Arts Foundation of Cape Cod Continues Investment in Local Cultural Programs

HYANNIS – Through its annual grant giving, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC) continues to increase its investment in cultural programs that offer access to the arts across diverse populations in the region.

“This year’s grant recipients really fall in line with our vision to create more access to the arts,” said AFCC Executive Director Julie Wake.

“Many organizations are looking for ways to bring the arts to a broader audience. That is what we like to see because the arts matter for everyone.”

Wake noted that many of this year’s recipients fit this mold, including the Barnstable Senior Center, which will apply their funding to support an intergenerational program in which Barnstable High School students pair up with senior citizens as part of a storytelling exercise.

“We’re really also excited to also see lots of programming that’s creating access to the arts for teenagers, which is really hard to find programming for them which can connect them at that level. We’re also seeing interesting programming for seniors,” Wake said.

Students will then create artwork using the medium of their choice – music, painting, photography, sculpture, or otherwise – encapsulating what the experience meant to them.

The AFCC is awarding $40,000 in grants to 26 recipients, representing the third straight year the nonprofit has increased its total funding and its total number of beneficiaries.

The AFCC was able to fully fund 11 grant recipients, representing $16,050. Last year, the AFCC gave out 24 grants totaling $32,850; the year prior, it gave out 18 grants totaling $25,000.

“This trend shows that arts and culture are important to people here on the Cape,” said Wake.

“This year we’re really excited because what we’re seeing in the requests are individual artists working on bodies of work that will impact the community. Sometimes plate making, sometimes working with a cultural organization to add a public sculpture or some public art, stuff like that.”

Throughout the Cape, there continues to be a need for funding to support cultural programs as 67 applicants submitted requests for projects totaling $159,805. Of those initial applicants, 44 were invited to apply.

“We’re really fortunate that the funding is coming in, beyond the pot now, so we’re really grateful to our supporters and the community,” Wake said.

This year’s AFCC grants will go to fund the following cultural programs on Cape Cod:

Barnstable Senior Center ($500) – An intergenerational storytelling project in which Barnstable High School students pair up with senior citizens and use that experience to create a work of art.
Broto ($1,000) – Second annual conference, scheduled for May 16-19, 2019 at Pilgrim House in Provincetown, which will showcase collaborations in art and science.
Cahoon Museum of American Art ($2,000) – A kinetic sculpture created by artist George Sherwood to be placed outdoors from May to October on museum grounds.
CapeCodCAN! ($2,000) – Creation of The CapeCodCAN Players, an inclusive improv and public speaking group featuring performers of all abilities.
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School ($300) – The purchase of a metal staff and clef which will be used to hold ceramic butterflies created by students as part of the Butterfly Project, an international memorial project to honor the children who perished in the Holocaust.
Cape Cod Poetry Review ($1,000) – Creation of the sixth issue of Cape Cod Poetry Review which will be distributed to English teachers in Cape Cod middle and high schools.
Capoeira Besouro Cape Cod ($1,000) – Bringing capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian mixture of dance, music, and martial arts, to Cape communities through educational and cultural events.
Cotuit Center for the Arts ($3,000) – Piece by Piece IV, a large-scale collaborative installation which featuring over 150 Cape Cod artists contributing individual panels that will be assembled to create a large mosaic of a well-known work of art.
Creative Outlets ($2,000) – A total of 12 free Sunday afternoon workshops at the Cape Cod Museum of Art encompassing a range of art, from dance to visual to spoken word to writing to videography and geared to at-risk youth.
Cultural Center of Cape Cod ($2,000) – Rise and Shine, a student-driven, skills-based program which offers creative workshops to at-risk youth.
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School ($2,300) – Private and semi-private group music lessons for instrumental and vocal students in eighth through twelfth grades at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

Falmouth High School ($750) – Science-based ceramics project focused on cephalopods done under the guidance of scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Family Pantry of Cape Cod ($1,050) – Art Helps Us Grow, a summer arts and crafts program for children of pantry clients.
Fine Arts Work Center ($1,500) – Community Arts Partners in Education (CAPE) program which provides free creative writing and visual arts workshops to students from the Outer Cape and seniors from the Provincetown Council on Aging.
Heritage Museums & Gardens ($3,500) – Five public art sculptures to be installed on-site by the artists.
Hyannis West Elementary School ($3,500) – The purchase of a kiln to be used for ceramic classes for students in kindergarten through third grade.
John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum ($2,000) – Middle and high school museum visits followed by the creation of student artwork related to President John F. Kennedy and his legacy.
Joyful Variations Chorus ($500) – All-inclusive chorus for people of all abilities.
Kim Rumberger ($600) – Beautification of the Cape Cod Museum of Art grounds to enhance its outdoor art installations.
Latham Centers, Inc. ($1,000) – Production of school’s first-ever full-scale spring musical, “Schoolhouse Rock!”, which will be performed by students between the ages of 9 and 22.
Made Here Film ($1,500) – Three short films focused on the American apparel manufacturing industry through the lens of three Cape Cod designers and manufacturers
Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival ($2,000) – The 14th annual festival which will explore the influence that Japanese theater had on the work of Tennessee Williams and his American peers.
TEDxProvincetown ($1,000) – Second annual TEDxProvincetown show in September.
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill ($2,000) – Art on Saturdays, an educational program for Outer Cape elementary, middle, and high school students with a focus on sustainability through the arts.
Twenty Summers ($1,500) – Four five-day residencies for artists or artist groups during the 2019 season.
Veterans for Peace ($500) – 24th Annual Voices of Peace Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Cape Cod Veterans for Peace Chapter 041, which will feature the works of students of all ages.