In June, The Center for Arts at the Armory was a fortunate recipient of an SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).
Earlier this summer, we were also grateful to receive a grant from the Cabot Family Charitable Trust to do capital enhancement planning in the Armory Performance Hall. The first two phases of this plan funded by the CFCT grant will include working closely with a consultant to map out a plan that will lay the groundwork through planning and feasibility studies for transforming the Armory Performance Hall in ways that will stabilize and strengthen our non-profit organization, and better serve artists, users of the hall, and community audiences. An important part of this process will include outreach and interviews with community members, and current and potential users of the Armory Performance Hall in order to inform planning.
And… for those of you who have supported and followed the soundproofing project in the Armory Performance Hall, we have exciting news… the project has been completed! Special thanks to the MA Cultural Council and to the generous individual donors who financed this project. Informal reports of sound levels audible outside of the Armory indicate a significant improvement as a result of the project. We look forward to sharing the results of our official assessment soon.
New Landlord
By now you have probably heard the news that we have a new landlord—the City of Somerville. On June 1, 2021, the City of Somerville took the historic Armory building from our former landlord, Highland Armory Realty Trust, by eminent domain. Currently, we have a Use and Occupancy Agreement with the City of Somerville that extends through the end of the year. We have been informed that the City is working on a long-term plan to permanently establish the Armory as a community resource for the arts.
“The City will be launching a public process to get community input on the future arts function of the building. We need to better understand how to maximize the venue for programming that support the arts, Somerville artists, and the public’s desire to engage with the arts,” stated Tom Galligani, City of Somerville Director of Economic Development, in a recent email to Armory tenants. Please stay tuned to learn more about how you can engage with this process.
It is the hope of Arts at the Armory leadership to secure a long-term lease with the City of Somerville, and to continue our mission to provide free and affordably-priced space for arts, cultural and community events, and thereby bring diverse audiences together, enrich and transform lives, and promote the creative economy.
Exhibition by Jaina Cipriano at ROOTED from August 29th to October 3rd
Jaina Cipriano (@jainasphotography) is a Boston-based artist working with photography, film, and installation. In 2020, she was a member of the New England Sculptors Association board and joined Washington Street Studios in Somerville, MA. She later applied to and now currently works at Western Ave Studios in Lowell, MA. This year, she served as a judge on the Arlington International Film Festival’s Student Program, and on the Film and Inter-Related Media Somerville Arts Council board, helping distribute thousands in funds to working artists.
About herself and her art, she says, “My work explores the emotional toll of religious and romantic entrapment through immersive sets and emotional performances that mirror the subconscious.”
Jaina’s work was recently published in GRLSQUASH, Gastronomica and The Boston Herald. In October 2020 she debuted her first short film, “You Don’t Have to Take Orders from The Moon,” a magical realism story about darkness inside and outside us. Her latest short “Trauma Bond”, based on a true story, will be released in 2022.
Learn more about Jaina through her website: jainaciprianophotography.com
(Photograph shown is “Heavy”, 2019 by Jaina Cipriano.)