波士頓市藝文補助款11月17日前截止申請 金額5000至1萬元

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR TWO ARTS GRANT PROGRAMS  $5.7 million in total available to enhance and activate cultural vibrancy across Boston

 

BOSTON - Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture announced two grant applications are open for arts, cultural, and creative programming in Boston. Boston Cultural Council (BCC) organizational grants are available for organizations that benefit the public by offering arts programming in Boston's neighborhoods. Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grants are available for community-focused arts and cultural activations that imagine new uses for publicly accessible spaces.  “Every Boston neighborhood deserves access to vibrant arts programming to bring community together and provide enriching cultural opportunities for all our residents,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I’m excited for these two grant opportunities to bolster culture in our City and look forward to how Bostonians will work together to foster creative arts programming and activations for our communities.”  “Through the Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grants and BCC funding, Boston residents can bring meaningful arts programming to life in their neighborhoods,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. “These programs allow us to invest in a diverse group of grantees, including arts organizations small and large, artists, collectives, and local small businesses that all share the common goal of making the arts more accessible for their communities.”  Boston Cultural Council Organizational Grants Boston Cultural Council organizational grants are meant to support arts, cultural, and creative organizations in Boston with general operating expenses. Organizations with budgets under $2 million that are based in Boston or offer programming in Boston are eligible to apply. Grant sizes are dependent on the organization’s operating budget:

 

 

The Boston Cultural Council (BCC) works under the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture to annually distribute funds allocated by the City of Boston and the Mass Cultural Council for local arts, cultural, and creative programming. The BCC is committed to funding small to mid-sized organizations that demonstrate and promote cultural equity in the Boston arts ecosystem.   The deadline to apply for BCC grants is Friday, November 17, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. There will be drop-in virtual office hours on Tuesdays from 3 - 4 p.m. every week from October 3, 2023 to November 14, 2023 for organizations interested in learning more about the application process. More information can be found at boston.gov/arts-grants.  Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grants The Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grant is a grant designed to support community-focused arts, cultural, and creative activations in public spaces that foster joy and strengthen community wellbeing across Boston neighborhoods. Individuals, non profit organizations, collectives, fiscally sponsored groups, and/or businesses working in partnership with community organizations are eligible to apply.  There is a total of $5 million available in this fund that will be distributed over multiple rounds of rolling applications. Grant sizes are dependent on the scale and type of activation:  ·       Cultural Festival: $5,000, one time grant ·       Small-Scale Activation: Less than $20,000, one time grant ·       Mid-Scale Activation: Less than $50,000, one time grant ·       Large-Scale Activation: $50,000 - $100,000, multiyear and one time grant ·       Multiyear Activation: $100,000 - $400,000 multiyear, up to 3 years  The Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grants are supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Boston Planning and Development Public Impact Contribution Funds.  The deadline to apply for round two of the Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grants is October 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. More information can be found at boston.gov/neighborhood-and-downtown-activation-grant.

波士頓台灣影展漸成氣候 第5屆「臉譜」展現人生百態

第5屆波士頓台灣影展志工有不下60人。(影展提供)

第5屆波士頓影展開幕時合影。(周菊子攝)

              (Boston Orange周菊子波士頓報導) 第5屆波士頓台灣影展 (TFFB) 由來自波士頓，紐約、德州及臺灣的約60名志工分頭努力近一年後，9月23、24兩日在波士頓AMC19電影院，以「臉譜 (Face of Life) 」為主題，放映6部影片，讓數百觀眾為其中數片悄悄哭得唏哩嘩啦中圓滿落幕。

包括3部劇情片，1部黑色喜劇，1部紀錄片，1部動畫片的這6部影片，依放映順序為「本日公休」、「一家子兒咕咕叫」、「講話沒有在聽」、「逃跑的人」、「廢棄之城」以及「藍色大門」。

第5屆波士頓台灣影展會長李宜庭(右起)和導演傅天余、
易智言，波士頓經文處處長廖朝宏，影展顧問林嘉賢在影展
開幕後合影。(周菊子攝)

