WORCESTER The Worcester Arts Council has awarded 65 grants totaling $219,100 for arts and cultural programs in Worcester in 2021.
The grants go to a diverse range of local artists, individuals, organizations, and projects including musicians, comedians, visual artists, writers, and more.
The funding is the highest amount ever awarded, according to the WAC. Last year it awarded $163,000 to 53 Worcester artists.
“Reflecting on this year’s grant cycle, there were numerous uncertainties and unpredictable delays due to COVID-19, but we remained hopeful. The Worcester Arts Council is thrilled that we were ultimately able to offer more grant funding in 2021 than ever before, said outgoing WAC chair Yasmin Goris in an announcement Friday.
But there are some challenges that are going to have to be overcome first. I am committed to supporting the arts and enabling a full rebound, said state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler of Worcester, however, what lies ahead is more difficult than where we ve come from. At the bigger level get vaccinations in peoples arms. That is the quickest darned way we re going to be able to get back to normal, said Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr.
The legislative breakfast has been held since 2005, but Erin Williams, executive director of the Worcester Cultural Coalition, noted that his is the first where I m sitting virtually.
FEARS: George Squires (bottom right) fears for arts funding in Worcester due to funding changes; Vamos Theatre (top right) and the Elgar Festival (main) ARTS organisations in the city could be facing an uncertain future because of the way the council has changed how it awards funding, a group has warned. Worcester Arts Council, which was set up to promote arts in the city, receives a £3,500 yearly grant from Worcester City Council but has said changes to the way funding is awarded means many organisations, including itself, could miss out and has called for the decision to be reversed. The arts council has awarded grants to numerous organisations over the years, many of them amateur, to help purchase much-needed equipment or to protect them against making a loss on a production.