Organizers of the fourth annual Gloucester New Arts Festival held a recently held a fundraiser as they try to raise $4,000 before the August event.
The money is needed so the festival, scheduled for Aug. 23 and 24, can once again be presented free of charge to the public.
The festival pushes the boundaries of traditional "art" to present residents and visitors a new vision of what art can be when interconnected with one's surroundings in creative ways. The theme of this year's festival is "Fresh Local Landmarks."
The festival has been awarded a $4,000 matching grant from the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, through a Massachusetts Cultural Council John and Abigail Adams Grant, Sarah Slifer, an festival organizer.
The two-hour fund-raising party took place July 9 on the third floor of the Allan Penn Studio at 33 Commercial St.
At the Wednesday night event, those attending met artists who will take part in the arts festival as well as met the new artistic director, Michael Jahoda, and learned about this year's projects. Performing was the The Bruce Ferrara Trio.
The Gloucester New Arts Festival is in partnership with seARTS, The Cape Ann YMCA, and Green Street Studio of Cambridge. This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Gloucester Cultural Council, and the John and Abigail Adams Grant for Cultural Economic Development from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.—
— Gail McCarthy
