FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    Media Contact: Rob Watson 617-426-1522
June 7, 2007
 
Boston Center for the Arts Announces Program Innovations to Build Bridges between the Arts, Culture and Community at Annual Meeting Wednesday, June 20  

BOSTON — Since 1968 the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) has been a vital arts destination for diverse audiences and the creative home for an astounding array of artists and performers.  Under the theme "It ALL Happens Here,” on Wednesday, June 20 at its Annual Meeting, the BCA will unveil a new chapter in its programming which focuses on building bridges between the arts, culture and community.  

Announcements will include: the naming of the theatre companies selected to participate in the 2008-2011 Resident Theatre Program, which has been enhanced to offer the public pre- and post-performance activities and interactions with the theatre artists; a new curatorial model for the Mills Gallery that continues its groundbreaking exhibitions of contemporary art, while opening its doors to diverse artistic voices and initiating a new series of performance art, film screenings, and poetry and play readings; and the deepening of the BCA's commitment to make the arts accessible to urban youth and neighborhood residents through its Cultural Partners Program.

The Annual Meeting, which begins at 5:30pm at the Cyclorama at the BCA, will also include special performances, and is free and open to interested members of the public. Please RSVP to Cara Wojcik at 617-426-2924 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it The Annual Meeting will be followed by a reception at The Beehive, the stunning new bistro, bar and music hall at the BCA.  The Beehive is the latest example of the BCA's strategy to use public/private partnerships to attract new audiences to this key cultural destination, where they will also find a rich diversity of arts opportunities on the menu.

Over the past five years, the BCA has implemented a strategic plan which has dramatically increased its ability to better serve both artists and audiences while stabilizing and expanding its own operations. Focusing on key program goals — Excellence, Innovation, and Diversity — the BCA has revitalized its programs and piloted a model that involves the community in meaningful ways.                                            

"The essence of the arts is to express and communicate the human experience.  The human experience is remarkably diverse, and we believe that should be reflected in the art we present and the audiences we welcome,” comments Libbie Shufro, BCA President and CEO.   "The key priority for the BCA is to showcase art of our times in a way that is both stimulating and inviting to all.”
 
 “While continuing to collaborate with our community partners to provide in-depth arts experiences to urban youth and underserved neighborhoods, we are also significantly expanding the arts experiences and educational activities we offer to the broader public," comments Wendy Baring-Gould, who headed up the BCA's Youth and Community Engagement Initiative, and who was named this past year to a newly-created position of Director of Arts and Community Programs.   "The BCA's vision has always been to connect the arts to urban life, and we are very excited about the new possibilities being created to do that."

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Editor’s Notes: • Media are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting

• Interviews with Libbie Shufro and Wendy Baring-Gould can be arranged
• Additional background on request. 
• Visit www.bcaonline.org for general information and calendar of events
 
 
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND


At the Annual Meeting, the BCA will announce the theatre companies selected to participate in the 2008-2011 Resident Theatre Program (ResCo Program).  The program itself has been enhanced to offer the public educational activities and opportunities for interaction with the theatre artists. The BCA offers two different categories of residency: Calderwood Pavilion Residency and Core Residency.  It has already been announced that SpeakEasy Stage Company has been selected as the Calderwood Pavilion Resident Theatre Company for 2008-2011, the result of a three-way collaboration between the BCA, SpeakEasy and Huntington Theatre Company, which operates the Pavilion.  All of the Core Resident Theatre Companies will be announced at the Annual Meeting.

The Mills Gallery at the BCA will continue to host exhibitions of cutting-edge contemporary works by established and emerging Boston-based visual artists with a focus on making the experience inviting, interactive and educational. In addition to the exhibition series, new programming will include a Summer Visual Arts Residency for neighborhood youth, and a series of poetry and play readings, film and video screenings as a way to complement the visual arts and bring more people into the gallery.                                                                 

The restructuring of the BCA’s Arts & Community Programs Department will result in the elimination of the position of Mills Gallery Director. Laura Donaldson, who has held that position since 2004, will continue to offer her innovative perspective during the coming year as one in a series of Guest Curators. Mills programming will also provide opportunities for exhibition of works by artists who have their studios at the BCA's Artist Studio Building. The full Mills Gallery exhibition series for 2007-08 will be announced at the Annual Meeting.

A Curatorial Advisory Board will advise Baring-Gould and a new Visual Arts Manager, who will assume leadership of the gallery and direct the 2007-08 exhibition season.  Advisory Board members include: Edmund Barry Gaither, Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA); Camilo Alvarez, Director of Samson Projects; Barbara Krakow, President, Barbara Krakow Gallery; Stella A. McGregor, Director of The Cloud Foundation; and Carole Anne Meehan, curator of Vita Brevis at the Institute of Contemporary Art.  Other Advisory Board members will be announced.

The BCA’s Cultural Partners Program explores unique collaborations with other arts organizations to catalyze and host innovative dance, theatre and visual arts installations in the Cyclorama and other BCA venues, and to build new audiences.  This coming year's programs will include Access to Theatre, a summer youth theatre program; the 16th annual “Medicine Wheel," an art installation and event to raise awareness and mark World AIDS Day, presented by Michael Dowling; performances by the Bread and Puppet Theater; and a new collaboration with Boston's innovative BalletRox.   

ABOUT THE BCA:
 
Celebrating its 38th anniversary in 2007, the BCA is an urban cultural village, incubating and showcasing the performing and visual arts and artists of our times. The BCA provides a creative home for artists, a welcoming destination for audiences, and an arts connection for youth and community across Greater Boston.  The BCA complex includes 50 working artist studios, 6 live/work spaces, the Mills Gallery, four theatres including two located in the new Calderwood Pavilion, educational and rehearsal spaces, and the historic Cyclorama. It is also the home for the Boston Ballet, the Community Music Center of Boston, and almost a dozen other non-profit arts organizations. In all, the BCA offers 190,000 square feet of arts space, including 20,000 square feet designated for affordable studio and office space for artists and arts organizations. As a result of the new theaters, the BCA's attendance has doubled to over 200,000 visitors annually. For more information please visit www.bcaonline.org.

-End Additional Background -