The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Cultural Council:
Beginning in June 2021, the Watertown Cultural Council will add eight new members, doubling its present size. The new Council members will enrich the scope and capability of the WCC as it expands its programs and outreach in the greater Watertown community in 2021-22.
Roberta Rosenberg, new Chair of the WCC, notes that: “The WCC is very fortunate to have the artistic, cultural and administrative abilities of this new group. We look forward to having a successful year. These new members will add to the already excellent work of our returning WCC officers who include: Gretchen Neeley, Secretary, and Sheri Kennedy, Treasurer, as well as Aramais Andonian, Elizabeth Kent, Emma Clement, and Stephanie Hackett.”
During 2021-22, the 15 members of the WCC will be evaluating and funding new grants projects funded by the Mass Cultural Council. Guidelines and priorities will be available in September 2021.
New WCC Members:
Karen Brody is a school-based speech-language pathologist living and working in Watertown, first at the Perkins School for the Blind, and currently in the Watertown Public Schools. She has a passion for the arts, in particular performing arts, and has volunteered with many local institutions. Karen is especially interested in expanding access to the arts and other cultural events to new participants, for both culturally diverse individuals and those with disabilities.
Barbara Epstein has been a writer, editor, researcher, administrator, and social worker in nonprofit, philanthropic, and university settings. During her 35 years in Watertown, she has been involved in the arts as coordinator of arts enrichment at the Hosmer and Middle Schools, member of the Watertown Cultural Council, member of the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee and the Arts and Culture Master Plan Advisory Group, and chair of the Mosesian Center board for 9 years through development and startup. Most recently she was part of a team that conceived and produced YardArt, a town-wide celebration of ingenuity and resilience during the COVID pandemic.
Monica Fairbairn has had a career in the public and nonprofit sectors first as a regional planner in Jamaica and the USA and in Landscape Design. Parallel interests in the arts led her to the position of Executive Director of the Museum of Afro-American History on Beacon Hill. Monica served on the early board of the now Mosesian Center for the Arts and more recently, on a citizen’s advisory committee for Watertown’s Public Arts Master Plan. She helped organize the Watertown Yard Art project and the Watertown Arts Market. She is also an artisan jeweler, showing and selling her art in the region for over 15 years. Monica and her family have been residents of Watertown since 1984.
Nick Haddad, a retired educator, is a 40-year resident of Watertown with a life-long interest in both the arts and science. He enjoys taking photographs of the natural environment at local resources such as Mount Auburn Cemetery, Beaver Brook Reservation, and along the banks of the Charles River. His interests in joining the Watertown Cultural Council include fundraising for new cultural events as well as expanding the opportunities for students to contribute to Watertown’s cultural life.
Melissa Morse experienced the joy of volunteer work in theatre and public performances as an 11-year resident of Watertown. She has joined the WCC to become more involved in helping the town nurture and elevate engagement with the arts and global cultures. She brings a variety of career experiences in marketing strategy, creative communications, and public relations to help attract more artists and broadly diverse voices to the Watertown cultural scene.
Linda Saladin-Adams, an English professor for many years at Florida State University, moved to Watertown in 2014. Her ongoing commitment to the arts and culture is inspired by her teaching, a BFA in Ceramics, playing the violin since childhood, and working on a second book of auto-fiction.
Quita Atchley Schillhammer has always been interested in color and design and is a knitter, quilter and maker/collector of all things fiber. After living in Acton for over 25 years, designing home interiors and selling furniture, she went back to college and graduated from Lesley University with a degree in Cultural Arts. Her academic experience inspired her to take a job at the New England Quilt Museum where she was the shop manager. Her community experience includes serving on two Boards: North Country Studio Workshops and The Fragment Society. She now lives in Watertown and works at The Fabric Showplace @ Freddy Farkels.
Sally Young was involved for many years with the Watertown Children’s Theatre and served on the Board. She was involved in the founding of the Mosesian Center for the Arts and also served on that board. For 22 years she was the Program Coordinator at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Loeb Fellowship program where she was deeply involved in work around arts and culture. She is a watercolor artist with a specialty in capturing the domestic environment and landscapes in the many places she has traveled. She looks forward to serving on the Watertown Culture Council.
The Watertown Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year.