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From YouTube: Cultural Investment Grant Announcement - 7/11/23
Description
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a press conference to announce the 11 organizations receiving awards from the City’s Cultural Investment Grant program. These grants total over $6.9 million to organizations, the City’s largest investment into its cultural community. The program reflects the City’s goal to expand accessibility and equity in the arts sector and support communities of color and other impacted communities in recovering from the pandemic.
A
Our
community
gym,
on
behalf
of
DS4
side,
the
design
studio
for
social
intervention,
where
we
are
I'd
like
to
welcome
all
of
you,
I'm
so
glad
you
could
make
it.
My
name
is
Lori
loganstein
I'm,
a
co-founder
of
ds4si,
along
with
Kenny
Bailey,
who
sends
his
warm
regards
from
Brazil.
He
couldn't
quite
make
it
back.
A
Ds4Si
partners
with
communities,
artists
and
social
justice.
Practitioners
to
imagine,
demonstrate
and
collectively
rebuild
places
to
be
more
just
and
vibrant.
This
design
gym,
where
we're
standing
today
is
a
newly
imagined,
Community
infrastructure.
It's
a
it's
a
mashup,
a
place
to
work
out
your
ideas
to
stretch
the
muscles
of
imagination,
connect
with
neighborhood,
artists
and
organizers.
Imagine
and
prototype
new
Solutions
learn
design
techniques
and
more
since
we
opened
last
fall,
we've
had
over
250
people
sign
up
for
free
classes
that
range
from
sewing
to
Civic
design,
from
participatory
action,
research
to
radical
woodworking.
A
As
we
continue
to
engage
bipod
communities
in
World
building
at
the
scale
of
the
neighborhood,
the
city
and
Beyond,
it's
transformational
and
unprecedented
to
have
this
kind
of
support
from
the
city
of
Boston
multi-year.
Funding
like
this
is
vital
to
our
ability
to
grow
our
small
but
awesome
staff
to
further
our
Visions
for
aesthetic
Justice,
to
offer
all
of
our
design
gym
programming
for
free
and
to
imagine
our
own
future
right
here
in
this
building
on
dsni's
historic
land,
trust
I.
A
Believe
I
can
speak
on
behalf
of
this
amazing
cohort
of
grantees
when
I
say
how
much
this
grant
means
to
all
of
us,
as
we
work
dance
and
collectively
create
a
more
Equitable
and
vibrant
future
for
all
of
Boston
I'm
honored
to
introduce
our
next
speaker,
a
fellow
artist.
I,
might
add
mayor
Michelle,
Wu.
A
I
believe
we
share
a
deep
belief
in
the
ideas
and
Arrangements
of
aesthetic
Justice
and
the
power
of
artists
to
provoke
critical
thought
and
in
the
possibilities
for
new
public
infrastructures,
yielding
greater
equity
and
vibrancy.
Here
in
Boston,
the
first
time
we
met,
you
were
challenging,
then
mayor
Walsh
about
that
soccer
stadium.
A
We
loved
your
commitment
to
a
process
that
was
more
Equitable
and
a
solution
that
was
more
environmentally
sound.
We
appreciate
how
you've
continued
these
efforts
from
partnering,
with
young
people
at
powercore
to
helping
create
a
new,
a
green
New,
Deal
City,
and
to
engaging
artists
as
Grant
makers
like
our
cultural
advisory
team,
some
of
whom
are
here
today
that
we're
such
a
part
of
imagining
a
new
arrangement
of
funding
and
supporting
us
grantees
and
getting
this
grant
so
with
respect
and
gratitude.
A
B
Thank
you
so
much
Lori
and
to
everyone
at
dspsi
for
hosting
us
here.
In
this
incredible
space,
I
I
will
I
was
thinking
back
actually
to
our
I
think
we
were
in,
like
a
windowless
conference,
very
small
conference
room
around
a
table,
and
it
was
such
a
contrast,
because
we
were
talking
about
how,
in
this
moment
that
the
city
has
and
we're
often
confronted
with
this
as
a
city
that
is
so
historic,
where
things
often
feel
like
well
they've,
just
always
been
around
forever
or
been
done
this
way
forever.
B
B
On
top
of
it
and
having
that
conversation
where
we
couldn't
even
look
outside
and
see
the
sun
to
being
here
and
a
journey
where
we
can
invite
in
the
whole
world
to
see
the
the
great
work
that
you
all
do
and
how
absolutely
fundamental
of
infrastructure
you're
all
providing.
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
I
am
really
excited
to
be
here
with
so
many
incredible
organizations.
B
If
we're
serious
about
wanting
to
ensure
that
every
Bostonian
has
a
chance
to
thrive
and
connect
and
create
and
grow,
there
have
to
be
Investments
at
the
scale
for
stability
at
the
scale
for
Innovation
at
the
scale
for
grow
growth
and
Ingenuity.
