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The following was submitted by the Winchester Cultural Council:
The Winchester Cultural Council has awarded $14,625 in grants to 21 individuals and organizations, as part of its annual grants program for supporting arts and culture in town.
The annual program receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and is also supported by an important contribution from the town of Winchester.
This year’s grants include support for Winchester Porchfest, the town-wide celebration of performances of all varieties; for outdoor performances at the Griffin Museum terrace, among them a special AfroCaribe Fest day in July; for events at Wright-Locke Farm, including ecologically oriented interactive dance performances, a special appearance by the Sheffield Chamber Players, a family-friendly puppet show by a local troupe, and a celebration of the Indian “Festival of Colors,” Holi, in the spring; as well as Winchester’s annual Chinese New Year Celebration, and International Day at the Farmers’ Market in October.
A grant to the Just A Minute Festival supports that online celebration of short homemade videos, which is organized by Winchester residents and attracts entries from around the world.
The Griffin Museum of Photography received three grants, including support for their “Vision(ary)” outdoor photography exhibition throughout the downtown area, which will again include photos of our town by Winchester residents, as well as, this year, a special educational program for local photographers.
The museum will also present a workshop with Kiyomi Yatsuhashi where community members create cyanotype-based flags for a summer outdoor exhibition.
Grants to Arts Winchester, Inc., for the Winchester Cultural District support the continuation of the sculpture exhibition on the Riverwalk and the creation of a unique mural at the Jenks Center parking lot near Town Hall.
Grant funding was also provided for events at the Jenks Center, a program on Artful Aging at the Winchester Housing Authority, Pop-Up art classes for youth and adults at the Winchester Library, and a “Pajama Jam” series of music and play for young children.
A grant to the Winchester Historical Society will help make their historical collections more accessible to all.
The Winchester Cultural Council is a town agency, whose all-volunteer members are appointed by the Select Board. It is one of 329 local Cultural Councils in Massachusetts, part of the largest grassroots arts support network in the U.S.
Thanks to town support, the WCC also conducts a year-round microgrants program that offers up to $300 to Winchester residents and organizations for cultural projects benefitting the public, and is the principal supporter of Winchester Open Studios in November. Other WCC activities include an annual utility box decoration program and the summer arts festivals Art in August and Art in the Park.
The following is a detailed list of this year’s grants in chronological order, as appropriate:
List of Winchester Cultural Council Grants for 2026
The Merry Adventures of Little Robin Riding Hood (Jan. 3 & 4, 2026)
For family puppet show at Wright-Locke Farm by Woodward Family Puppeteers, accompanied by a live acoustic band. The show is a mashup of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood, set to the music of the 1973 Disney production of Robin Hood.
Echoes of the Dream: Voices for Community and Connection (January 2026)
For an intergenerational community event to honor Martin Luther King conducted by the Net- work for Social Justice at Winchester High School and open to all. The event will incorporate music, art, and student performances, and will feature poet jamele adams, the Director of Love, Inclusion and Trust for the Scituate Public Schools.
Chinese New Year celebration (Feb. 8, 2026)
For an annual community festival held at Winchester High School, which drew more than 600 attendees last year. Open to everyone, it has been organized and hosted for nearly 20 years by Winchester School of Chinese Culture, and now by Renaissance Chinese Culture Association.
Sheffield Chamber Players at Wright Locke Farm (February 2026)
For a performance by an acclaimed string quartet that includes the world premiere of “Never- lands” by Iranian American composer Kian Ravaei, Mozart’s “Dissonance” Quartet, and the arrestingly beautiful “Lamento della Nina”, from Pulitzer Prize finalist Lei Liang.
Liquid Spine Eco-Dance Performance (March 8 and May 10, 2026)
To support performances of BYCATCH, part of a dance series emphasizing the importance of symbiosis between human beings and the natural world. Led by Katie Pustizzi in collaboration with Enchanted Dance Academy, the event will immerse the community in eco-dance narratives through a hopeful, action-oriented lens. Opportunities for conversations with the artists and the public are part of each performance.
Wright-Locke Farm Holi Celebration (Spring 2026)
To support a family-friendly celebration at Wright-Locke Farm of the Indian holiday Holi, called the “Festival of Colors.” The event includes cultural activities such as traditional Indian dance, henna artists and a traditional Indian artist demonstrating their work, and snack boxes with festive treats. It will culminate in a joyful Gulal color throw for all attendees.
