Commission on Cultural Development Grant Awards

Fall 2021

Robinson Ballet Company - $3,750 to assist in producing of “Wild Thing”, a life dance performance for children and families on May 14 & 15, 2022 at Gracie Theatre

Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra - $2,500 for Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra (BSYO) 2021-2022 Season

Spring 2021

Bangor Region YMCA - $1,000
The CCD recommends awarding $1,000 to the Bangor Region YMCA in support of a creative arts and social engagement program pairing a visual arts educator with isolated seniors in Bangor. The funds will be used is to support project administration expenses and project -specific marketing costs.

Ten Bucks Theatre - $1,945
The CCD recommends awarding $1,945 to Ten Bucks Theatre in support of a live theatre performance in Bangor in December 2021. The funds will be used to support securing the play rights and the visual elements of the show, including both costume and set design costs. 

The CCD recommends awarding $5,255 to United Way of Eastern Maine in support of an installation of "Hopeful" art on a location to be determined in Bangor. The funds will be used for materials and installation.

Spring 2020

Bangor Ballet - $3,336
The CCD recommends awarding $3,336 in support of Bangor Ballet’s productions of “A Tribute to Seuss: Think and Wonder, Wonder and Think” and “Nutcracker in a Nutshell: A New Telling of and Old Tale” which will be performed in schools and at The Gracie Theatre. In the event that live performances are not possible, Bangor Ballet has a plan to develop virtual content. The requested $3,336 is to support production costs.

Bangor Symphony Orchestra - $3,336
The CCD recommends an award of $3,336 in support of Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s community programming in celebrating their 125th season which is planned to be a combination of virtual and in person events. In the event that live performances are not possible, Bangor Symphony Orchestra has a plan to develop virtual content. The requested funding of $3,336 will be used for artist fees, production and marketing.

Penobscot Theatre Company - $3,336
The CCD recommends an award of $3,336 to Penobscot Theatre Company to provide support for their Northern Writes Junior New Play Festival, a playwriting competition open to kids ages 4-18, providing them with an outlet to process life during the pandemic. Selected plays will be fully produced and performed as part of their Winter Dramatic Academy programming. In the event that live performances are not possible, Penobscot Theatre Company has a plan to develop virtual content. Funding will support artist/contractor fees, marketing, scholarships, and production costs.

Fall 2019

Individual Artist Project Zakariah Allaf - $999
The CCD recommends awarding $999 in support of Allaf’s project to finish production of his original Arabic language hip-hop composition and create a music video for his song “Stress” which addresses the experience of a Syrian immigrant moving to Bangor. The requested $999 is to support production costs.

Launchpad - $2,000
The CCD recommends an award of $2,000 in support of Launchpad’s monthly, all-ages Open Mic program which is designed to be an incubator to cultivate the next generation of artists and performers, based on the belief that the most important performance an artist undertakes is her first. The requested funding of $2,000 from the Cultural Commission is to fund logistical and production needs to stage the event at Bangor Arts Exchange for 12 months.

Penobscot Theatre Company - $5000
The CCD recommends an award of $5,000 to Penobscot Theatre Company to provide support for the production of Safety Net, a timely new work about a small town fire chief attempting to deal with the worsening opioid crisis. Funding will support production, free tickets to those locally who have been impacted by addiction and pre and post-performance talks by a variety of experts from around the State.

Spring 2019

Individual Artist Project Beckette Mundell - $750
The CCD recommends awarding $750 in support of Mundell’s project to create a scaled Lego model of the Bangor Public Library which will be donated to the library for display. The requested $750 is to support materials needed to create and display the finished model.

Bangor Symphony Ochestra - $5,000
The CCD recommends an award of $5,000 in support of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s free and low cost programming. This series, dedicated to providing access to all ages at an affordable price, includes but is not limited to: 3 instrument petting zoos for children, 2 KinderConcerts, 2 iterations of the adult education series, ARTober open house, Holiday Youth Orchestra Concert, and more. Funding from the Cultural Commission is key to providing free and low cost programming in Bangor.

Fall 2018

Individual Artist Project Nina Jerome- $985
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $985 in support of Jerome’s project to create a series of large-scale, mixed-media drawings for an upcoming show at the University of Maine Art Museum in September 2019. The requested $985 is to support materials needed to create and display the finished art.

Bangor Community Theatre- $1,000
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $1,000 of the $1,500 requested by the Bangor Community Theatre to support production of I Remember Mama. Bangor Community Theatre is Bangor’s longest running theatre group. They are dedicated to producing performances for all ages at an affordable price. With their location at the Grange Hall they are accessible to lower income neighborhoods. The requested $1,000 would aid in funding the costs sets, costumes and royalties.

