Ventfort Hall Receives Grant from Mass Cultural Council

Print Story | Email Story
LENOX, Mass — Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum has received a grant of $15,300 from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, through its Operating Grants for Organizations Program.
 
Operating Grants for Organizations will provide multi-year, unrestricted operating grants to nonprofit organizations that enrich Massachusetts' cultural life. These grants will work to strengthen a cultural sector that generates an economic impact of $28.6 billion, employs some 134,000 people, and constitutes 4.1 percent of the state economy.
 
"I am thrilled to see Ventfort Hall receive this well-deserved grant from the Mass Cultural Council," Former State Representative Smitty Pignatelli said. "As a treasured historic site, Ventfort Hall plays a vital role in educating our community, preserving our local heritage, and enriching our cultural landscape. This funding will provide critical support for their ongoing efforts to engage and inspire visitors, ensuring that future generations can experience the beauty and history of this remarkable landmark."
 
For this fiscal year, Mass Cultural Council has adopted a $34 million spending plan, allowing the Agency to award at least 2,500 grants totaling approximately $38 million to the Commonwealth's creative and cultural sector. This is funded primarily through public dollars, including the Agency's $26.7 million state budget appropriation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The agency also runs the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.
 
"We are deeply honored to receive this generous grant from the Mass Cultural Council, which recognizes our ongoing efforts to preserve Ventfort Hall and the vibrant history it represents," Executive Director for Ventfort Hall, Wendy Healey, said. "This support is vital to our mission, which goes beyond restoring this magnificent Jacobean Revival Gilded Age mansion. It allows us to celebrate and honor the diverse individuals and eras whose stories are intertwined with this remarkable place. Thanks to the visionary generosity of organizations like the MCC, we are able to continue writing a new chapter in Ventfort Hall's legacy, ensuring that this once-exclusive Lenox "cottage" remains accessible and welcoming to all."  
 
For this fiscal year, Mass Cultural Council has adopted a $34 million spending plan, allowing the Agency to award at least 2,500 grants totaling approximately $38 million to the Commonwealth's creative and cultural sector. This is funded primarily through public dollars, including the Agency's $26.7 million state budget appropriation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The agency also runs the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.
 
 
 

Tags: Ventfort Hall,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Ventfort Hall: Making New England Movies

LENOX, Mass. — Jay Craven, American film director, screenwriter, and former film professor at Marlboro College, will present his talk "New England Movies: How and Why" on Sunday, March 1 at Ventfort Hall at 3:30 pm. 
 
Craven will tell the story of his adventures and experiences, developing a sustained filmmaking career in the unlikely settings of Vermont and Massachusetts. A tea will follow his presentation.
 
He will describe working with a wide range of actors, including Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Kris Kristofferson, Martin Sheen, Ernie Hudson, and Michael J. Fox.  He'll share the satisfactions and challenges that come from immersion into place-based narrative filmmaking. 
 
According to a press release:
 
Craven's work grew out of years of working as a teacher and arts activist whose mission has been the advancement of community and culture in the region.  For four decades he has written, produced, and directed character-driven films deeply rooted in Vermont and New England, including five "Vermont Westerns" based on the works of award-winning Northeast Kingdom writer, Howard Frank Mosher. His latest film, Lost Nation, digs into the parallel Revolutionary War era stories of Ethan Allen and the pioneering Black Guilford poet, Lucy Terry Prince.  His other films have adapted stories by Jack London, Guy du Maupassant, George Bernard Shaw, Craig Nova and, currently, Henrik Ibsen and Dashiell Hammett. Craven also made the regional Emmy-winning comedy series, Windy Acres, for public television and seven documentaries.
 
Craven's films have played festivals and special screenings including Sundance, South by Southwest, The American Film Institute, Lincoln Center, Cinematheque Francaise, the Constitutional Court of Johannesburg, and Cinemateca Nacional de Venezuela. Awards include the Vermont Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Producer's Guild of America's NOVA Award, and the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces program. His film Where the Rivers Flow North was a named finalist for Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival.
 
Tickets are $45. Members receive $5 off with their discount code. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call (413) 637-3206. All tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker St. in Lenox.
View Full Story

More Lenox Stories