其中易智言導演的「廢棄之城」，探討人與環境關係，自我價值認定等議題，獲得2020年金馬獎最佳動畫長片獎，「藍色大門」輕描青少年的情慾及同性戀性向話題，入選2002年坎城影展導演雙週，獲第23屆香港電影金像獎最佳亞洲電影提名。詹京霖執導的「一家子兒咕咕叫」描繪環境形成的社會階級，個人面對時代變遷的反應，獲2022年第59屆金馬獎最佳劇情片獎，李念修導演的「講話沒有在聽」以黑色幽默敘事來呈現人生中沉重的生離死別課題，獲同屆金馬獎最佳劇情短片獎。

波士頓台灣影展會長李宜庭(中)和顧問林嘉賢與嘉賓，波士頓市長幕僚長
朱為亭(右二)，經文處組長黃翌弘(左一)。 (周菊子攝)

波士頓台灣影展協會會長李宜庭表示，今年的影展以「臉譜」為主題，旨在藉《金剛經》第三十章中的「微塵眾」，形容世界上的每個人都如星辰細沙，各有其獨特生命故事，並以自己的喜怒哀樂，在生命舞台上努力綻放，彼此感動的穿梭交織成為浩瀚宇宙。

導演傅文余(右起)、易智言和作家楊致和在台上回應提問。
(周菊子攝)

影展策展組組長韓璦璘透露，選片小組選定「臉譜」這主題後，從最開始列出的五、六十部影片名單，分頭聯繫，再從獲得回應的

作家楊致和 (左起) 和導演易智言、傅文余、曾文珍(右一)和在台上回應提問。
(周菊子攝)

20幾部片中，篩選出他們認為最有代表性，最能展現台灣多元文化社會的這6部影片。

              駐波士頓經文處處長廖朝宏，波士頓華僑文教中心主任潘昭榮，阿靈頓電影節創辦人J. Alberto Guzman，應邀出席了23日一早的開幕式。波士頓市長的幕僚長朱為亭、市長發言撰稿人王瑞明，以及波士頓市府亞裔資源會正副主席等人，也都欣賞了「講話沒有在聽」這部影片，並出席接待會。

              8月初才抵埠上任的廖朝宏處長，還是第一次參加波士頓台灣影展。他說從未看到過那個團隊，那麼專業，又那麼努力的籌辦出一個這麼棒的活動，要請大家一起感謝這個團隊，在大波士頓讓更多人看見台灣。

              父母都還在臺灣，去年才應聘從加州來到波士頓的王瑞明也說，還從不知道波士頓有這麼棒的一個台灣團隊，讓他感到與有榮焉。

波士頓市長的發言撰稿人王瑞明，父母也來自台灣。
(周菊子攝)

              影展會長，也是建築設計師的李宜庭坦言，她在臺灣台北最愛的一個地方是1997年已被列為史蹟之一，前身是美國大使館官邸的”光點台北戲院”，這也讓她心中認為，台灣和美國可以透過電影，有一種特殊的連結。她自己更是從高中看紀錄片開始就愛上了電影，「乘著光影旅行」就是她去年參與策展時，選入影展的影片之一。她覺得自己非常幸運，有這機會和60名來自不同地方，都熱愛電影的人一起努力，感謝包括第一、二屆的藍凡耘，第三屆的蔡函庭、許淑瑋，以及第四屆的姚映如、湯敏、王予柔等歷屆會長打下基礎，也感謝長榮航空公司贊助，把3

顧宗浩組成樂隊，指揮演奏。(周菊子攝)

名導演從台灣飛來波士頓參展，希望眾人繼續支持這個非牟利機構。讓更多人能夠藉由電影和台灣有所連結。

              在接待酒會中，羅德島設計學院攝影教授Henry Horenstein和影展顧問林嘉賢，影展協會主席康麗雪，波士頓市長的幕僚長朱為亭也都分別致詞。

接待會場內擺放拍賣品，繼續為影展籌款。 (周菊子攝)

