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News & Press Releases
March 31, 2008
NORTH ADAMS, MA – Officials from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announced today that Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is among the recipients of a grant from the John and Abigail Adams Arts Program for the Creative Economy. The announcement took place at MCLA Gallery 51.
The $40,000 grant will support the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC), a partnership of MCLA, the City of North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). Housed in MCLA Gallery 51, the BCRC is designed to provide training, resources and support to artists, arts managers and arts-related entrepreneurs; administers the Berkshire Hills Internship Program (B-HIP) for early career arts managers; and manages MCLA Gallery 51.
In announcing the grant, MCC Deputy Director Charles McDermott said, “This is a situation where you’ve taken the unique aspects of the region and packaged them in a way that’s very successful. … I love this city, I love this project and I love this gallery.”
State Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield recognized MCLA President Mary K. Grant for her support of downtown economic development not only in North Adams, but also in Pittsfield and the greater community.
“Mary Grant is an integral part of the community. She’s important to Berkshire County and beyond,” said State Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams. “The Gallery is an anchor in the downtown. It attracts people and inspires people. It’s a great showcase.”
“This gallery ties the College with important sectors in so many key ways,” Grant said. “It is a teaching and a learning place. Our students hang, curate and create art, and write about it. With our partners in the MCC, we’re able to do more, along with our advocates in the Legislature.”
While two previous two grants were for one year each, this new round of funding consists of $40,000 for this year and a commitment to fund the same amount for the second year.
According to Jonathan Secor, MCLA director of special programming, “This funding will allow us to create and grow the BCRC. With the gift of the two-year funding we can look beyond the immediate and work on funding a more solid foundation for the existing programming and how to serve the ever-growing area arts community.”
This year, MCC’s Adams Arts Program for the Creative Economy will support 36 projects spanning dozens of communities in every region of Massachusetts through more than $1.3 million in grants that draw on the state’s extensive arts and cultural assets to stimulate economic activity and create new jobs and income.
The grants fuel a creative sector that has a $2.1 billion impact on the Massachusetts economy and provides more than 109,000 jobs, according to a recent report from the New England Foundation for the Arts, “The Creative Economy: A New Definition.” Massachusetts ranks among the top 10 states nationally in employment in several key industries, including designers, architects, writers and musicians.
