2008 Woodie Awards
FAC Receives grant from Bank of America Foundation
Alyssa Creamer, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: News
Recently, the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center received a $12,000 grant from the Bank of America Foundation for its Arte y Cultura Initiative.
The Initiative is now in its second year of creating visual and performing arts programs designed to inspire dialogue around issues of diversity and build on the creative economy, particularly within the Latin communities within the Pioneer Valley.
Arte y Cultura is an initiative to "bring together Latino artists, students, faculty and local community leaders," said Fine Arts Center marketing director Shawn Farley.
"They felt that their culture was not very well-represented on campus," said Farley. "So [the directors of the Fine Arts Center] decided we had to change and provide more arts events where Latinos feel they are welcomed."
The directors are not limiting these events to the Latino community, but the focus for the initiative is on holding events about Latino and Caribbean culture.
The FAC is collaborating with the Office of Programs and Services for ALANA Students, the Bilingual Collegiate Program, Student Bridges, Native Student Services and the Women of Color Leadership Network to discover new ways in which Latino culture can be spread.
"The Fine Arts Center will be the project leader for bridging the community events with the campus events," Fairley said.
Within the community, the FAC works with and exchanges ideas with La Familia de Hispana, CENA, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, the Spanish American Union, Salsarengue and ENLACE.
According to the U.S. 2006 census, Hispanics comprise the largest growing market in the country, increasing 53 percent in the last 10 years, five times the rate of non-Hispanics.
Arte y Cultura's grant will be spent on a number of different outreach efforts such as developing partnerships with existing community-based organizations in Holyoke and Springfield and generating more funding for the program.
The Initiative is now in its second year of creating visual and performing arts programs designed to inspire dialogue around issues of diversity and build on the creative economy, particularly within the Latin communities within the Pioneer Valley.
Arte y Cultura is an initiative to "bring together Latino artists, students, faculty and local community leaders," said Fine Arts Center marketing director Shawn Farley.
"They felt that their culture was not very well-represented on campus," said Farley. "So [the directors of the Fine Arts Center] decided we had to change and provide more arts events where Latinos feel they are welcomed."
The directors are not limiting these events to the Latino community, but the focus for the initiative is on holding events about Latino and Caribbean culture.
The FAC is collaborating with the Office of Programs and Services for ALANA Students, the Bilingual Collegiate Program, Student Bridges, Native Student Services and the Women of Color Leadership Network to discover new ways in which Latino culture can be spread.
"The Fine Arts Center will be the project leader for bridging the community events with the campus events," Fairley said.
Within the community, the FAC works with and exchanges ideas with La Familia de Hispana, CENA, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, the Spanish American Union, Salsarengue and ENLACE.
According to the U.S. 2006 census, Hispanics comprise the largest growing market in the country, increasing 53 percent in the last 10 years, five times the rate of non-Hispanics.
Arte y Cultura's grant will be spent on a number of different outreach efforts such as developing partnerships with existing community-based organizations in Holyoke and Springfield and generating more funding for the program.
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