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Health & Fitness

Arts in Westwood: What Do You Think?

The Westwood Cultural Council hosts a Community Input Meeting at the Fisher School this Thursday from 7-8 p.m.

I joined the Westwood Cultural Council this past fall because I wanted to see more art in Westwood. Once involved in the awarding process, I became aware that our community didn't know much about our council and the money that was available to Westwood.

Every three years, local councils are required by the state to host community input meetings. When I heard this, I was thrilled because it meant that Westwood residents would be given the opportunity to have a say in what they wanted to see in our town. It also meant that the public would learn just how much they could benefit by writing grants if they wanted an art, music or cultural program.

Westwood Cultural Council hosts a Community Input Meeting at the Fisher School on Thursday, April 12 from 7-8 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to gather input from the Westwood community to ensure that the Westwood Cultural Council is funding grants and programs to benefit the community to the greatest extent possible. 

Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Westwood Cultural Council is a local chapter of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. It receives funding from the Massachusetts Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, and it distributes funds through direct grants and local councils.

A local council may approve grants for projects, ticket subsidy programs, artist residencies, fellowships or other activities, based on local priorities. Local council funds must be used to support activities that contribute to the cultural vitality of the community as a whole.

Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This year our Westwood Cultural Council funded programs for all ages from toddlers to seniors. Grants have been awarded for music, preforming arts and cultural events that will enrich Westwood.

Thursday's event will host a variety of grant recipients: the director of Bay Colony Productions; Tricia Silverman who will speak to seniors about nutrition; Magician Peter Vuono; Westwood's Chinese School; and, Rachael Daly who will preform with the Hornthology ensemble this spring at the . 

Westwood Cultural Council's board members will be on hand to answer questions, provide information about how to apply for a grant, and, ask you to provide feedback by completing a survey. They will provide information on how to become a board member too. The meeting is informal in nature allowing for residents to stop by during the hour.

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