I was introduced to a former council head back in 2008 or so. I sent her a simple e mail to say hi and she tells me she can get me money, out of the gate, even though I live in Cambridge, am not an artist and the whole thing was a hick violation of situational ethics.I mentioned it to her and that was the end of it.

Arts Councils are supposed to keep mum about their choices until they are announced.

The culture here favors the equivalent of art comfort food. Challenging things are out of the question. They won't be presenting Diamanda Galas any time soon.

https://youtu.be/nSc5-RkndnQ

It's just fat happy, all aged yuppies out for a cute and coy circle jerk.

That said, it is great to have a kind of cuteness and mediocrity containment zone.
I wonder when they'll have a "Hello Kitty" mummers parade in Davis Square? Wouldn't it be cute?

Introducing people to challenging things is hard, like math, but very gratifying when it pans out.

Arts Lottery allocations for Somerville FY 2014.

By anon on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 6:50am.

Are standard fare and well balanced.across all disciplines.

http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/grants/awards/2014

And there is a surprising absence of coy and cute.

The large spectacles function as promotion but it would be interesting to see if this leads to greater interest in the arts or just dead ends into quirky event.

Any data?

First World Problems

By anon on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 6:54pm.

Typical millennial "I'm-the-center-of-the-universe" nonsense.

First World Problems, Indeed

By SwirlyGrrl on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 7:49pm.

Typical "bashing young people" as self-importance therapy nonsense.

Note that at least one person pictured is in his late 50s.

You've got to admit...

By anon on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 8:20pm.

...it was a rather silly premise for an event. "Not art" indeed.

Yeah, Who Wants To Have Fun?

By Suldog on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 8:42pm.

Jeez.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

You'd be surprised.

By anon on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 9:47pm.

Having fun is easy and doesn't require encumbered nonsense. We are fun making monkeys.

Some folks just love to complain...

By Michael Kerpan on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 11:13pm.

Isn't it a pity.

Arts Lottery Allocations by City and Town

By anon on Sat, 09/19/2015 - 10:50pm.

Here's Fiscal 2016.

http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/programs/lcc_allocations.asp

Looks like Somerville got around 34,000, which suggests scratch tickets sales must be down.

Lawrence and Lowell have higher allocations.

Medford is around 20k and change.

Each place is free to decide it's course, so mediocrity is safe and public theme parties can be construed as acceptable.

But old school approaches like funding muralists, concerts,dance recitals or poetry gatherings still matters.

The 1% program for construction budgets has been a great mechanism for funding murals and sculpture in public places.

And we get things that last and are diverse, ranging from cute to sublime.

oh ffs

By scollaysq on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 11:26am.

I got a kick out of the concept of a neighborhood-wide Pity Party.

What's to complain about?

I haven't been to Somerville since Jimmy Tingle left so I'm not sticking up for any friend or acquaintance, but really, who cares, people?

Somerville Porchfest...

By Michael Kerpan on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 1:50pm.

... at the beginning of summer was quite nice. Definitely worth the excursion from Roslindale.

Sly mockery?

By Daan on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 12:12pm.

Retail is theatre. One must put on a happy face regardless of what is going on inside the person. Have to deal with a jerk? Customer is (usually) right and so just grin and bear it. So a publicly sanctioned occasion to be be sad is a good albeit small singular antidote to the retail theater that goes on everyday. As an event, in 60s jargon a Happening?, the artfulness is in giving permission to be sad, albeit happy in their sadness.

A pity we missed it

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