So
thank
you
to
the
Chief
Architect
of
this,
her
genius
and
stewardship,
and
that
of
her
team.
Our
chief
of
arts
and
culture,
Cara,
Elliott
Ortega,.
B
B
I
also
just
want
to
shout
out
our
cultural
advisory
team,
an
incredible
group
of
leaders
that
Cara
and
her
team
convened,
who
played
an
integral
role
throughout
this
process,
helping
organizations
complete
the
applications
and
and
profiles
and
review
the
submissions
interviews
and
and
really
just
making
sure
that
we
were
holding
ourselves
accountable
to
a
process
that
would
model
what
we
wanted
to
see.
So.
Thank
you.
Thank
you
to
all
of
the
cultural
advisory
members.
B
So
we'll
be
hearing
from
a
few
of
them
in
a
bit,
but
I
just
want
to
quickly
highlight
at
a
high
level
that
the
list
of
recipients
we're
celebrating
here
today
includes
community-run
art,
co-ops
artists,
who
are
queer
trans
two-spirit,
black
brown,
indigenous
Asian
Latina
disabled
organizations
dedicated
to
affecting
social
change
through
a
variety
of
media,
multilingual
Arts,
Educators,
creative
entrepreneurs,
centers
that
are
the
first
of
their
kind
in
their
neighborhood
and
others.
That
have
been
around
for
decades
fighting
to
preserve
their
cultural
roots
and
celebrate
their
Heritage
by
sharing
their
beauty
with
our
residents.
B
In
so
many
ways
the
organizations
we're
celebrating
here
today,
regardless
of
this
investment
or
not,
would
continue
to
be
the
lifeblood
of
our
communities.
They
were
going
to
find
a
way
to
make
it
work,
no
matter
what
so
we're
excited
today
that
we
hope
we
can
just
provide
that
little
extra
bit
of
breathing
room,
that
little
extra
bit
of
being
able
to
dream
and
grow
the
spaces
that
you
already
create
for
our
communities
for
Hope
and
healing
and
strength
and
joy
to
get
to
work
every
day
to
create
a
better
world
for
all
of
us.
B
So
I'm
here,
not
just
to
say,
congratulations
to
all
of
the
grant
recipients.
But
thank
you
thank
you
for
being
and
creating
the
places
where
so
many
of
our
community
members
go
when
they
need
to
be
filled
and
inspired
in
the
way
that
only
art
can
fill
and
Inspire
us.
Thank
you
for
all
that
you
do
in
our
communities.
We
are
so
grateful
to
partner
alongside
you,
okay,
before
I
turn
it
over
to
our
chief
of
arts
and
culture.
We
want
to
make
sure,
wherever
possible,
we're
reaching
as
many
residents
as
possible.
B
B
B
B
B
D
D
My
name
is
Carly
Ortega
I'm,
the
chief
of
arts
and
culture
for
the
city
of
Boston,
I'm,
so
excited
to
be
here
and
really
thrilled
just
to
see
everyone
who's
in
this
room
in
the
same
place.
Doing
such
amazing
work
around
the
city
in
arts
I'm
just
so
excited
that
we
get
to
do
this
together
as
a
community
over
the
next
few
years.
The
mayor's
office
of
arts
and
culture
is
a
team
at
City
Hall
dedicated
to
supporting
a
vibrant
and
creative
Boston,
where
everyone
can
access
and
participate
in
the
Arts.
D
We
believe
that
everyone
is
creative
and
that
creativity
is
an
essential
part
of
a
thriving
and
healthy
community
and
I
just
want
to
start
right
off
by
actually
formally
announcing
all
of
the
grantees
who
are
in
the
room
with
us
today
and
we've
been
so
honored
to
work
with
them
throughout
this
process
and
again
just
amazing
that
we
get
to
do
this
in
Partnership
over
the
next
few
years.
So
I'm
just
going
to
read
through
them
all
now
and
give
them
all
they're
due.
The
first
is
beat
the
odds
foreign.
D
This
is
a
collaboration
between
two
organizations
that
are
working
to
develop
a
mixed-use
community,
cultural
and
Arts
Services
Hub,
that
is
trauma-informed
by
pox,
centered
and
dedicated
to
conserving
and
promoting
the
Arts
cultures
and
identities
within
the
Dorchester
community,
and
also
I
need
to
plug
that
Little
Saigon
is
having
their
Night
Market
this
Saturday
in
Fields
Corner.
If
you
want
to
go
experience,
some
of
that
in
person,
4-9
pm.
Thank
you.
Next
Boston
art
and
music
Soul
Festival,
a
cultural
movement.
