As part of its funding program for local government and nonprofit performing arts centers, the Massachusetts Cultural Council is awarding more than $150,000 in funding to 10 arts organizations and centers across the Valley.
The award is part of $3.66 million in funding that MCC is providing to 58 arts organizations across the state and is part of a program called State Gaming, a program funded by casino state tax revenues and administered by MCC. It is collected from the mitigation fund.
MCC said in a statement that the fund will help small performing arts centers, especially those directly affected by resort casino operations in Massachusetts, with the costs of hosting touring shows and paying artists. Said to have been established.
“For the past decade, nonprofit and municipal performing arts centers have been priced out of the touring market, despite the fact that they have hosted performances over and over again,” officials said. They noted that this problem has been exacerbated by COVID-19, leaving a “lasting impact on the field of artistic expression.”
“Public funding for non-profit and municipal performing arts centers is essential because casinos have the advantage of not only booking national and international touring performances, but also providing luxury housing for the artists they book. .”
In the Valley, the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Fine Arts Center will receive the largest amount of funding at $62,900, Ashfield's Double Edge Theater will receive $31,800 and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra will receive $12,400.
In Northampton, funding will go to three organizations: Parlor Room ($10,000), School of Contemporary Dance & Thought ($6,000), and Bombix Center for Arts and Equity ($6,000).
Other community organizations and arts centers that will receive funding include Blues to Green in Huntington, Shea Theater in Turners Falls, Theater Project at Majestic Theater in West Springfield, and KO Theater in Belchertown. Works etc.
The Game Relief Fund's top award is $200,000 and will go primarily to the Arts Center of Eastern Massachusetts and the Hanover Theater in Worcester. In addition, he is scheduled to win $150,600 at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Beckett.
MCC officials, along with representatives from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, state and local officials, cultural partners, and grant recipients, will gather at the Hanover Theater on April 8 at 2 p.m. to celebrate the award.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.