{"id":960,"date":"2020-06-20T16:44:20","date_gmt":"2020-06-20T16:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/?p=960"},"modified":"2020-06-20T16:44:20","modified_gmt":"2020-06-20T16:44:20","slug":"worcester-art-museum-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dodgemillmuseum.com\/?p=960","title":{"rendered":"WORCESTER ART MUSEUM GRANT"},"content":{"rendered":"

WORCESTER ART MUSEUM RECEIVES CAPITAL GRANT FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL FACILITIES FUND FOR THE LANCASTER PLAZA PROJECT<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Worcester, MA\u2014The Worcester Art Museum<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(WAM) today announced it has been awarded a $200,000 Capital Grant from the\u00a0Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF)<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for its Lancaster Plaza Project. This is the maximum amount awarded this year through this competitive state program, co-administered by the\u00a0Mass Cultural Council<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0MassDevelopment<\/a><\/span>, that provides capital and planning grants to nonprofits, collections, and municipalities that own or operate facilities primarily focused on the arts, humanities, and sciences. CFF awards invest in the acquisition, design, repair, renovation, expansion, and construction of nonprofit and municipal cultural facilities.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so very grateful to the Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment for this generous award, which will help make the Museum\u2019s busiest entrance fully accessible to ALL audiences, including people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility, families with strollers, and people who just prefer another option to steps,\u201d said Matthias Waschek, Jean and Myles McDonough Director of the Worcester Art Museum.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImproving accessibility and equity at our state cultural organizations is a priority of the Mass Cultural Council, and I am proud that CFF funds will go to improve access to the beautiful Worcester Art Museum,\u201d said Anita Walker, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. \u201cCFF grants will also boost jobs in the construction industry at this critical time of increased unemployment, while investing in the cultural sector which is critical to the vitality of Main Street businesses.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A cornerstone of the Worcester Art Museum\u2019s Campus Master Plan, the\u00a0Lancaster Plaza Project<\/a><\/span>\u00a0addresses the Museum\u2019s most critical access, maintenance, security, and safety concern: the deteriorating exterior stairs and lack of full accessibility at its Lancaster Street entrance. The project, kickstarted with a pivotal gift provided to WAM by the Jean and Myles McDonough Charitable Foundation, supports the Museum\u2019s strategic priorities of providing greater access to its distinguished collection and educational opportunities and in creating a more welcoming place for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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WAM\u2019s Lancaster Street side entrance is used by 90% of the Museum\u2019s 110,000-plus annual visitors and students due to its close proximity to the primary parking lot and convenience to the Caf\u00e9 and Higgins Education Wing, where youth, teen, and adult art educational programming takes place. The construction project includes the complete removal of the stairs, down to street level, and their replacement by a much more hospitable staircase leading to the existing Lancaster Lobby along with a new, fully accessible elevator with direct access to the Higgins Education Wing.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Support for this project is also generously provided by the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund, Ruth H. and Warren A. Ellsworth Foundation, Fred Harris Daniels Foundation, and the Hoche-Scofield Foundation.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund
\nAn initiative of the state of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) was created by an act of the Legislature in 2006 to achieve the following goals:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n