今年的影展接待會在凱悅酒店舉行，讓出席者們倍覺隆重。
(周菊子攝)

              波士頓台灣影展協會的最高潮之一是23日晚在凱悅酒店舉行的慶祝5週年接待會，不但安排有傅天余、易智言、曾文珍等3名導演，以及擔任一場導演座談主持人的美國作家楊致和 (Jeff Yang) 接受訪談，還請來伯克利音樂學院畢業的顧宗浩，和他的一群同學，以及新英格蘭音樂學院、波士頓大學的樂手，包括蔡旻翰、魏嘉盈、沈可、陳庭甄、盧畇竹，蔡昀宸等人，以「戀戀島嶼」為主題，用小中大提琴，配上鋼琴、二胡，在顧宗浩指揮中，演奏了包括他重新編曲「我的青春在台灣」，「張三的歌-1986父子關係」，「燒肉粽」，「國境之南 – 2008海角七號」等18首電影主題歌。 (更新版)

影展拍賣品中還有一張導演蔡明亮簽了名的海報。
(周菊子攝)

今年有更多本地美國人參加影展。 (周菊子攝)

接待會入口處擺放了歷屆影展海報。 (周菊子攝)

波士頓僑胞慶祝中國74歲生日 300餘人同歡

嘉賓與胡清醒獅隊和舞蹈表演者合影。 (周菊子攝)

前排右起，劉紅夫婦、胡運炤、梁添光、余有根，Ed Flynn，李衛新、
洪雁、潘飛。後排左二向右，鄭慧民、陳清、李徐慕蓮等人嘉賓合影。
(周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 10月1日晚，300多人匯聚波士頓帝苑大酒樓，在台前掛出巨幅橫額，場內交叉懸起星條旗和五星旗的熱絡氣氛中，慶祝「中華人民共和國成立74週年」暨中美建交44週年。

             中國駐紐約總領事館教育參贊余有根和陳曲鋒、洪雁等共約5名領事，當天下午拜會波氏頓黃氏宗親會後，晚上聯袂出席慶祝餐會，與大波士頓僑胞歡聚。

波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn(右起)送表揚狀給梁添光，邀中領館余友根參贊
和鄭慧民合影。(周菊子攝)

黃氏宗親會等人和波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn合影。
(周菊子攝)

             這場晚會的名稱為「大波士頓中美僑學各界聯合舉辦慶祝中華人民共和國成立74週年」暨「慶祝中美建交44週年晚會」，主要由波士頓僑界長期支持中華人民共和國的知名人士梁添光出面策畫，從郊區請來在華人社區中知名的大型節目主持人李照原和趙雯妍擔任司儀。

             開場由胡衛正率領的胡清白鶴氣功醒獅團出動5頭祥獅採青獻桔，一位小朋友Maribel領唱美國國歌，吳皓醫師領唱中華人民共和國國歌。這2位一大一小的演唱者，歌聲宏亮，優美，博得場內一片掌聲。

             大會主席梁添光率獻致詞。他以廣東話、英文歡迎嘉賓後，以略帶口音的普通話說明晚會主旨，祝願「祖國繁榮昌盛，國泰民安，引領世界，並祝中美友好，源遠流長」。

晚會由郊區知名的節目主持人李照原(左)和趙雯姸(右)
出任司儀。 (周菊子攝)

             余有根以播音員般的聲音，代表駐紐約中領館總領事黃屏表達問候，祝願之意。他說新中國成立74年來，在共產黨領導下，中國人民奮發圖強，艱苦奮鬥，取得舉世矚目的國家發展成就，全面建設小康社會，穩居全球第二大經濟體，成為製造業第一大國，貨物貿易第一強國，經濟、科技及綜和實力都躍上新台階。中華民族迎來了從站起來，富起來到強起來的偉大歲月，廣大華僑華人支持中國統一大業，致力促進中美有好的貢獻功不可沒。