Music Creating Styles Through the Years (Spring 2026)
For a concert by the Boston Saxophone Quartet appealing to young and old, including musical styles such as pop, swing, classical, movie themes, musical theater, jazz and ragtime.
Griffin Terrace Series (May to October 2026)
To support an outdoor summer concert series at the Griffin Museum of Photography produced by Arts Winchester, the Winchester Cultural District. In the past four years, the series has included music, cultural performances, drama, poetry, and theatre, adding to the vibrancy of the District and drawing visitors to our downtown business district.
Winchester Porchfest (June 13, 2026)
Porchfest is a unique, volunteer-organized, one-day community-building music festival where Winchester residents lend their porches as pop-up micro-stages to amateur musicians, who showcase their musical talent to neighbors, other community members, and outside visitors.
Honoring our Elders (June to September 2026)
For a community workshop by Winchester artist Kiyomi Yatsuhashi where participants will use cyanotype to create fabric flags honoring elders, past and present, through images, symbols, and words, to be hung in the trees at the Griffin Museum of Photography. Those personal tributes will become part of a collective outdoor installation at the museum.
Vision(ary) Our Town (June to September 2026)
To support the Griffin Museum of Photography’s outdoor exhibition, now in its fourth year, celebrating Winchester in photographs of town residents. Anyone may enter; selected submissions are printed on freestanding cubes on Winchester’s Town Common as part of the Griffin’s public art project, “Vision(ary).” This year, the exhibition includes free docent talks, photo walks and workshops on photography for residents who want to grow as photographers.
Our Town | Walk with Us! (Spring 2026)
For a six-week community photography program led by a local professional photographer that includes themed photo walk days across town, emphasizing creative exploration, storytelling, and visual documentation. Participants will learn new techniques, connect with neighbors, and contribute images to a culminating public exhibition.
AfroCaribe Fest (July 2026)
For a vibrant family-friendly celebration honoring the rich cultural traditions of the African, Caribbean, and Latin diasporas through music, storytelling, art, and food. The festival features the professional neo-Reggae group “Dis-N-Dat” Band, a dynamic community steel pan ensemble, and traditional African drumming, as well as storytelling sessions of tales and history from the African and Caribbean worlds, interactive art-making activities, and local food trucks serving Afro-Caribbean and Latin-inspired cuisine.
Pop Up Art School Class Series (July to October 2026)
For a series of hands-on art classes at the Winchester Public Library for teens (age 13+) and adults. Classes will cover watercolor painting, needle felting, acrylic painting, and Mexican tin art (hojalata), and attendees will leave each class with a finished project in hand.
Utility Box Mural Project (September 2026)
Arts Winchester (AWI) will identify and commission an accomplished artist to design and create a mural on the large utility boxes located in a prominent position at the Jenks Center parking lot across from Town Hall. The project will include community input and incorporate themes related to the Winchester Riverwalk of arts, nature, and community.
Winchester Riverwalk Sculpture Sponsorship (October 2026)
To support continuation of the outdoor sculpture exhibitions along the Riverwalk in the Winchester Cultural District. In October 2026, three of the six current sculpture leases will expire, and additional funding is needed to maintain the exhibition
International Day at the Winchester Farmers Market (Oct. 10, 2026)
To support an annual celebration on the Common of the international cultures represented in Winchester and the surrounding region, including performances of dance, music and arts as well as tables with demonstrations and further information.
Artful Aging: Creative Connections Through Hands-On Workshops (monthly)
To support a series of workshops bringing high quality, hands-on art experiences directly to older adults at Winchester Housing Authority sites. Each 90-minute session engages about 20 participants in accessible, inspiring projects such as collage, jewelry making, painting, and mixed media.
Pajama Jam Family Music Series (throughout the year)
Open to all, the Pajama Jam Family Music Series at the First Baptist Church brings families with young children (up to age 6) together for a joyful, interactive experience that includes live music, dancing, and hands-on instrument play.
The Just A Minute Festival (ongoing)
The Just A Minute Festival is an online film festival dedicated to the art of the micro-film productions one minute or less in total running time. It encourages people of all ages and abilities to use their devices to make short videos that tell stories, promote causes, stimulate laughter or create art. Entries stream on the site and will be shown on WinCAM.
WHS Collections Online (ongoing)
To give the public access to the online catalog of the Winchester Historical Society collections held in the Sanborn House. The objects, collected since 1889, have been cataloged and photographed by Curator of Collections Nancy Schrock, assisted by interns from Winchester High School, UMass Lowell, and Tufts.
