Access Arts Initiative Receives MassMutual Challenge Grant Funding

Access Arts, a two-year Fine Arts Center initiative to increase arts participation for youth in the Western Massachusetts region, has received partial funding from MassMutual Financial Group through a challenge grant. Access Arts will engage and expose students to the artistic and cultural programs from the Fine Arts Center’s New WORLD Theater, Performances Plus! and Asian Arts & Culture programs with specific activities directed at the Springfield Public Schools in order to reach out to local populations that traditionally may not have participated in the arts.

To meet the challenge, the Fine Arts Center must raise $38,000 by December 2004 and an additional $48,000 by December 2005, with the balance of the $155,000 initiative being funded by MassMutual Financial Group. With both a short and long term funding horizon, foundation applications, corporate and individual support are being pursued simultaneously. According to Fine Arts Center Director of Development, Lucia Miller, “The MassMutual challenge grant provides an opportunity for us to approach individuals and businesses with a particular interest in the educational and cultural welfare of youth in our region and in Springfield specifically. This is an opportunity for all of us to join forces and make a difference in the quality of life for otherwise underserved populations and I urge anyone interested to participate.”

Access Arts’ educational activities provide unprecedented access for students in Springfield and the greater Western Massachusetts community reaching more than 16,000 students each year. Key components of the initiative include:

An Arts Experience: opportunities for youth to attend live performances in school and community settings as well as traditional and non-traditional arts venues, participate in an in-school arts program, or witness peer performances;

Education: access to educational support materials and educational activities such as pre- and post-performance discussions, workshops, and dialogues;

Overcoming Barriers: transportation and ticket subsidy for 500 students; and

Engagement: opportunity to be actively involved with a wide range of visiting artists and arts educators.

“The timing of the challenge grant is fortuitous,” said Fine Arts Center Director, Willie Hill, “as it meshes so closely with the new Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s Plan for Progress endorsing strategies and actions that ‘take advantage of the region’s significant educational assets while fostering the potential to improve on the region’s educational weaknesses.’ This is precisely what the Fine Arts Center is doing in partnership with MassMutual and as many other partners as possible.”

"MassMutual's support of Access Arts is a further example of our commitment to education and the arts in the Springfield Public Schools." said Ron Copes, Vice President of Community Relations for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Maren Brown, Director of Education/Access for the Fine Arts Center, has found teachers and administrators of area schools to be incredibly enthusiastic about the program: “In a few short weeks after receiving word of the challenge grant, teachers had signed up over a thousand students to attend the Center’s programs. Area teachers have also volunteered to organize artist residencies in their schools, develop educational materials and strategies for assessing student outcomes. Access Arts enables the Center to provide underserved children in our region with exposure to the arts in unprecedented numbers. The MassMutual challenge has really opened new doors for these kids.”

Contributions in support of the Access Arts MassMutual Financial Group challenge are welcome as are referrals to potentially interested supporters.