Each year, the Southborough Cultural Arts Council gives out grants to support arts in the community. But board members have felt challenged by their lack of a dedicated space to exhibit works.
SCAC came up with a proposed solution. To fund it, board members turned to another grant making organization in Southborough.
Last year, SCAC members were already been seeking a way to improve making art exhibits available to the public. The need was compounded this spring when the Southborough Library, a frequent host to SCAC exhibits, closed its doors. (While the Library is servicing the public through curbside pickup and digital services, its doors remain closed.)
Through its most recent round of grants, the Southborough Community Fund (SCF) agreed to award SCAC with $2,500 to help create a portable gallery. The grant will go towards:
a modular infrastructure of portable gallery equipment for “pop up” events. The award will be used to fund the purchase of portable display structures and other equipment to provide flexibility for the Council to navigate social distance requirements, safely adhering to the state’s COVID-19 guidelines, while providing enriching art and cultural opportunities to Southborough residents.
The SCAC announcement explains that the grant will allow flexibility in creating gallery space in a variety of locations. A recent example was outdoors:
Most recently, SCAC partnered with Chestnut Hill Farm to create an outdoor gallery for Southborough Silver Linings, showcasing artists’ and writers’ expression of the silver linings they have experienced during 2020. The exhibit was enjoyed by many and has set the stage for many future events such as art making workshops, art sales, performances and art shows that support local artists, instructors, musicians and community members of all ages.
I recently shared news that SCAC’s window for 2021 grants is open with applications due on December 14th. Click here for those details.
SCF is a fund of the Foundation for MetroWest, supporting community-driven projects in Southborough. (Click here to learn more.) As I recently posted, the non-profit is in the midst of a merger with the Southborough Education Foundation that will allow it to expand its scope. You can read about that here.
