Terry DeLancey, the Executive Director of the Agassiz Baldwin Community (ABC), recently received some good news. The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) has awarded DeLancey’s agency $2,500 in the Peers Category of the Cultural Investment Portfolio to support the work of Maud Morgan Arts, a program of ABC.

Since state grants are awarded through a competitive process, this award signifies that ABC provides a high level of service to community members through its programs. According to the award letter, “MCC staff and panelists were impressed by the innovative work [ABC is] doing to increase public value for the citizens of Massachusetts.” DeLancey calls this award “an honor.”

“All the faculty at Maud Morgan Arts are artists in their own right,” says DeLancey. “The students receive a first-rate arts experience with extended classes in studios that are specific for the medium. This grant gives us the opportunity to serve more students.”

The MCC’s mission is to promote excellence, education, access and diversity in the arts, humanities and sciences in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and to contribute to the economic vitality of our communities. The MCC has a budget of $11.2 million, including an appropriation of $9.5 million from the state of Massachusetts and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. Its funds reach every community in Massachusetts. The not-for-profit cultural industry has a $4.2 billion economic impact in the state.

Maud Morgan Arts comprises a full arts program of classes and workshops for all ages, the Chandler Gallery, and a collection of original art by noted artist and community resident Maud Morgan (1903-1999). The agency works to reflect the diversity and talents of the community, bringing people together to make art, share art, and support visual arts education. The Agassiz Baldwin Community is a private, non-profit organization with a forty-year history of quality programs and services in the Cambridge community.