Peace and Justice Center- $1000
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends a partial award of $1,000 of the $1,500 requested by the Peace and Justice Center to provide support for the creation of the Peaceful Pathways artistic element of their $1,400 square foot community garden that will provide fresh produce to numerous food kitchens in Bangor as well as work with school groups and youth organizations to teach gardening, art and community values such as unity. The requested $1,000 will fund materials and artist fees incurred in the student creation of a sculpture at the center of the garden.

Penobscot Contra Dancers- $700
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $700 to Penobscot Contra Dancers in support of their Open Band and Family Dance education and community outreach initiative. Penobscot Contra Dancers began in 2005 and became a robust 503c in 2010. Penobscot Contra Dancers seeks to ensure the future of folk music and Contra Dance in the region by creating an Open Band performance and education opportunity as well as a corresponding family dance that focuses on the intergenerational aspects of Contra Dance. . The requested $700 will be used to buy folk music materials to be kept on hand at the Bangor Public Library and to hire experienced players to work with the Open Band participants.

Penobscot Theatre- $1,000
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends a partial award of $1000 of the $3,000 requested by Penobscot Theatre for their production of Fun Home, a play that, “offers a life-affirming take on self-love and acceptance, human failing and forgiveness, and the power we all have to chart a healing course.” The production will begin Mid-March, opening in April and running through May. The awarded $1,000 would assist in purchasing materials needed for the production.

Ten Bucks Theatre $3,000
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends a partial award of $3,000 of the requested $5,000 to Ten Bucks Theatre for their productions of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abbreviated and The Elephant Man. Ten Bucks Theatre recently signed a 1 year lease with the Bangor Mall and funds are need to turn the commercial space into a performance space as well as for materials for two productions and an opening gala. The requested $3,000 will aid making necessary changes like sound dampening doors to reduce mall traffic sound and tangibles for the play like costumes, royalties, and marketing.

Bangor Ballet- $3500
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $3500 in support of its project to add a new ballet, Carnival of the Animals, to the company's permanent repertoire. This ballet will be previewed at ARTober in fall 2018, and performed in-school and for general audiences in February,
2019. The requested $3500 is to support only Bangor-area performances and activities.

Spring 2018

Bangor Historical Society- $2400
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $2400 to the Bangor Historical Society to support Drums on the Penobscot: A Civil War Experience, a weekend long living history program to be held from August 10-12, 2018. Designed to connect the community with the history of the Civil War and its effects on Bangor, the event will feature an encampment, artillery and firearm demonstrations, mock skirmishes, and presentations by authors, living history performers and historians. The requested $2400 would aid in funding the costs of performance of Abraham Lincoln reenactor Steve Wood and venue fees.

Bangor Symphony Orchestra- $5000
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $5000 to the Bangor Symphony Orchestra to provide support of their first full season of programming at its new Downtown Bangor location, the Bangor Arts Exchange. The Bangor Symphony Orchestra provides Maine audiences with powerful, enriching and diverse musical experiences and education programs, of which the Bangor region will benefit. The requested $5000 will aid in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s ability to provide free and low-cost arts programming and concerts at the Bangor Arts Exchange.

Penobscot Nation- $4500
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $4500 to Penobscot Nation in support their 2018 Wabanaki Social Gathering & Birch Bark Canoe Regatta. The Wabanaki Confederacy Conference offers the opportunity to educate the Greater Bangor Region about the history of the Wabanaki Confederacy and its homeland. Through public displays and presentations, the Penobscot Nation hopes to create educational opportunities to the Bangor region while marketing their event to increase public awareness. The requested $4500 will aid in offsetting marketing, venue and presentation costs.

Individual Artist Project: Andrea Beaulieu $250
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $250 to Andrea Beaulieu to aid in funding her public art installation of the Street Piano Project. This will be the Street Piano Project was founded as a way to provide the opportunity to anyone to be able to have access to a musical instrument and to express themselves through it. The piano will be set for approximately two months in the parks for the community to enjoy for the third non-consecutive year in Downtown Bangor. The requested $250 requested would assist in purchasing supplies to remodel and add weather-proofing additions to the piano.

Individual Artist Project: Zakaria Allaf $1000
The Commission on Cultural Development recommends awarding $1000 to Zakaria Allaf in support of his Syrian Immigrant experience music video. Zakaria has been writing, recording, and performing hip hop music in Arabic for over a decade, but hopes that this project will open a new chapter in his career, now that he has immigrated to the United States. The music video will reflect a year living and working in downtown Bangor, featuring local businesses and locations and, once the video is finished, will distribute free download cards around downtown Bangor. The requested $1000 will aid in the funding the musical arrangement and sound recording costs.