing adventures | Observation/Transformation features live drawing and spontaneous tableaux vivants with improvised movement and soundscape. Our interdisciplinary events decolonize relationships among audiences, models and artists. We create visuals that serve as drawing inspiration for all ages. Our events begin with the sharing of free art materials and a pragmatic demonstration, so that all can join. There is no prerequisite. Our ensemble reflects our inclusive vision. We are an intergenerational group of black, brown, queer and transgender nonconformists. Our media include drawing, dance, performance art, classical music, improvisational music, soundscape, modeling and teaching.
Through our previous 10 events in Brooklyn and Boston, we have honed our process. We have learned that each space creates new possibility. This is why we want to host events in multiple locations in Netwon Centre. |
Multidisciplinary | A series of monthly public events in summer 2023 |
Newton Centre Green, Newton Centre Playground and Nearby Gallery Newton
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| Open Door Connections | Discovery Museum is committed to ensuring full access for all. Our Open Door Connections (ODC) access initiatives allow families facing financial or other barriers to visit at no or low cost. This includes families with children on the autism spectrum, who are deaf/hard of hearing, or are blind/have low vision; $1/person admission for EBT, ConnectorCare, and WIC cardholders; free admission for educators and military families; free admission for all on select Friday evenings; and free memberships donated to families in need. Through July 2022, approximately 275 residents of Newton have visited the Museum through ODC. Despite the toll of the pandemic on visitation, we continue to offer all ODC programs, which benefit nearly a quarter of those we serve. Visitation in 2022 so far is 75% higher than in 2021 and we expect to reach our typical level of service by mid 2023. | Interdisciplinary | 2023 | Discovery Museum, Acton, MA | |
| Painters of Light: Learn & Create for Seniors | Painters of Light: Learn & Create for Seniors is a 90-minute program with 20-30 minutes of an informal art history presentation/discussion leading into an hour of individual painting time supported by the group setting. This theme engages participants in looking at how to show light in paintings, thinking about the physical and metaphorical light in our lives. Presenter/artist Carolyn Melbye guides participants in choosing and sketching a composition, then teaches them a ways to painting light. Artists who deftly use light include Edward Hopper and John Singer Sargent. Ms. Melbye will provide fine artist copies, paints, brushes, palettes, fine art paper, artist aprons, etc. so that participants arrive in what looks like an artist studio. Artists and art appreciators of all levels are welcome! Participants will leave with their finished artwork. | Visual Arts | 2023 |
Newton Senior Center (exact address TBD depending on the interim site of the Senior Center)
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| Publicizing Newton Baroque | Since 2005 Newton Baroque has been one of the most active of the Newton music organizations. With the exception of the pandemic years we have been putting on six to ten concerts a year. Over the years we have built quite a reputation. We have been invited in the past to take part in international music festivals, and most recently we are slated to take part in the Regensburg Early Music Festival in 2025. We have been developing a donor base, and we have been frequent MCC grant recipients. All of this being said, we have always focused our spending on our musicians and artists. This year we would like to change things up and work to build a more substantial local audience. We are asking for a bigger grant than usual, and we would like to focus this years grant on publicity spending in order to expand our audience, and to help get the word out what a gem we have here in Newton. | Music | 2023 | Second Church in Newton | |
| Rehearsal for Life’s Freelance Players | Since 1974, Freelance Players has produced over 325 original musicals, performed by young people for audiences of all ages. These high-quality, family-friendly productions are lively, energetic, and joyful. We offer 5 performance troupes for children, typically aged 8-16. Youth attend from over three dozen schools and towns across Greater Boston. Towns served include Needham, Brookline, Jamaica Plain and Newton, and surrounding areas such as Dedham, Dover and Medfield. Each Troupe produces two original musicals a year and is staffed by theater professionals. We provide training in acting, singing and dancing, and our ensemble approach nurtures risk-taking, self-esteem, mutual respect and cooperation among students. To ensure accessibility to the arts, we have a needs-blind enrollment policy and provide tuition assistance to those in need. | Opera/Musical Theatre | Spring (January-May 2023) – Fall (September-December 2023) |
Lasell University, 1844 Commonwealth Ave, Auburndale MA 02466
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| Saturday Night Live at the Legion First Wednesday Blues Jam | Before COVID, there were 4 or 5 Blues Jams in the Metro Boston area, we currently have none. We are hoping to give local, nonprofessional musicians a safe environment to get onto a real stage and play with other musicians. This would take place in our Member’s Lounge, where we host our Saturday Night Live at the Legion Music series, where we have hosted international, national, regional and local artists. The night would begin with a short set by a house band followed by every musician having the opportunity to perform 3-5 songs with other musicians. | Music | First Wednesday of each month |
