UPS Grant Will Transform Mother Brook Arts Performance Space
$25,000 donation will bring new performances to East Dedham facility
November 3, 2015 (Dedham, MA) – The Performance Center at Mother Brook Arts & Community Center (MBACC) will make a major leap forward, thanks to $25,000 from the UPS Foundation, MBACC Executive Director Jean Ford Webb announced today.
The grant will go toward purchasing full stage curtain sets, upgrading the audio capabilities and restoring the balcony space in what used to be the gymnasium of the former Avery School. These improvements will allow MBACC to host a broader array of performers and performances.
“Volunteers from UPS have already begun improving the sound and lighting systems and painting the performance space. This grant will go a long way in attracting accomplished performers and making the space useable for a wide variety of events,” said Ford Webb.
UPS founder Jim Casey established The UPS Foundation in 1951 with a mission to help build stronger and more resilient communities around the world. The grant request was made possible by Dedham resident and UPS employee Steve Boudette, who has been volunteering his expertise and coordinating a team of his UPS colleagues in jumpstarting renovations to the Performance Center.
“UPS supports a strong culture of volunteerism in the local community. The Northeast District Plant Engineering Department at UPS has been glad to volunteer its engineers, their time and their know-how to the MBACC,” said Boudette, Northeast District Project Engineer, Plant Engineering, at UPS.
In addition to UPS, Hyde Park-based Vic Firth has coordinated the donation of premier percussion equipment by the Drum Workshop (DW), Gretsch and Zildjian to establish a world class back line to attract the highest level traveling musicians. Vic Firth, Zildjian, DW, Gretsch manufacture some of the finest percussion equipment in the world.
Mother Brook Arts and Community Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit located in Dedham’s former Avery School. MBACC's mission is to build a vibrant and sustainable center that enriches the Dedham community and stimulates the revitalization and growth of the Mother Brook neighborhoods through the arts.
The Performance Center is just the most recent improvement to the building, which is now home to 30 resident artists as well as a robust schedule of classes, workshops and community events. Earlier this year, the building received new HVAC systems as well as new doors and a security system.
Future plans include a ceramics studio, restaurant, shop, and accessible paths leading from the building to the historic Mother Brook. For more information or to donate, visit www.motherbrookarts.org.
Photo caption: UPS' Steve Boudette presents MBACC Executive Director Jean Ford Webb with a $25,000 contribution to fund performance center renovations, while Sen. Mike Rush, Rep. Paul McMurtry and MBACC board members and resident artists look on.