潘潔和女兒Maribel分別為大會演唱。(周菊子攝)

             余有根在說他代表總領館向僑胞們致上深深謝意時，還特地走到台前，90度的鞠了個躬。他還說只有中美關係好了，僑胞的日子才能過得更蓬勃。

             波士頓市議會議長愛德華費連 (Ed Flynn)是當晚唯一出席的本地政府民代。他稱許華人社區對波士頓市及美國的貢獻，也提及人們仍需防範在全美各地的反亞裔仇恨情緒與事件。雖然他今年競選連任，已知將同額當選，但會上仍謙虛表示願意代表華埠等地民眾。

             大會接著請僑立中文學校董事長劉紅，金門超市總經理胡運炤依序代表學界、商界致詞。

             致詞後的晚宴表演節目，由吳皓醫師演唱「我愛你，中國」拉開序幕，依序有劍橋中文學校少兒時裝模特走秀，戲劇老師姜茵演唱粵語歌曲「漫步人生路」，在中國曾是專業歌手的潘潔演唱「人間西湖」，杜冰露表演「左手指月」長扇舞，伯克利音樂學院楊詩旎演唱「南屏晚鐘」，吳皓醫師和方柳君兩夫婦演唱「纤夫的愛」，以昆士市為主要據點的廣聯歌舞團表演了古典舞秋水伊人，拉丁舞草帽拉丁，僳僳族舞「富饒美麗的怒江埧」。

吳皓、方柳君夫婦當晚攜手獻唱「纤夫的愛」。
(周菊子攝)

            愛唱歌的主持人李照原，穿著一身畢挺的白西裝，也在會中演唱了一首「我和我的祖國」。

             大會最後在全體合唱「歌唱祖國」聲中落幕。

梁添光(左四)和嘉賓敬酒。(周菊子攝)

             這次晚會的主要籌辦人梁添光會後感嘆，在如今中美關係緊張的局勢中，辦這活動真不容易，許多人不敢出席，當晚的座上客，除了黃氏宗親會有一席外，平日常見的僑團人士，幾乎都不見蹤影。往年都是合作單位的華人前進會、劍橋中國文化中心，今年也都未以單位名義參加籌備。包括台山同鄉聯誼會的李照桃，華人前進會主席湯建華、組織員鄺寶蓮，亞美聯誼會的潘飛、曹品慈等人，都是以個人名義出席。

              有台山同鄉聯誼會人士表示，這次的活動，沒收到正式請柬，也不知道到底由誰主辦，因此沒有參加。

姜茵(左二)率劍橋中文學校少兒走秀展示服裝。(周菊子攝)

鄺寶蓮等華人前進會工作人員與居民會執委以個人身份出席慶祝會。
(周菊子攝)

廣聯歌舞團表演了古典舞秋水伊人，拉丁舞草帽拉丁，
僳僳族舞「富饒美麗的怒江埧」。 (周菊子攝)

部分出席人士和吳皓夫婦等表演人員會末合影。(周菊子攝)

Healey Driscoll Administration Announces Significant Improvements to Child Care Financial Assistance Program

Healey Driscoll Administration Announces Significant Improvements to Child Care Financial Assistance Program 

New Regulations and Updated Policies Will Make System Easier for Parents, Better for Early Education Providers, and More Reflective of Needs of Children and Families   

 

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration has announced significant improvements to Child Care Financial Assistance programs in Massachusetts. Updated regulations and policies will simplify the application process for parents, reduce paperwork for families and early education programs, and better support homeless families, families with disabilities and families facing domestic violence who take advantage of this program. With these changes, the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) is making it easier for young, working, low-income families to access the subsidies available for child care and “out of school time” education programs. 

 
“One of the top priorities of our administration is making child care more affordable and accessible. These regulation and policy changes will help break down barriers for our low-income families and early education programs, making government services more user friendly and equitable,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re proud to take this important step forward that we know will lead to increased labor market participation and economic mobility for families, and support children’s school and life success.” 