D
A
cultural
movement
led
by
Greater
Boston,
black
and
brown
artists,
culture
makers
and
creative
entrepreneurs
who
are
on
the
front
lines
of
racial
Equity,
spatial
Justice
and
economic
empowerment,
breaking
down
racial
and
social
barriers
to
Arts,
music
and
culture
across
across
Boston
through
education
and
entertainment,
including
the
annual
bams
Fest,
which
I
hope
all
of
you
were
at
just
recently.
Next,
where
we
are
now
in
design
studio
for
social
intervention.
D
D
D
The
CEI
is
a
creative
home
for
Boston,
small
and
mid-sized
organizations
and
collectives
led
by
and
for
queer
trans
two-spirit,
disabled,
black,
indigenous
and
people
of
color
Arts
communities
that
equitably
shares
space
governance
networks
and
resources
to
support
each
other's
creative
efforts
shaping
the
cultural
landscape
while
centering,
Justice
and
joy.
Next,
we
have
a
three-way
collaboration
between
that
child,
Got
Talent,
the
secret
society
of
black
creatives
and
next
leadership.
Development,
Corporation.
D
D
I
couldn't
be
more
thrilled
to
celebrate
the
work
of
all
these
organizations
and
just
all
the
individuals
and
communities
behind
all
these
organizations
and
everything
that
they
do
for
the
city
and
I
also
want
to
share
just
a
little
bit
quickly
about
how
many
firsts
there
are
in
this
program.
This
is
the
first
program
at
this
scale
of
investment
in
arts
and
culture
from
the
city
of
Boston
totaling
over
seven
million
dollars.
D
It's
the
first
time
that
we
created
a
community-led
grant
review
process
through
the
cultural
advisory
team.
As
the
mayor
mentioned,
it's
a
committee
of
Boston
residents,
staff
from
other
City
departments,
local
funders
and
I
want
to
thank
them
for
all
of
their
hard
work.
Through
their
involvement,
we
were
able
to
Pilot
something
that
we've
never
been
able
to
do
before,
which
is
a
more
holistic
and
participatory
approach
to
Grant
making
and
that
positions.
D
D
As
the
mayor
mentioned,
you
know
we
really
asked
ourselves
if
we
picture
the
kind
of
cultural
life
that
we
want
to
see
thriving
in
Boston,
5,
10
or
20
years
from
now.
What
are
investments
that
we
can
make
today
to
ensure
that
future,
because
in
each
of
these
organizations,
what
you'll
find
is?
Yes,
definitely
amazing.
D
So
I
want
a
big,
a
huge
huge
thank
you
that
I
want
to
give
to
the
mayor
to
the
arts
and
culture
office,
the
grandson
programs,
team,
the
culture
advisory
team
and
again
all
of
the
staff
and
Community
behind
every
one
of
your
organizations.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
your
dedication
to
creating
a
thriving
city
of
Boston
and
now
I'm
going
to
turn
it
over
to
a
couple
of
our
grantee
Partners.
We
have
representatives
from
two
wonderful
organizations,
beat
the
odds
and
John
epilon
Expressions
we're
going
to
share
a
few
words.
E
Foreign
don't
mind
my
voice,
it's
the
fire
from
Canada.
My
name
is
Camila
pagang
I
am
the
executive
director
at
beat
the
odds,
I
use
the
she
series
and
I'm
just
I
just
want
to
say
thank
you
first
off
to
meow
and
to
the
office
of
arts
and
culture.
Just
for
believing
in
our
mission
and
investing
in
in
us
beat
the
odds
as
a
creative
youth
development
program
that
is
focused
on
addressing
mental
health
and
Trauma
through
music
and
arts.
E
You
know
in
2019
a
group
of
us
friend
of
friends.
We
were
inspired
by
nipsy
hustle.
Unfortunately,
after
his
death,
we
were
just
inspired
by
what
he
was
doing
in
his
community
and
we
were
like
yo.
We
got
to
get
together
and
do
something
for
our
community.
You
know
we
were
all
you
know
black
and
brown
from
Roxbury
Dorchester
and
we
just
felt
like
we
never
had
an
outlet
for
art
in
our
neighborhood.
E
So
we
you
know
we
were
like
we
like
got
together.
We
did
it
and
to
see
that,
like
four
years
later,
we
were
here
and
we're
getting
like
invested
into,
and
people
believing
in
our
mission
is
just
so
like
humbling.
So
just
thank
you
so
much
for
that
also
I
want
to
say
you
know
for
beat
the
odds.
You
know
we
we
have
so
much
talent
in
Boston,
there's
so
much
talent
here,
there's
so
many
youth
who
are
creative
and
who
just
need
Outlets.
E
But
alongside
that,
we
have
so
much
oppression.
We
have
so
much
systemic
oppression.
