New Bedford Creative awards 31 grants

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A total of 31 grants (including nine for individual artists) were awarded funding through the Art is Everywhere! and Wicked Cool Places programs. After an introduction by Tony Sapienza, president of the New Bedford Economic Development Council, and brief and supportive remarks by Mayor Jon Mitchell and City Council President Shane Burgo, the recipients were enthusiastically and proudly announced.

Wicked Cool Places grants

Good Company New Bedford, for “R.E.S.T. / art edition,” to help youth develop restorative yoga practices while improving communication skills, at the School of Yoga, New Bedford. ($2,000)

Michael McLean, for “Stovebolt Concert Series,” free musical performance by local and touring musicians, to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ community, at Interwoven Art Studio. ($2,000)

Brooke Mullins Doherty, for “Violet Billows”, a wire and fabric art installation, at the Lawler Branch Library. ($3,000)

Dream Out Loud Center, for “New Bedford YOUth Live 3.0,” a video cast program that will engage 12 culturally diverse youth (ages 12 -18) in an 8-week program, focused on storytelling and creative expression, at the Dream Out Loud Center. ($3,000)

New Bedford Film Festival, for “New Bedford Film Festival,” for a series of films, documentaries, music videos and more on April 11, 12 and 13, at Gallery X, Steeple Playhouse, New Bedford Art Museum and the New Bedford Harbor Hotel. ($3,000)

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, for “Casting a Wider Net Part 2,” to engage approximately 250 local students through field trips and by hosting documentary films, cooking classes and performances, built upon a year-long effort documenting the stories of Cape Verdean, Vietnamese, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Central American fishermen, at New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and New Bedford Voc-Tech High School. ($3,000)

Andy Anello, for “New Moon Projects: BodyBodyBody and New Moon Roller Disco,” for a series of dance events and roller disco, at the Co-Creative Center and at Buttonwood Park, respectively. ($5,000)

Candida Rose Baptista, for “Exploring New Bedford’s Cabo Verdean-American Musical Legacy: A KabuMerikanus Sonic Book Presentation & Concert,” for a project aimed at preserving the Cape Verdean community by honoring Cape Verdean social clubs and cultural spaces, at the Underground Railroad Cafe and other locations. ($5,000)

Jessica Bregoli-Sparling, for the “Flora B. Pierce Nature Trail,” to create five wayfinding sculptures, to construct a new trail marker, and clear the trails, between the New Bedford Regional Airport and the Acushnet Cedar Swamp. ($5,000)

Downtown New Bedford Inc., for the “dNB Fall Fest & dNB Holiday Stroll 2025,” to enhance its signature events, celebrate the city’s arts and culture, promote small businesses and foster community engagement, in Downtown New Bedford. ($5,000)

New Bedford Art Museum, for “artMobile in Your Neighborhood,” to bring art supplies and art educators directly to underserved communities using two mobile vans, at parks throughout the city. ($5,000)

Rotch-Jones Duff House & Garden Museum, for “Shakespeare in New Bedford 2025 — Romeo and Juliet,” for a production of the Bard’s most famous play set in Gilded Age New Bedford, at the Rotch-Jones Duff House & Garden. ($5,000)

Song Keeper Ltd, for “Oversoul Theatre Collective at the Underground Railroad,” to honor the musical and cultural contributions of Wampanoag, Cape Verdean and Latino artists with a series of monthly programs, at the Underground Railroad Cafe & Gallery. ($5,000)

Spinner Publications, Inc., for “The New Bedford Blubber Writer’s Workshop,” to support local writers with workshops focused on prose, poetry, memoirs and more, at the Co-Creative Center. ($5,000)

Gallery X, for “Ship Shape ll,” an exhibition showcasing artwork created from materials salvaged from the Schooner Ernestina-Morrisey, at Gallery X. ($6,000)

DATMA, for “Being Seen: Celebrating SouthCoast Pride,” for a collaborative public art project creating a monumental three-story textile installation in front of New Bedford City Hall led by by New York-based textile artist Liz Collins, in conjunction with the SouthCoast LBGTQ+ Network, local artists and students, on the William Street side of New Bedford City Hall. ($6,000)

New Bedford Historical Society, for “Juneteenth: Celebrating Our Cultures and Our Stories,” to continue the enhancement of Abolition Row Park as a community hub by honoring Black American, Cape Verdean, West Indian and Native American histories, at Abolition Row Park. ($6,000)

AHA! New Bedford, for “AHA! New Bedford — Seaport Sessions,” for a series of live musical events, including jazz, folk, blues and classical performances on AHA! Nights, in downtown New Bedford. ($8,000)

Chakira Gonsalves, for “Reggae on West Beach,” for the summer monthly weekend series of reggae performances and deejaying, at West Beach Pavillion and Hazelwood Park. ($8,000)

Queer Arts Council of New Bedford, for “AHA! PRIDE Block Party 2025,” for performances, community dances, drag shows and more, at the Steeple Playhouse and on William Street, between Sixth and Eighth Streets. ($8,000)

Every Place is a Concept (EPIC) SouthCoast, for “NB Roots & Branches Festival”, for a free two-day summer festival of acoustic music, dance, performance art and more, at multiple locations throughout downtown New Bedford. ($10,000)

Community Economic Development Center (CEDC), for “Patio de Comida,” for a weekly celebration of immigrant entrepreneurship and community with food, music and family-friendly activities, at Our Lady of Perpetual Health ($10,000)

Art is Everywhere grantees

Coastal Foodshed, for “Learn to Love Local,” a showcase for musicians, artists and chefs at the New Bedford Farmers Market at Buttonwood Park. ($3,000)

Paula Robinson Deare, for “Manifest Voice Intercultural Writing Club,” a 10-week program to foster cultural storytelling and to publish an anthology, at the Low Tide Yacht Club. ($3,000)

Mary Montiero, for “The Resilience Project,” which addresses societal changes by fostering creative activities and mindfulness, at Gallery X and area community centers. ($3,000)

Song Keepers Ltd, for “Soul on the Move: Pop-Up Concerts & Dance Parties by Oversoul Theatre Collective”, to host a series of live music events, spoken word performances, dance parties and the like, from a First Nations perspective, at Old Bedford Village, the West End, Buttonwood Park, Downtown New Bedford, Fort Rodman and other locations. ($3,000)

AHA! New Bedford, for “AHA! Moments,” a series of performances and pop-up events at locations in Downtown New Bedford. ($5,000)

City of New Bedford Department of Parks, Recreation, & Beaches, for “Arts in the Parks,” for arts and nature-based programming for New Bedford youth, at various parks and community centers throughout the city. ($5,000)

Our Sisters’ School, for “Art as a Tool for Radical Imagining and Social Change,” to build community and tackle critical social issues utilizing arts such as virtual reality, mixed media and videography to address themes such as body positivity, mental health, bullying, and Puerto Rican pride, at the Our Sisters’ School campus and other locations. ($5,000)

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, for “SuperART (Achieving Real Transformation),” to provide a creative, trauma-based program to help New Bedford youth that face significant challenges, including trauma, poverty and social inequities, at the NorthStar Learning Center. ($5,000)

DATMA, for “Mood-Vironment,” an interactive public art light sculpture, designed by Iranian-born artist and architect Mona Ghandi to merge the visual arts with social engagement and reflection, at the corner of Union Street and Route 18. ($6,000)