America Legion Post 440 295 California St. Newton
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| Sauntering Songs | Skylark proposes to perform Nell Shaw Cohen’s newest commission, Sauntering Songs. This work of approximately 70 minutes is scored for eight vocal soloists with a quartet of flute, guitar (electric and classical), piano, and cello. It features a libretto by the composer, with additional lyrics and poetry by a selection of contemporary and historical writers. Subjects include: A young woman frees herself from the confines of her garden. A man rambles through a countryside of contested ownership. A thru-hiker takes to the trail late in life. A solitary woman saunters the city streets. A disabled hiker finds peace in the outdoors with a service dog. The score incorporates influences from choral music, art song, chamber music, progressive rock, American folk music, and musical theater. Skylark proposes to perform this program in 3 locations around Greater Boston. | Music | April 2023 | Church of the Redeemer, Newton MA | |
| Singers’ Choice with Guest Conductor | For almost 20 years Cappella Clausura has championed female composers. Our programs have been marked by years of research and rediscovery. Recently we embarked on an expansion of that ideal, adding composers who are part of the global majority. In 2021 we began championing female conductors as our guests, and in 2022 we revive our conducting internship. For our concert in January of 2023, our 12 core singers have chosen their favorite pieces by brilliant living composers Gabriela Lena Frank, Augusta Read Thomas, Sarah Rimkus, Hilary Tann, Patricia Van Ness, and Suzanne Sheppard, as well as 16th to 20th century composers Rebecca Clarke (UK), Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (Germany), Isabella Leonarda, and Caterina Assandra (Italy). Latina conductor Dr. Carolina Flores, director of Manchester Chorale (CT) will contribute her own choice of repertoire and lead the singers in an a cappella concert. | Music | January 21, 2023 | Newton City Hall War Memorial | |
| Slam Theatre | Slam Theatre will consist of four to six 10minute plays performed and/or read, written by Fabiola Decius and other local playwrights. There will also be one or two dance performances by Karen Bray of Newton and her troupe. The themes of the night will touch upon American history and values, the value of education, Afrocentricity and other topics. Lastly, in between the plays and dance performances, there will be slam poetry by some of Massachusetts’ finest slam poets. Poets will recite poems that relate to the performance just seen and/or about to be seen. This grant covers partial costs of marketing, supplies for staging the play as well as stipends for the talent (actors and poets). We will hold auditions if needed in Newton at Nearby Gallery or Newton Art Center. As well as put out a call for Newton actors and poets to perform. | Multidisciplinary | February 2023 |
Nearby Gallery at 101 Union St. Newton Centre, MA 02459
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| Songs of Earth: Edie Hill Commission | To offer a public concert of love songs and laments for earth, our common home, including works of women composers (Rhiannon Randle, Abbie Betinis, Patricia Van Ness, & Christina Whitten Thomas), and featuring a commissioned piece by Edie Hill on a climate change text by Danielle Cadena Deulen for chorus, water glasses, and hand held percussion instruments. There will be a pre-concert forum on the piece, the poem, and how climate change adversely impacts minority populations and those with marginal incomes. “Remix with a Few Lines from Keats” by Deulen can be found at poets.org/poem/remix-a-few-lines-keats. In the poem Deulen wakes during the night, looks in on her children, and is overwhelmed by the reality of the crisis. Like Keats in “Ode to a Nightingale,” she wants to render herself numb. But, she realizes, whether awake or asleep, the crisis cannot be escaped, only faced head on. | Music | March 4, 2023 | The Eliot Church of Newton, 474 Centre St | |
| Spring Concert | Saturday evening concert by the Highland Glee Club at the Newton VFW. | Music | April 2023 | Newton VFW | |
| Spring Hafla 2023 | The members of Andromeda Belly Dance, an independent dance troupe, are proposing a performance of MENAHT (Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic, Turkish) dance and more open to the Newton community and beyond. As in the past, we are expecting to host a collaborative project with other dance organizations and individuals in New England. This project will feature MENAHT styles of music and dance. We are seeking to serve underrepresented MENAHT populations with our cultural performance and have the performance include members of the culture. We seek to elevate their voices and experiences as historically marginalized groups of the community. We offer scholarship classes and performance opportunities to underprivileged members of the community. We are constantly seeking new ways to share cultural art with the community and highlight the cultural diversity of Newton. | Dance | April 2023 | Newton | |
| Suzuki Playathon | The Suzuki Playathon will create a music event encompassing six consecutive hours of music performances—a marathon of playing– in the central area of The Shops at Chestnut Hill. The event is designed to not only provide free cultural enrichment to area shoppers, but also stimulate local commerce by attracting new customers. The school’s 21 faculty members and approximately 200 SSN students, with their families, will participate. The Suzuki Playathon will encourage our students to perform diverse styles of music—including tangos, fiddle tunes, jazz and rock arrangements as well as classical—in order to unite our multicultural community through music in a joyous occasion of students and faculty and Mall attendees of all generations in a long-awaited return to indoor performing. | Music | Sunday, March 26, 2023 | The Shops at Chestnut Hill | |
