June 12, 2006 Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural DevelopmentPublic HearingHeritage State ParkFall River, MA
Distinguished members of the Committee, My name is Daniel Cooney. I am currently serving as the Chairman of the Arts Council in Lakeville, MA. This is my fourth year as Chairman. I became involved with the local Cultural Council Program because I believe that one of the best ways to improve and maintain the quality of life in a community is through arts and culture.
The Lakeville Arts Council is comprised of eight volunteer members and numerous other folks who participate and volunteer for events that we sponsor.
Lakeville is a small town, ( approx. 11,000 inhabitants) so we receive the minimum allotment of grant funding from the State which this year was $2,500. We greatly appreciated the increase from the year before which allotted us only $2,000. The increase does not bring us back to post 2002 levels, but it does get us closer and we thank you all for your efforts on achieving that goal. This funding is the financial glue that holds our cultural council together, enabling us to support a wide variety of community based cultural activities.Last year we received 22 grant applications and were able to fund or partially fund 10.
Four of the more notable projects we have been able to fund over the past four years include:The Lakeville Cultural Presentation Series, These are lectures and demonstrations from visual artists, poets, historians, magicians, & story tellers from all over the state, which are scheduled to be presented at our new library every few weeks during the spring and summer months. (see poster)
The Lakeville Arts & Music Festival, We are hoping this becomes an annual event that features the work of local and regional artisans, and musicians. The organizing committee is made up of the Arts Council and representatives from a variety of community organizations, including the Garden Club, The Historical Society, the Library, and various church groups in town. Last year we had nine bands perform, over thirty crafts persons show their work and two thousand people attend. We hope to double those numbers this year.
Open Studio, This event, which is normaly associated with larger cities was so popular the first year we organized it that we had townspeople asking us to do it again a year later.
Literary Lakeville, This public event features various published writers who live in the town. The invited group of about eight writers take turns reading selected passages from their work to the assembled audience. After the readings, which take a little over an hour, we have live music and a desert reception. Following the first time we presented Literary Lakeville, I overheard one long time, well respected resident say to another “This was the nicest event I have ever been to in Lakeville.”These types of comments let me know how truly important local art and culture is to people.
In conclusion, I would just like to say that funding Arts and Culture in Massachusetts is an excellent investment in the quality of life of its citizens. It truly underscores the meaning of both “common” and “wealth” in our great Commonwealth. Thank you for your continued support. Daniel CooneyChairman, Lakeville Arts Council