 

“In Massachusetts, we are investing in child care so that regardless of zip code or economic background, our youngest learners can access the high-quality education they need to succeed in school and life. Access to affordable child care is also an engine of the state’s economy, enabling families to participate in our workforce,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I am excited to see the impact these significant changes will bring to our state, making Massachusetts a more affordable place to live, learn and work.” 

 

EEC has been working over the past year and a half with key stakeholders to make these significant child care financial assistance regulation changes. From the outset, EEC took on these regulation changes with the goals of centering the family voice and restructuring the agency’s operations, policies, and procedures to modernize and improve the experience for parents and providers.  

 

Some of the key regulation and policy changes include: 

• Improving and simplifying communication with families, such as launching email and texting campaigns to reach them directly and support them throughout the process of accessing child care financial assistance; 

• Reducing and eliminating unnecessary and duplicative paperwork and reporting requirements that create an undue burden for parents; 

• Updating the provider employment definitions and requirements to reflect the changing nature of work, including more flexibility for hourly wage earners and those working from home; 

• Waiving fees for homeless families and easing reporting requirements for individuals with disabilities or those participating in treatment for substance abuse; 

• Better aligning with partner agencies like the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and Department of Children and Families (DCF) to streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens for families; 

• Incorporating more inclusive language that supports the dignity of receiving child care financial assistance, and is inclusive of LGBTQ+ families and families with disabilities; and 

• Shifting policies to be more accessible, meaning they are written in plain language and will eventually be available in up to 14 languages.  

 

“Our administration believes that expanding access to more affordable, high-quality early education and care is the first step to ensuring every Bay State child has access to the education they deserve, regardless of their circumstances or background,” said Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler. “Here in Massachusetts, we don’t just want to get ‘back’ to how things were before the pandemic--the new and updated regulation and policy changes will bring the state’s child care financial assistance program forward. With a focused intentionality on centering parents and simplifying the processes for providers, we are creating the child care financial assistance system that students and families deserve.” 

 

“I am grateful for the significant changes we are making to our child care financial assistance programs in Massachusetts. Through regulations and policy, we are shifting the programs to be easier and more accessible to enable families to work and support their children’s school success. Using technology enhancements and eliminating barriers, we are creating a more modern, flexible and dignified system,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “I want to thank the Early Education and Care Board, our early education and care programs and partners, and sister agencies who have worked collaboratively and intentionally with us to make changes that center families’ experiences and will bring greater equity and inclusion for the children and families participating in our child care financial assistance programs.” 

 

The state’s Child Care Financial Assistance programs are funded federally through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and by the state level through multiple EEC line items. This year, the Healey-Driscoll administration and the legislature delivered $778 million towards child care financial assistance, an increase of $60 million over FY23. Currently, 58,000 children and their families access child care with the support of state financial assistance. Nearly 4,500 early education and child care centers partner with the Commonwealth to provide care to low-income or subsidized students, which is 56% of the licensed early education and care programs in the state.  

 

“The Board of Early Education and Care was proud to vote to adopt these updated child care financial assistance program regulations. These significantly improved regulations will serve as the foundation for the programs and set the tone for what we know these programs can and will be – equitably supporting families to afford and access high-quality early education and care across the Commonwealth. I am grateful for the Board, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and our partners efforts and the direction that Massachusetts is moving in,” said Paul Belsito, Chair of the Board of Early Education and Care. 

 

“For some families who rely on child care while they work, finding appropriate, high-quality care can be difficult. I am grateful to EEC for their efforts to support families and eliminating administrative barriers to a service that can make such a difference for children and their parents. By streamlining this process through the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Transitional Assistance, we are reducing the burden placed on people to provide information to apply for services for which they are already qualified, expediting their access to the child care they need,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. 

   

EEC has launched new family facing website pages to promote access to and understanding of child care financial assistance. You can learn more about the programs at Mass.gov/CCFA.