Massachusetts musicians have left an indelible mark by pushing musical boundaries and exploring uncharted territory. From jazz legend Chick Corea to teenage angst singer Bo Burnham, Massachusetts musicians have left an immeasurable legacy by expanding sonic possibilities and forging ahead into new territories musically.
Art & Culture
From world-renowned painters and sculptors to local authors and poets, art is at the core of Western Massachusetts culture. Gallery spaces and museums in our region showcase nearly every form of artistic expression imaginable - from painting and sculpting to ceramics sculpture drawing and more! In addition, Western Massachusetts boasts numerous performing arts organizations from Huntington Theatre to Company One Theatre that specialize in social justice productions - and every experience can be found right here!
At ICA Watershed, international artists use found materials like copper pipe and sheets of metal in large-scale installations that celebrate human resilience and the power of reuse.
Boston is widely celebrated for its vibrant arts scene, from its world-class Museum of Fine Arts to the cutting-edge MIT Media Lab. Additionally, Boston boasts an expanding public art movement with murals appearing everywhere from city parks to business corridors and the downtown waterfront.
Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program in Massachusetts. Administered by 2,400 municipally appointed volunteers, this grassroots funding network supports thousands of cultural activities each year in communities throughout Massachusetts. Furthermore, LCC grants are given out annually to nonprofit organizations that offer high-quality art, humanities and interpretive sciences programs in each community they operate within.
Cultural heritage has played an essential role in Boston's economic growth, strengthening local identity and increasing the quality of life for its residents. One such event is the Lunar New Year parade held each year in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain which showcases cultural diversity through lion dancers, music, food, and parade. Also in 1979, Wake Up the Earth Festival honored grassroots efforts that stopped an extension of Highway 20 which threatened several neighborhoods.
At our MFA in Journalism Arts & Culture concentration, students develop reporting and writing skills to explore how art serves as a storytelling medium. Students develop these abilities through readings, case studies, visits to exhibits and performances as well as working closely with scholars and artists who collaborate in creating authoritative analysis with contextual perspective written with grace for publication.
Arts & Entertainment
Massachusetts boasts one of the world's finest collections of fine art, from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Mass MoCA (America's premiere site for large-scale new art) to numerous art galleries and music venues ranging from Fenway Park's legendary crowds to Sanders Theatre's intimate space.
Location-wise, Lexington was in the center of both Massachusetts Bay Colony and Vermont during the American Revolution; thus making it a cultural epicenter. Its rich history can be seen through its architecture including Old North Church and Trinity Church and even in landmarks such as Powder House where Paul Revere kept his gunpowder before making his famous midnight ride from Lexington and Concord to Concord and Lexington.
Boston was long known as an innovation hub during the 20th century. MGH performed the first use of ether as an anesthetic; MIT established itself in Cambridge as a world-class institute of engineering and technology; and Frederick Law Olmstead designed Boston's famed urban park system.
Boston has long been known for its strong connection to the arts. This can be seen through its oldest opera company - Boston Symphony Orchestra - as well as numerous world-class dance companies and world-renowned dance troupes. Furthermore, there's a vibrant fashion scene here with numerous designer boutiques.
Revival: Materials and Monumental Forms is an exhibition at ICA Watershed that showcases international artists working with everyday materials, from clothing collection to the reuse of crates - works that capture reuse, resilience, reclamation, and reclamation through recycled objects such as the Watershed building itself which once served as a manufacturing facility and now hosts contemporary art free of charge. Curated by Sarah Zapata. Admission is free.
Arts & Education
Massachusetts is home to world-renowned arts centers, museums, and theaters offering exhibitions and performances that spark meaningful discussions about culture, history, and politics. People who were active participants as students tend to remain involved as adults - supporting local cultural institutions while creating art themselves.
An education in the arts provides an essential basis for success in all aspects of life. The study of arts helps develop attitudes, skills, and content knowledge applicable across pre-K through grade 12 education that prepares students for college, careers, and civic participation. In October 2017 DESE initiated its review process of the 1999 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Arts; its release to the public in February 2019 represents significant enhancements suggested by review panelists serving as content advisors as well as individual respondent input.
This revision also addresses several emerging themes, such as the need for clearer links between Arts and other disciplines such as History and Social Science Frameworks, for example. These connections have been highlighted throughout the Arts Content Standards to allow teachers to make use of them effectively in teaching. Furthermore, many teachers have reported that integration is an invaluable approach to teaching that allows their students to grasp historical events in context as they emerge within our evolving heritage.
The 2019 Arts Curriculum Framework is organized around five distinct art disciplines: dance, media arts, music theatre, and visual arts. Its Content Standards define what students should know and be able to do across five elementary/middle school grade clusters (preK through K, grades 1-2-3-4-5-6 7-8) as well as four levels within high school courses: novice foundation proficient advanced.
As part of its mission, MassArt provides quality professional development for teachers of the arts across a range of settings. Additionally, MassArt hosts a diverse community of socially engaged artists/designers/educators whose creative work and educational practice aim at catalyzing social change through art interventions that foster critical art practices.
Arts & Business
The arts play an integral part of America's economy by creating jobs and generating tax revenue for local communities, while simultaneously cultivating civic engagement, social dialogue, and shared cultural experiences that build community development and foster a sense of belonging in local neighborhoods. Beyond providing economic benefits to states across America, arts also play a critical role in combatting complex issues related to immigration, education, economic disparity, poverty, and more.
At the close of the 19th century, there was an increasing desire to revive traditional craftsmanship and values through revivalism movements like Arts & Crafts. It influenced all areas of decorative arts and architecture from textiles and furniture design to stone carving, stained glass art, and ceramics - from textiles and furniture through textiles, to stone carving, stained glass art, and ceramics. All Arts & Crafts designers shared a vision whereby their works reflected a holistic philosophy characterized by sobriety, restraint, simplicity of design as well as attention paid towards both form and function relationships between form and function relationships in design.
Today, Massachusetts' Arts & Business Program stands as a premier provider of legal advice, educational programming and legal services to artists and arts organizations in Massachusetts. Their mission is to help foster creative sector success while contributing to building an economically vibrant state.
Artists for Humanity (AFH) is an innovative non-profit organization that equips young people to become socially aware and involved entrepreneurs by integrating the arts into daily life. Their goal is to foster self-esteem, confidence, and marketable skills through artistic expression.
AFH has grown into a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly "green" facility boasting 23,500 square feet of studio, gallery, performance and office space in Boston's Fort Point Channel Arts District. Our facility houses studio production activities spanning from graphic and commercial art productions through silk screen printing and sculpture practice to painting theatrical set design and pottery making.
Greenwood's current research examines five catalyst institutions around the country that utilize arts-based revitalization initiatives to revitalize struggling communities. She studies archival materials, texts, exhibition catalogs, and interviews with their directors, curators and artists who exhibit there; additionally, she looks at images projected by these arts venues through various media forms (such as newspaper clippings). Greenwood is particularly intrigued by how the public receives these cultural institutions.
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