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WelcomeGuide to the Arts in Franklin
GUIDE TO THE ARTS IN FRANKLIN This guide is a listing of cultural activities and non-profit organizations in the town of Franklin. It has been compiled by the Franklin Cultural Council, with plans for annual updates. For additional information on any of these organizations, we have included a contact person or address for each, and in some instances, more information is available by clicking on the blue, italicized text. For information on inclusion in this guide, please write to: Chairperson First edition --November 1998 Franklin Cultural Council The Franklin Cultural Council (FCC) is an all-volunteer organization consisting of Franklin residents who are interested in working for the furtherance of cultural activities in and around Franklin. The FCC re-grants money received from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is the state governing agency for distribution of funds for the arts appropriated by the state legislature (formerly from state lottery sales). Funds received from the state are used to support programs in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences. The FCC augments the annual amount received from the MCC with a generous grant from the Town of Franklin. The FCC then re-grants the funds for many diverse activities, such as Concerts on the Common, the Arts Extravaganza at the Franklin Public Library, and various events at Franklin’s public schools. Funding priorities include grants for local artists and activities of benefit primarily to Franklin residents. Meetings are held one Monday a month at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Meetings dates are posted at the muncipal building. Members are appointed by the Town Council and serve for a term of three years. Members may serve for not more than two consecutive terms. The purpose of the Franklin Art Association is to promote the visual arts: to preserve the finest artistic traditions by means of exhibiting works, conducting classes, lectures, and sponsoring other activities favorable to artistic expression; and to provide for friendly exchanges among artists and those interest in the arts.
In addition to its educational programs and exhibit schedule, the Franklin Art Association awards a scholarship to a deserving high school senior who has chosen to pursue an education in the visual arts.
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of September through June at 6:30 pm at the Franklin Senior Center, 80 West Central Street (route 140
South), Franklin, MA.
Please visit the Franklin Art Association on the website at www.franklinart.org for more information. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Contact: Franklin Art Association Concerts on the Common Every summer since 1981, Franklin hosts a series of six or seven concerts on the town common, performed by area bands and orchestras. The concerts are organized by the all-volunteer Concerts on the Common Committee which meets once a month, March through August. Meetings are held at the town hall or occasionally in private homes and are open to the public. Meeting time varies. Concerts on the Common are funded by private donations, raffles, and grants from the Franklin Cultural Council. The family-oriented concerts frequently begin with a performance of particular interest to children, such as a story-teller or juggler. Contact: Barbara Rondeau The Franklin Garden Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at 7:00 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 237 Pleasant St, Franklin. Meetings include lectures and hands-on workshops. The group maintains the garden on the town common, provides a scholarship to a Franklin student, and gives tree seedlings to every first grader in Franklin. Membership is open to anyone interested in gardening. Dues are $30 per year and the guest fee is $5 per session. Contact: Deb DeGrazia, President Dean College is a private residential college with several majors emphasizing dance, theatre and the performing arts. There are many performances throughout the year, including theatre productions, dance performances, lectures and demonstrations featuring students, faculty and other artists. The events calendar is listed both on the College's website: [ http://www.dean.edu ] and on the Franklin Town website. Many programs are free. For more information, please contact Dean's office of Public Relations at 508-541-1668. For more information about theatre and dance productions or to secure tickets, please contact the Dean College Center for the Performing Arts at 508-541-1606. Franklin Performing Arts Company The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of the performing arts, with a commitment to youth development. Founded in 1991, FPAC offers opportunities for students of the arts and other amateurs to work with professional artists in presenting theatrical productions. The FPAC administrative office and box office are located at the Franklin Performing Arts Company with long range plans to seek a permanent home and theatrical facility for the company. FPAC serves thirty communities in the Metro West suburban area. Contact: Raye-Lynn Mercer The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, sponsored by the First Contact: Jake Jacobson
LiveArts Partially funded by the Franklin Cultural Council in
