Arts Foundation Awards Over $116,000 to 32 Creative Projects on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard
July 14, 2026 (Cape Cod, MA) – Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Many can be found here in our communities. And later this year, students at the Marguerite E. Small Elementary School in West Yarmouth, will contemplate a hero in their lives and compose a poem about that person.
It’s a project that artist and educator Mary E. Cronin of Harwich, author of Trucks, Boots, and Bells: Firehouse Poems which will be released in October, will undertake thanks to a $4,000 grant from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod.
“I grew up in a family of first responders where my dad was a firefighter so I was immersed in a culture where his livelihood was serving the community,” Cronin said. “I chose to focus this project on a small school in West Yarmouth. I know a lot of the families there are immigrant families and a lot of them work in service-providing occupations. I want to use that specific theme of helpers and heroes because I feel like all children could see themselves and their families in that mode of being a helper and a hero in their community.”
Cronin, who enjoyed a 30-year career in education that included the last four years as a literacy coach at the Marguerite E. Small Elementary School, retired in June 2025. She is now focusing her work on writing — her second picture book, Like a Mother Bear, will be published in spring 2027 — and leading poetry workshops at schools across Cape Cod as well as in the Bronx, New York, where she grew up.
“I am really, really delighted,” Cronin said of being a recipient of the grant, which will allow her to spend a week with elementary school students guiding them through an exercise in writing about real people impacting their lives. “It’s truly a joy to be able to bring a spark to students and watch them take off and run with it.”
Not far from where Cronin’s project will take place, Thacher Hall in Yarmouth Port will use a $2,500 grant from the Arts Foundation to offer 4-5 free movement workshops and two affordable dance performances led by Movimento, a Brazilian dance troupe that blends movement, acrobatics, and music with modern dance.
Movimento will be leading free dance and movement classes at Thacher Hall thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Arts Foundation.
“We’ve been wanting to add another component because their performances at Thacher Hall have usually sold out,” said the nonprofit’s Board President Susan Moeller. “We would not be able to do the workshops without this grant. We have done performances with them in the past and can manage that, but this grant really helps subsidize the workshops so we can pay the dance instructors for their time.”
Through this grant, she said, Thacher Hall is able to continue to place an emphasis on “making the arts as accessible to as many people as possible. We want the community to be able to use it and for this to be an accessible and affordable space for the arts.”
These are two of the 32 projects the Arts Foundation is funding as part of its latest round of grants, totaling $116,270. Of the projects, 9 have been awarded to artists and the remaining 23 have been awarded to organizations.
“We continue to be impressed by the quality of projects that use the arts as a catalyst for addressing important issues locally and beyond; expanding access to creativity; serving as a tool for connection; and offering a pathway to health and wellness,” said Arts Foundation Executive Director Julie Wake. “The Cape is fortunate to have so many artists and organizations that not only value the arts, but understand how they can make a difference in our community. We’re proud to be able to support these efforts.”
Along with Cronin’s project, the following artists are receiving grants from the Arts Foundation:
Filipe Borges of Brewster ($3,000) — A multimedia exhibition (documentary photography, painting, video, sound, written history, and live performance) focused on Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage.
Jo Hay of Provincetown ($10,000) — “Critical,” a series of large-scale portrait paintings of historically important Black Americans that will be exhibited at Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) during the summer of 2027.
Kim Moberg of Centerville ($2,000) — “Music that Moves the Needle,” a series of 6 free performances on Cape Cod that feature famous songs of protest, resistance, and love along with original songs by Moberg.
Amanda Newcomb of Eastham ($5,000) — After Hours Art Club, a free, drop-in creative studio at The 204 Cultural Arts Municipal Building in Harwich. The club is for teens and provides access to materials, mentorship, and real-world opportunities to explore art, design, and entrepreneurship in a safe, low-pressure environment.
Elizabeth Schultze of East Orleans ($2,000) — “Nevermore,” the opening performance of Giocosa Chamber Music’s upcoming season, which kicks off in September and runs through May 2027 and which will focus on highlighting women and minority composers.
Dorothy Skelley of West Barnstable ($3,800) — A biography of Dolores DaLuz, a Cape Cod civil rights leader, performer, poet, and community advocate.
Gin Stone of Harwich ($5,000) — “Deposits,” a geologic symphony that translates geological core sample data into a virtual sound installation and visual artwork.
Maria Zervos Burdick of Wellfleet ($2,400) — “Wandering Dunes,” a video project that explores the ecological history and ongoing geomorphic transformation of the dune systems within the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Along with Thacher Hall’s project, the following organizations are receiving grants from the Arts Foundation:
Cahoon Museum of American Art ($5,000) — The transformation of an underutilized outdoor area into a vibrant, accessible community arts garden that integrates public art by a selected local artist with nature, gathering spaces, and creative placemaking.
