The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts Board:
The Mosesian Center for the Arts (MCA) received an off-cycle, emergency stabilization grant from the Watertown Community Foundation to offset the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Arts non-profits were hit hard during the pandemic. In an effort to build back after months of being shuttered, pandemic relief funds were used to create additional programming which also came with additional staffing. With the sudden and noticeable loss of the New Repertory Theatre, revenue did not keep up with the expanded programming,” explained MCA Board Chair, Shaunna Harrington.
Shaunna added, “we needed an infusion of cash to stabilize the organization to create space to strategically evaluate staffing and programming. We are grateful to Roberta Miller, the MCA’s former Executive Director, for returning in a pro bono capacity as interim executive director as we chart a new, sustainable way forward.”
Miller said: “This emergency grant from the Watertown Community Foundation is impactful in both tactical and symbolic ways. Paired with contributions from dedicated individuals in our community, this grant allowed us to balance our budget and breathe a sigh of relief. Symbolically, this grant affirms the importance of the MCA in the arts landscape of Watertown. A multi-disciplinary arts center has been embedded in the fabric of our city for nearly 20 years. Our community relies on the MCA for affordable access to art classes, summer camps, exhibitions, theatre productions, musical numbers, Watertown Children’s Theater and so much more.”
Tia Tilson, Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation added, “An arts hub like The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a cultural crossroads that enriches our community and keeps people connected and engaged. It helps build understanding and empathy, while also serving as an educator and economic engine that supports our kids, local artists, and local business. Like other dedicated donors in Watertown, the Watertown Community Foundation cannot imagine the Watertown arts scene without the artistic inspiration and leadership of the Mosesian Center. That is why we made this significant leadership grant to meet this emergency. We hope it inspires giving from other supporters who value, as much as we do, what the Mosesian Center brings to our community.”
The MCA remains steadfastly committed to our mission of providing affordable access to the arts to our Watertown community and beyond. We continue to rely on the support of generous donors to fund the gap between the actual cost of programs and the reduced cost of registration fees. Find out how you can support the MCA at mosesianarts.org/give.
The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a performing and visual arts venue on the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. The 30,000 square foot facility, located in an historic 1894 manufacturing shop on a former U.S. Army Arsenal, houses a 339-seat main stage theater, a flexible black box theater, exhibition galleries, art classrooms, and a rehearsal studio. Programming includes professional and community theater and musical performances, comedy, gallery exhibitions, literary and art discussions, and performing and visual arts classes and workshops for all ages. The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, visit MosesianArts.org or call 617-923-0100.
Thanks to the Watertown Community Foundation for stepping up to help sustain this vital cultural asset. Many small to mid-sized cultural institutions are still struggling from the impacts of the pandemic. And the dedicated pandemic funding has dried up. This is true in markets large and small.
The demise of the New Rep and others should serve as a cautionary tale. As Joni Mitchell famously wrote, “You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.”