2005-2006, LiveARTS' Franklin Historical Commission The Franklin Historical Commission, dedicated to researching and preserving Franklin history, operates under state guidelines and is funded through the town of Franklin. Commission meetings are open to the public and are held in the municipal building on the third Tuesday of the month. The Commission operates and maintains the Horace Mann Museum on Washington Street, Franklin, relying entirely on donations for its contents. Once a Congregational Church, the museum is open to the public from Memorial day through September every Sunday afternoon from 1:30 to 5:30 and is hosted by volunteers. Admission is free. Current exhibits include a display case on the red brick school, one on Franklin’s churches, one on medical doctors, another on old tools, and two on miscellaneous items. There is also a large collection of pictures and articles pertaining to the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. The upright piano, on display in the pulpit area of the converted church, was made in the town of Franklin in the nineteenth century. In addition to maintaining the museum, the Historical Commission keeps a listing of 300 historical properties in Franklin and can do research of town history. They are also the custodians of the Chilson films (as shown on cable TV), which are pictures of Franklin taken in the late 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Contact: Del Arnold - Chairperson Franklin Historical Society The Historical Society, a group dedicated to local historical preservation, currently consists of approximately fifteen members. Meetings are held at the Oliver Pond House on Route 140 at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month, except in July, August, December, and January. Anyone with similar interests is welcome to join. Contact: James Johnston, Jr. Family Concert Series Three concerts take place on Sunday afternoon plus one "special event" in the evening. The concerts, performed by a small group of musicians, are designed to appeal to the entire family. They are sponsored by local business and are also supported in part by the Franklin Performing Arts Company and Berry Insurance. Admission to the concerts is free. Contact: Franklin Performing Arts Company Friends of Franklin Library Association This association is an advocacy support group for the Franklin Public Library. They underwrite activities not provided for in the library budget, such as a children’s summer reading program, passes to Boston’s museums, purchases of special books and equipment, and community programming. In the summer of 1998 they provided the funding for hands-on programs for children at the library, using local people who have a special talent to pass on to Franklin children. The Friends also sponsor a book discussion group and the literacy program. Funds are raised through membership fees, donations, and used book sales in spring and fall. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month, except July and August, at 7:00 p.m. in the library. Contact: Rebecca Cole-Maselli Summer Reading Program Every summer, the Franklin Public Library hosts a summer arts program for children, the Arts Extravaganza. Events are selected by the Children’s Librarian from a variety of sources (a state publication, flyers, librarians’ meetings, entertainment showcases, artists’ agencies) and includes family-oriented activities recommended for children ages 5 and above. The goal of the program is to bring the arts alive to children in a variety of formats. Four or five diverse activities are presented each summer in the library’s meeting room and include such artists as puppeteers, story-tellers, musicians, and theater groups. Funding for the Extravaganza comes primarily from the Franklin Cultural Council and the Friends of the Franklin Library. Contact: Janice Roddy, Children’s Librarian Busy Bee Club The Busy Bees meet every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 9:30 AM at the Senior Center to participate in the production of arts and crafts. The group provides fund raising activities, including an annual Christmas bazaar, the proceeds of which go to the Council on Aging. Funds raised are used to promote activities and services of benefit to the elders of Franklin. Contact: Fourth of July Celebration The Franklin Fourth of July Committee, which coordinates all the activities associated with Franklin’s celebration of Independence Day, is funded by citizen donations (the 4th of July button), assistance from local businesses and fraternal organizations, and by two or three fund-raiser events throughout the year. Each year, the celebration includes a parade along a one-mile route, band concerts on the bandstand, a chicken barbecue, a children’s parade, and a fireworks display on the high-school grounds. On the town common, a midway of rides and games is set up for the four days of celebration as well as booths for Franklin’s schools, churches, civic, and other non-profit organizations. Added to these festivities each year are various family-oriented entertainment, such as puppet shows and story-tellers. The committee meets on an irregular basis wherever it is most convenient. Membership on the committee is open to any Franklin citizen who would like to help. Contact: Debbie Pellegri The Franklin Senior Center, funded through the Town of Franklin, is available to those ages 60 and over and disabled individuals. The Center at 10 Daniel McCahill Street is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Its services include a variety of activities related to health, education, transportation, nutrition, recreation, and the arts. Programs in the arts include oil and watercolor painting classes on Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and Monday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. The Busy Bee Crafts Club meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The Center also hosts presentations by a variety of performance artists who have been funded by the Franklin Cultural Council. Contact: Karen Alves |
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