Seven new members appointed to Boston Cultural Council

Building on his commitment to creating accessible art for all Bostonians, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture today announced seven new members have been appointed to the  Boston Cultural Council. The new members include Hanah Fadrigalan, Marie Fukuda, Ana Guigui, Pat McSweeney, Ahn Nguyen, Kathyrn Niforos and Norris Welch.

"Each of these new members are active in the Boston arts community and will be great additions to the Boston Cultural Council," said Mayor Walsh. "I look forward to seeing how each one will bring their creative perspective to the Council to support the arts in our City."

The Boston Cultural Council (BCC), under the umbrella of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, annually distributes funds allocated by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, to support innovative arts, humanities and interpretive sciences programming that enhances the quality of life in Boston. The BCC makes grants to organizations and individual artists.

The council members are all Boston residents appointed by Mayor Walsh for up to two consecutive three year terms. Council members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated commitment to Boston's cultural community and their knowledge of various arts disciplines.

In February, Mayor Walsh announced that 173 Boston organizations and projects received 2017 Boston Cultural Council organizational grants totaling $462,250 based on their potential to enhance the quality of life, the economy and the design of the City of Boston, in addition to advancing the goals of the Boston Creates Cultural Plan.

"The Boston Cultural Council advises the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture on how to best support the cultural community through grant opportunities," said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. "Each of these new members brings a unique perspective to the mix, will be a great asset to the council."

The new members are:

• Hanah Fadrigalan is the Creative Services Promotions Coordinator for WHDH-TV and CW56. Fadrigalan served on the Leadership Council for Boston Creates, the cultural planning process for the City of Boston. Fadrigalan is a resident of West Roxbury.
• Marie Fukuda is a 30-year Boston resident and arts advocate. A classically trained musician at The Boston Conservatory, Fukuda was raised in Tokyo, Japan by an art teacher mother who instilled an appreciation for visual arts. Fukuda enjoys facilitating projects that improve quality of life for Boston residents and is excited to support the work of the Boston Cultural Council. Fukuda is a resident of the Fenway neighborhood.
• Ana Guigui is a resident of Brighton and is an Associate Professor of Voice at the Berklee College of Music. Guigui is a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and performed as a featured artist with the Metrowest Symphony Orchestra and the Pasadena Symphony in California. She is a co-founder of Opera On Tap L.A., which brings opera into alternative venues, and the creator, founder, and national artistic director of Opera On Tap Latino, whose mission is to perform, preserve, revive, and create new classical Spanish language vocal repertoire in alternative venues in order to educate audiences, nationally and internationally.
• Pat McSweeney has devoted her time to the arts and volunteer work with nonprofits in the Boston area since ending her 30 year career in corporate human resources. She is also a fiber artist who creates wearable art from handmade felt and shibori-dyed silk and linen at her studio in Charlestown. McSweeney served as a member of the Charlestown Boston Creates neighborhood team. McSweeney lives in Charlestown with her partner.
• Ahn Nguyen is the Executive Director of Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets, helping to revitalize the small business community. Over the years, Nguyen has worked in advertising, solar manufacturing and as a restaurant owner. Nguyen resides in the Leather District of Boston with her family.
• Kathyrn Niforos works in Reputational Capital at Abt Associates in Cambridge, MA. Her lifelong relationship with the arts began with training in classical ballet and as an oboist. She participated in many performance opportunities with community dance companies and orchestras. She continues to study ballet through adult programs at Boston Ballet and the many other varied offerings around the city. Niforos resides in Jamaica Plain with her husband.
• Norris Welch has lived in Boston since 1964, but has had music in his blood all his life. He is a long-time member of Union United Methodist Church in Boston's South End where he sings with The Union Ensemble and the Men's Choir. He has been a member and business manager of the New England Gospel Ensemble (1982), Boston Community Choir (1992) and Joyful Voices of Inspiration. (2000) where he handles all the business matters of bookings/scheduling, choir calendar coordination, and site-visits when needed. Welch lives in Hyde Park.

The new members join eight individuals currently serving on the Boston Cultural Council.  A full list of members can be found online.

"I see some real opportunities to generate more interest for the Cultural Council in Boston," said Hanah Fadrigalan, one of the newly appointed members of the Boston Cultural Council. "We have a wealth of arts in the Boston community and I look forward to making the most with what we have and getting word out to the public about our offerings."

Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC)

The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture's mission is to support artists, the cultural sector, and to promote access to the arts for all. The office houses the Boston Cultural Council, the Boston Art Commission, and the Poet Laureate program. Responsibilities include leading up the City's Cultural Plan, Boston Creates; managing the Boston Artist-in-Residence program (BostonAIR); curating exhibitions in City Hall; and operating the historic Strand Theater in Dorchester.  For more information go to: boston.gov/arts

About the Boston Cultural Council (BCC)
The Boston Cultural Council, under the umbrella of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, annually distributes funds allocated by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, to support innovative arts, humanities and interpretive sciences programming that enhances the quality of life in our city. For more information, please visit bostonculturalcouncil.com/

About the Boston Creates Cultural Plan

The cultural plan was created out of a year-long community engagement effort designed to help local government identify cultural needs, opportunities, and resources and to prioritize, coordinate, and align public and private resources to strengthen Boston's cultural vitality over the long term. The full cultural plan can be found online at plan.bostoncreates.org.