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We’re excited to share that Phil Cunningham is our Blue Ribbon Recipient of the Month. The Blue Ribbon recognizes a staff member, volunteer or intern who has demonstrated great dedication and outstanding performance at Arts at the Armory. 

Launching ROOTED has been a team effort but frankly there would be no ROOTED without Phil. Since the start of his volunteer service with Arts at the Armory, Phil has been with us at every turn of improving our financial processes, navigating the financial waters of COVID, and more. His work on the backend of our point of sale system for ROOTED has been indispensable. Thank you and congratulations Phil! 

Though Phil was born in NYC, Massachusetts has been home for most of his life. He moved to Cambridge about 5 years ago after working for Refugee NGO in the Middle East and East Africa. For the last 5 years he worked at Harvard in finance and is now doing some volunteer work as he looks for a new position.

What do you do at Arts at the Armory? I’m a Finance Volunteer.

Why do you volunteer at Arts at the Armory? Volunteering has always been a part of my life and Arts at the Armory was a great opportunity to use some of my skills to help out a local organization.

What do you like most about Arts at the Armory? I love organizations that create and foster opportunities for a community to come together.

What would you like our community to know about you? I’m currently looking for Financial Planning and Analysis position if you have any leads!

We’re excited to share that Shannon O’Malley is our Blue Ribbon Recipient of the Month! The Blue Ribbon recognizes a staff member, volunteer or intern who has demonstrated great dedication and outstanding performance at Arts at the Armory.

Shannon has demonstrated notable dedication and work ethic leading up to the launch of ROOTED and during our first weeks of being open. She has exhibited strong leadership as she continues to take on increased responsibility for managing staff, the kitchen, ordering and inventory. It is clear that she wants ROOTED to be the best it can possibly be while supporting our staff and our community.

Shannon grew up in a small farm town in Massachusetts, called Dunstable. After high school, she moved to Bridgewater, MA, to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in English at Bridgewater State University. She graduated from BSU in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in English and a minor in Psychology. Shortly after graduation, she relocated to Somerville, where she began working part-time at The Center for Arts at the Armory.

We had a chance to catch up with Shannon and ask her a few questions…

1. What do you do at Arts at the Armory?

I am the ROOTED Cafe Manager at Arts at the Armory.

2. How long have you worked at Arts at the Armory?

I am nearing the end of my fourth year working for Arts at the Armory. I started off as Cafe and Bar staff, and was promoted to Manager in November of 2020.

3. What’s your favorite thing about working here?

I love many aspects about working at Arts at the Armory; it’s hard to choose a favorite. The most rewarding aspect of working for a community arts center is the team driven effort that goes into each and every aspect of the Armory, whether it be a performance, circus act, or small scale comedy show. The people who work to achieve these goals range from volunteers, to board members, to upper management, to Cafe staff, to the very community we are working for and with. Each person, whether they have a large impact or small, all work together towards a common goal, and without every one of them the goal would not be met in the same stride.

4. What is something you would like our community to know about you?

One thing I would like our community to know about me is how much I have learned from working alongside them at the Armory. I feel so lucky to be able to learn about conspiracy theories from a live podcast as I am bartending, to learning to play the ukulele after working “Strummerville” every Tuesday night.