LCA Gives Grants to the Art

Caption. The weekend of May 28-29, Discovery Day weekend, should see many fairy houses, such as this, up and down Mass Ave.

The Lexington Council for the Arts (LCA), a Town of Lexington Committee, is pleased to announce that it has determined the recipients of its 2021-2022 grant cycle. The grants are open to individuals, agencies, schools, nonprofits, and other organizations  who may apply for grants that enhance the cultural vitality of the Lexington community.  The program must be completed between February 1 and December 31 of 2022.
 
Some of the grants are for programs that we all know and love such as the band concerts at Hastings Park in the summer.  Others are more unusual. For instance, SNAP will be able to purchase art supplies, such as new frames and mats, to complete projects for its Special Artists Spring 2022 session.  LexFarm will explore farming, sustainable living, and food security through dance. The Sarasa Ensemble will provide a community concert  introducing classical music goers to something new.
 
 The Senior Center will host a one-woman live multi-character show relating to the beloved story of Little Women: a classic story coming to life. Then there is a musical baseball program for seniors that includes baseball songs and a sportswriter's memories of the  Bosox beat.
 
Several projects are geared to people who are thirsting for those in-person live gatherings. The popular Boston International Asian Music Festival will be held at Hastings Park. This festival includes world famous  artists from the local New England Conservatory and Berklee institutes as well as rising young stars to showcase Asian music and culture.  With the upcoming Fairy Homes & Gardens event this spring, Munroe Center for the Arts received funds for a  workshop on fairy houses  and a reception to meet the fairy house artists, gather with friends and neighbors, and have some fun with music and dance on May 20, a week before the Fairy Home & Garden event.   
 
The Town-appointed LCA committee members evaluated applications in terms of artistic or creative merit; benefit to the cultural life of Lexington; project design; qualifications, dedication and accomplishments of the individuals and organizations involved; accessibility of the program and of facilities being used; community involvement; and financial need.  Priority is given to programs that benefit the broadest possible range of Lexington residents and to applicants who are based in Lexington.  Also of interest is first-time funding of programs and emerging artists or organizations that have demonstrated artistic merit.
 
 - E. Ashley Roone