Belchertown Cultural Alliance Awarded $10,000 NEFA Grant

We are thrilled to announce the Belchertown Cultural Alliance was one of 21 projects to receive a Public Art for Spatial Justice grant for the 2021 fiscal year. The BCA was awarded $10,000 to support Belchertown State School survivor and artist James Blackmore, in collaboration with other former BSS residents in the creation of a public art installation at the site of the former Belchertown State School. By creating a platform for expression for some of those harmed and disenfranchised by this space, this body of work will be a step towards justice for the site. The installation will aim to connect the community of BSS survivors and Belchertown residents so that together they can tackle the legacy of the Belchertown State School and support development towards more just futures.

This project is just a piece of a larger umbrella project titled Public Art for Reflection: Belchertown State School, which in addition to James Blackmore’s work will also include a historical book walk featuring work by historians Katherine Anderson and Ed Orzechowski, a performance piece produced by the Rainbow Players, and an art installation produced by Community Options.

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) press release can be read here.

Article on pg.7 in the Sentinel can be read here.