Cape Cinema in Dennis ($1,000) — The Reel Art Series, a showcase of local artist documentaries, films, and projects.
Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in Osterville ($2,500) — A free community concert on Monday, August 3rd at The Federated Church of Hyannis featuring Grammy Award-winning quintet Imani Winds.
Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra in Chatham ($1,500) — “Americana,’ a free, nonticketed open-air concert, featuring American-themed music at the Chatham Bandstand in Kate Gould Park in Chatham on July 13, 2026.
Cape Cod Village Center for Disabilities in Orleans ($5,770) — Adults with autism and developmental disabilities will participate in a series of workshops using eco-friendly materials to create artwork that will be exhibited at the center’s Spring Eco-Art Festival in April 2027.
Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Jr. Theatre ($3,000) — An apprenticeship program in which youth and young adults will receive mentorship in the various fields of production (directing, stage managing, costume designing, set designing, and more) for two outdoor productions of Shakespeare this August.
Chilmark Community Center ($5,000) — An Artist in Residency program which will bring D. Farai Williams, a nationally-recognized artist, Broadway performer, certified somatic coach, and cultural organizer, to Chilmark where she will spend four weeks expanding access to the arts for people facing barriers that include cost and geographic isolation. The program is focused on engaging youth and families in artistic experiences.
College Light Opera Company in Falmouth ($3,500) — A series of free community performances held in July and August 2026.
Eddy Elementary School in Brewster ($1,000) — A mobile sensory art studio for Eddy’s SAIL classroom, which serves students with learning, communication, developmental, and sensory needs. Over the course of the next school year, visiting artists will lead lessons using the art studio.
Falmouth Chamber Players ($6,500) — An interactive concert for fourth grade students in the Falmouth Public School system to make classical music more engaging for the next generation.
Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich ($2,500) — Wampanoag Heritage Day Event, scheduled for Saturday, August 15th (rain date: Saturday, August 22nd) that will feature live performances by the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, exhibits, and innovative arts experiences.
Monomoy Regional High School ($8,000) — Continued support of the SparkRoom, a hands-on makerspace in which students learn practical skills and lessons from working artists in art, design, photography, fabrication, and textiles.
Nutahkeemun Artist Collective in Mashpee ($2,500) — “Writing Liberation,” a series of public readings and the publication of a chapbook bringing authentic Wampanoag stories to audiences on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Boston.
Provincetown Commons ($9,320) — A public art project in which local artists will be paired with students at Provincetown International Baccalaureate Schools to create a mural celebrating Provincetown’s 300th anniversary in 2027. The project, led by artist Esteban del Valle, will be unveiled in the spring of 2027 and installed on the exterior of the school.
Provincetown Theater Foundation ($3,000) — Act III Seniors’ Theatre Group, a free theatre program for adults over 60 years of age on the Outer Cape.
The Cape School of Art in Provincetown ($1,480) — The purchase of 10 easels for the North Light Studio in Provincetown, which offers studio space to local artists, free of charge, during the offseason.
Transom Story Lab in Woods Hole ($3,500) — Transom 25 Festival, a three-day festival taking place from September 17-19, 2026, in Woods Hole, that will celebrate 25 years of the Transom Story Lab with workshops, keynote speeches, community presentations, and more.
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill ($3,000) — The 20th Annual Provincetown Dance Festival, which is set to take place August 21-22, 2026, bringing over 70 artists and companies to the Outer Cape.
Truro Playwright Collective ($2,000) — A series of free staged readings of original works, created by Cape playwrights, held from October 2026 through April 2027 at the Truro Public Library.
Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District ($3,000) — Now in its ninth year, First Friday Vineyard Haven offers free, inclusive, and community-centered arts experiences on a monthly basis, starting in June and running through December.
Whelden Memorial Library in West Barnstable ($2,500) — The inaugural West Barnstable Book Fair and Literary Series, a year-long literary arts initiative centered around local authors, readers, writers, and community storytelling.
Woods Hole Film Festival ($1,000) — A guided, curated, and educational festival experience for young adults (18-24) to give them an opportunity to attend screenings, panels, and workshops.
The Arts Foundation received a total of 72 applications seeking $418,000 in funding for creative projects across the region.
The Arts Foundation started awarding grants in 1989, two years after it was founded. The program has grown significantly under Wake’s tenure; when she first started at the Arts Foundation in 2015, it distributed $15,000 in grants. Last year, it distributed nearly $175,000 in grants to 53 recipients. This included $66,742 in funding this past January, and another $107,130 last June,
Since 2020, the Arts Foundation has invested over $946,000 in the arts sector.
The Arts Foundation’s annual grant giving is made possible through support from William Raveis Real Estate, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, South Shore Playhouse Associates, Cape & Coast Bank, Coca Cola Bottling Co. of Cape Cod, Joseph Carr, Josh Cellars, the Arts Foundation’s Patron Program, and the Arts Foundation’s Gala supporters.