The Chicopee Cultural Council (CCC) is currently seeking community members interested in serving on the Chicopee Cultural Council. According to Chairperson Sharon Jacobson-Deragon, there is at least one vacancy on this volunteer council that needs to be filled. The council is one of 329 local state councils responsible for annually redistributing funds, received from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, to support cultural activities at the local level. The CCC typically meets six times a year on weeknights. The majority of meetings take place in the fall, the time when grant availability is announced, and applications received, reviewed, and voted on. Anyone interested in serving on the council may contact Sharon at 592-5595 or email chicopeeculturalcouncil@yahoo.com for more information.

For the first time last fall, the application process was available on line. Fifty-one grants were awarded totally $36,163.00 for cultural programs offered in the City of Chicopee during 2017.  The CCC received a wide range of high caliber grant requests representing the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences.  These include programs for the general public, families, adults, seniors, workshops, programs for school aged children taking place in and after school, and fieldtrips.

Several first time programs received funding. Among these is The Mystical Arts of Tibet: Mandela Sand Painting which is scheduled to take place at the Elms College in the fall. Drepung monks will share their Mandela sand painting over a 4 day period ending in a ceremony which is believed to spread planetary healing.  The Puerto Rican Cultural Center received funding for a program entitled Bomba: Its History and Application. The program will include 8 one week sessions for 25 people per session. It will be free and open to all ages of the general public interested in learning the history of Bomba and experiencing the dance.

Are you interested in creating public art projects but have questions about how to go about it? The Art Extension Institute will present an evening workshop for artists and others in the community to answer your questions. The workshop is free, open to the public, and will take place at the Chicopee Public Library on February 16, from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to pre-register, contact The UMass Arts Extension Service at 413-545-2360.   

The Aldenville Commons Summer Concert Series and Szot Park Pioneer Valley Band Concerts will be back again this summer welcoming the general public to sit back and enjoy the outdoor concerts. A grant to support Chicopee’s 4^th of July Concert Celebration was awarded to the Parks and Recreation Department.

Also, the Chicopee Library received grants for concerts by local talent that target the general public. They include Union Jack (British Invasion rock and roll music), Sarah the Fiddler, Berkshire Hills Music Academy Performance Troupe, and a classical recital presented by Steve Curylo.  The library also received grants specifically targeting children including Fairies of the Seasons puppet show and Circus Minimus- one man circus in a suitcase. Additionally, the Library will be the venue for the first Polish Arts Exhibit in October and the popular Friends of the Chicopee Public Library 13^th Annual Art Exhibit, on display February 28 through March 30^th.                

Nine school programs were funded which will take place both during and after school ranging from Chicopee High’s Violence Prevention Program and St Stanislaus’ STEM first Lego League/Summer Robotics Camp to Springfield Museums’ outreach program, “Sites and Sounds of Seuss”.  Additionally, two drama clubs were granted funds for spring musical productions. Bellamy Middle School will present “Hairspray Jr.” while Chicopee Comp received funds for “Hello Dolly”.

For a full funding list of Grant Awards, go to www.mass-culture.org/Chicopee.