For the past year+, the Massachusetts Cultural Council has celebrated 40 Years of Fellowships, exploring the stories of some of the amazing artists the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has funded since 1975. We've assembled some highlights: The video features excerpts from our interviews with Melinda Lopez, Sean Greene, Carl Phillips, Lisa Nilsson, and Yary Livan. It … [Read more...]
Cambodian Master Potter Yary Livan: A Life Shaped by Clay
During the Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s, Yary Livan's training in traditional Cambodian ceramics put his life in dire peril. But later, it also saved him - and a centuries-old tradition found new roots in Lowell, Massachusetts. Video features music by past Music Composition Fellow Scott Wheeler Yary Livan's (Traditional Arts Fellow '12) story exemplifies how … [Read more...]
Laura Andel: Vivid Composition
When we first envisioned the Mass Cultural Council's 40 Years of Fellowships video project, we wanted a title sequence that captured the excellence and innovative spirit of Massachusetts artists. Once we heard Laura Andel's (Music Composition Fellow '99) song Sao Dao, we knew it was the song we wanted: vivid, textured, and brilliantly alive - perfect to accompany Basia … [Read more...]
40 Years of Music Composition
If you watch the Mass Cultural Council's 40 Years of Fellowships videos, which tell the stories of some of the incredible artists we've funded since 1975, the over-arching story (as we see it, anyway) is that when a community supports artists, the impact is wide-ranging and profound. But the project also tells a parallel story: each video features music by a past MCC Music … [Read more...]
Sean Greene: Painting and Dealing with It
Sean Greene's painting is driven by freedom, feeling, and, above all, exhilarating color. That's the case whether he's painting in his toothbrush-factory art studio, on the walls at Facebook's office, or propped up recovering from a life-altering skateboarding accident. He paints, and he deals with it. Video features music by past Music Composition Fellow Eric … [Read more...]