Month Long Festival Links Artists and Community

FRAMINGHAM, MA - The first annual Spring Into Arts festival begins next week in Framingham. This month-long festival will feature 50 arts and cultural events at scheduled locations in Framingham from April 18 through May 22. Spring Into Arts is a project of the START Framingham Partnership, a consortium of 60 individuals and organizations, appointed by town Selectmen, working together to support Framingham's artists and cultural organizations.

START Framingham is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) which chose Framingham as one of three Massachusetts towns to receive a three-year grant from the Wallace Foundation to support and to promote community participation in the arts. MCC's decision to choose Framingham was influenced by the town's ethnic diversity and hundreds of professional artists and cultural organizations actively working in various fields in the arts.

"In selecting the three communities to join us as partners, we wanted to support and encourage local leadership. It was clear that strong local leadership was well established in the Framingham Office of Economic Development and Planning and in the Framingham Cultural Council. Our job was to catch up on their vision." says MCC's START project director H. Mark Smith.

START's mission is to raise awareness of the arts and to increase participation in arts-related activities among all segments of the population through innovative and creative methods. "We are honored that Framingham was recognized as having a dynamic arts and cultural community. It offers many opportunities for people of all ages to not only celebrate the arts, but also to participate in their community through the arts. The Spring Into Arts festival will introduce the wider public to Framingham's vibrant and ethnically diverse arts community," explains Carla Fink, director of START Framingham Partnership.

The festival kicks off with a Multicultural Fair on April 18 from 1-4 p.m. in Nevins Hall of the Memorial Building Town Hall, and the Family Drop Into Art program at the Danforth Museum of Art between 1-3 p.m. Families will find a number of events geared toward children of all ages, as well as several events presented by Framingham students.

"Spring Into Arts provides an opportunity to showcase our students' talents in the visual and performing arts," notes George Perrone, department head of fine arts at Framingham High School. "The arts are alive and well in Framingham at all levels. I hope the festival and various student-performed events encourage increased public participation and support for the arts in our schools and community."

Families, art enthusiasts and those looking to participate in the arts for the first time will have the opportunity to chat with artists in their studios, participate in hands-on art projects at the Danforth Museum of Art, discover a variety of musical styles, explore Brazilian music, art and literature at the Brazilian American Association's day long festival, experience the visual and performing arts featuring Framingham students, walk through 45 acres of wildflowers, or be entertained by storytellers and a nature illustrator.

"Arts and culture build strong, vibrant, sustainable communities," says MCC Executive Director Mary Kelley. "Framingham residents are fortunate to have municipal and cultural leaders who want to broaden participation in the wide range of cultural opportunities that exist in their city."

Full listing of events are available online at framingham.com.

START Framingham Partnership (START) is a project of the Massachusetts Cultural Council made possible through a grant from the Wallace Foundation. START enjoys support from the Town of Framingham Office of Planning and Economic Development, the Framingham Cultural Council, Banknorth, BOSE Corporation, the Carlisle Foundation, MassBay Community College and Office Depot.

###