| Swinging on a Star Intergeneration music concert | Singer, yodeler, and multi-instrumentalist, Roger Tincknell, will present an intergenerational music program entitled, “Swinging on a Star”. This participatory program will include a variety of musical styles ranging from 1940s swing to 50s and 60s pop- Elvis to the Beatles! Children’s Songs and Singing Games plus songs from Roger Tincknell’ s multiple Parents Choice Award-winning CDs will be included. The program will also include old time sing-alongs, and traditional cowboy songs featuring show-stopping yodeling! The audience will be invited to sing, clap, move, and dance. The concert will be performed on guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica and percussion. The audience will be invited to sing, clap, dance, and play Latin percussion instruments. | Music | July 27, 2023 @ 1:00 pm | Hyde Bandstand, Newton, MA | |
| The Monologue Project: LGBTQ+ Celebration | Newton Theatre Company’s (NTC) The Monologue Project: LGBTQ+ Community Celebration is part of a city-wide Pride festival organized by the Newton Free Library. It will take place at the Hyde Community Bandshell in June 2023. The Bandshell is in Newton Highlands, easily accessible from the Newton Highlands T Station on the MBTA (D) Green Line. Street parking is also readily available. The project will take place outdoors with chairs provided and also offers distanced lawn seating. Admission to see this program is free. LGBTQ+ voices from the Newton community and beyond are highlighted in this project. It includes not only spoken monologues, but also different artistic expressions, such as song and dance. These monologues will spotlight LGBTQ+ varied lived experiences and actual voices. Casting The Monologue Project is open and is not restricted to only actors or other performers. | Theatre | June 24, 2023 | Hyde Bandshell | |
| Therapeutic Flamenco for kids with life-limiting illnesses and their families. | This initiative aims to provide an opportunity for kids with life-limiting illness and their families to have a joyful experience through an adaptive Flamenco Dance class and performance. Flamenco is a traditional Hispanic art form (dance and music) from Spain.
The Pediatric Palliative Care of Newtown provides supportive services to the community of children with life-limiting illness and their families and we are in conversations with them to facilitate an Adaptive Flamenco Class to have fun, relax and connect with other families. The class will be accompanied by a music therapist specializing in Flamenco music. As the mother of a child with a life-limiting condition, I know how important is to create experiences that can bring joy to other families navigating the complexities of this journey while connecting with other community members and I hope this event will bring that. |
Dance | Spring of 2023 | Good Shepard Community Care Center | |
| Winds of the East – Concert | A highlight of our 2023 concert series, the theme of this concert is “Winds of the East.” Japan, China, and Korea each have strong traditions of wind band writing and performance. This program offers selections from composers native to these cultures with permission for international distribution, and yet difficult enough to obtain that several represent North American premieres (Amano and Suzuki), programmed alongside celebrated Chinese-American composer Chen Yi, as well as works by western composers (USA and France) who have drawn inspiration from these cultures while writing music that is undeniably colored by their own style and cultural experience. | Music | Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 3pm | 300 Hammond Pond Parkway, Newton | |
| WinterFEST | Now in its 2nd year, WinterFEST is a new Festival for the city. WinterFEST opens on a Saturday night with a community soup social open to the community at the Hyde Playground. Performances will include live music by 2 local bands/performances, improve dance and costumed characters. On Sunday the Newton Centre Village Green will be filled with ice sculptures, a live ice sculpture demonstration, and a stage for musical performances and bands throughout the afternoon. We hope to provide a winter craft table as well for an interactive experience and a WinterMarket for crafters to sell their wares. | Multidisciplinary | January 28-29, 2023 |
Hyde Playground, Newton Centre & Cold Springs Park
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| Women for Peace and Social Justice | Women for Peace and Social Justice chapter features composers who use the music platform to affect change, raise awareness to social issues and address inequality (gender race and economy). We’re excited to offer our live, in person concert to Newton residents this coming year. The multi generational concert will feature WIWJ and WIWJ junior members. At the concert you’ll hear about women composers who left their mark on history, musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, and Miriam Makeba (South Africa) followed by contemporary composers from USA and around the globe, such as Diane Warren, Misia (Japan) Noa, Mira Awad (Israel/Palestine). Audience members will become familiar with these women’s stories, through visual presentation and music performance. WIWJ strives to inspire audiences in MA and shine a light on these women’s art, lives, and cultures |
Music | March 20, 2023 | Newton Library |