Cambridge Grants for Space Songs, Graffiti Documentary, Sheet Metal Music, Exhibitions and More

35+ Arts & Culture Awards made in 2019 with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the City of Cambridge

A chorus singing about space travel. A documentary about Cambridge’s Modica Way graffiti wall. A project that aims to connect artists and property owners to create more spaces in Cambridge to exhibit art. A performance of sights and sounds involving sheet metals and light projection.

These are just a few of the more than 35 projects supported with $93,600 funding from Cambridge Arts in our 2018-2019 grant cycle. 

The grants will fund a dance inspired by interviews with local veterans, photographs documenting Cambridge’s Massachusetts Avenue, and a television show highlighting women in arts, culture, and education. Additional projects offer readings, dance performances and festivals, youth theater, a Latino film festival, a pop-up cultural space, and Haitian, Senegalese, and modern dance. Funding will support healing music and arts initiatives, a walking tour highlighting Cambridge innovation, and a community project to create a ceramic boat and figures. And four organizations will receive financial support to enable more than 350 Cambridge children to engage with cultural activities.

As part of the Mass Cultural Council’s Local Cultural Council Program, Cambridge Arts makes annual financial grants to support arts, culture, and positive community engagement in the city of Cambridge. This dynamic program supports individual artists and arts organizations through Project Grants and provides low-cost access to professional arts and cultural events and institutions for Cambridge youth through Field Trip Grants. 

Rare among communities across the Commonwealth, the City of Cambridge each year contributes substantial funding to arts and cultural grants—in 2019, adding $70,000 to the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s $23,600 local allocation. “With this robust financial support from both the city and state, Cambridge Arts carries on a deep commitment to supporting and highlighting the vital role that the arts play in our community,” says Jason Weeks, Executive Director of the Cambridge Arts Council.

Read the full list of funded projects.