Racism
trauma
generational
trauma
that
just
kind
of
holds
our
youth
back
and
so
like
really
beat
the
odds
as
to
like
merge
those
two
things
together
to
peel
off
the
layers
of
Oppression,
so
that
our
youth
can
like
feel
empowered
and
feel
like
they
can
go
out
advocate
for
themselves
and
do
what
they
love.
And
so
that's
like
that's
to
me.
E
That's
like
the
the
best
part
to
put
it
in
like
we
can
do
this
here
in
Roxbury
and
Dorchester
and
have
a
space
where
our
kids
can
do
that.
So
that's
you
know.
I
just
want
to
say
thank
you
for
that,
but
I
just
want
to
say
last
thing
is
like
thank
you
for
investing
us.
This
is
really
going
to
help
us
grow,
serve
more
youth,
expand
and
keep
it
going.
So.
Thank
you
all.
F
F
It's
something
that
really
warmed
my
heart,
but
I
would
like
to
also
invite
other
entities
here
who
wants
to
continue
to
elevate
the
city
for
the
better
to
really
help
with
the
mental
stress
that
we
are
dealing
all
of
us
to
just
kind
of
like
feel
like
a
community
again.
So
we
don't
see
the
violence.
That's
going
on
all
over
the
city
over
the
world
to
stop
for
a
minute,
because
when
we
dance
together
the
world
gets
better,
so
please
come
in
and
please
join
us
and
anytime.
You
want
to
really
shake
it
off.
F
D
G
A
G
Thank
you
well.
I.
I
just
want
to
take
this
opportunity
to
say
that
everything
is
possible
when
you
work
hard
and
you
continue
the
work.
You
are
passionate
about
eh
close
your
eyes.
Imagine
that
you're
crossing
the
border
or
you're
having
so
much
difficult
difficulty
coming
to
this
country,
and
then
you
stay
for
two
three
months
in
a
kind
of
a
cage
and
suddenly
you
came
to
East
Boston
and
somebody
invite
you
to
participate
at
Veronica,
Robles,
Cultural,
Center,
dance
classes
for
your
children.
G
You
get
there,
you
open
the
door
and
you
see
a
whole
community.
That
speaks
your
language,
that
dance
with
you
and
you
feel
at
home
in
a
place
so
far
away
from
home.
You
see
your
kids
smiling,
dancing
your
cultures
and
eating
your
food.
That's
what
we
do
at
Veronica,
Robles,
cultural
center,
it's
a
place
where
people
feel
safe,
we
create
we
share,
we
celebrate
at
the
same
time.
We
provide
these
opportunities
for
those
people
to
get
paid
for
what
they
do
used
to
do
at
their
back
in
their
countries.
Art
Music,
Television
production.
G
So
thank
you.
Thank
you
so
much
for
allowing
this
Peruvian
guy,
who
is
always
there
behind
me
a
lot
alongside
working
really
hard
hard,
my
willy
Lopez,
my
husband
partner
and
supporter,
and
our
daughter,
who
is
right
now
watching
us
from
above
Kita
Lopez
Robles
for
making
my
heart
you
know
continue
beating
for
my
community.
Thank
you
again
for
all
this
work.
Gracias,
muchas,
gracias,.
C
Good
afternoon,
everyone
I
will
keep
it
very
short,
so
the
mayor
said
it
in
Chief
said
it
I'm
here
to
say
thank
you
to
all
of
you
for
being
here
and
then
to
all
of
the
amazing
creatives
that
are
here
that
have
been
granted
this
funding
safety.
For
me,
I
am
the
mayor's
senior
advisor
for
Community
safety.
My
job
is
to
I
like
to
say:
do
the
work
before
the
police
come
and
then
step
back
in
once
they
leave
right
and
help
the
community
come
together.
C
So
much
of
community
is
rooted
in
art
and
for
a
while
arts
and
culture
has
been
doing
amazing
things
without
the
support
of
the
safety
infrastructure
within
the
city
and
so
I'm
here
again
to
say
thank
you
and
to
make
the
commitment
to
move
forward
and
support
the
mayor's
office
of
arts
and
culture
in
any
way
possible
to
support
all
of
you
that
have
received
funding
and
to
make
myself
available
in
any
way
possible
moving
forward.
So
thank
you
all.
D
Okay,
thank
you,
everyone,
so
much
for
being
here
to
help
us
celebrate
we're
going
to
stick
around
and
do
a
group
photo
for
grantee
organizations,
there's
food
provided
by
ds4si.
We
can
stay
here
for
a
little
while
thank
you
Lori
and
yeah.
Thank
you
again.
We
look
forward
to
sharing
more
information
about
all
the
amazing
work
that
these
organizations
do
over
the
years
to
come.
Thank
you
so
much
foreign.