We’re headed to the State House today to celebrate Plymouth’s Commonwealth Award!
The Massachusetts Cultural Council awarded the Town of Plymouth a 2015 Commonwealth Award honoring its exceptional achievement in the arts for supporting and enriching its Creative Community and committing to build a healthier, more vital, and more livable community. By integrating historic preservation, arts, and tourism, the Town of Plymouth has consistently provided a platform for the community’s cultural organizations, and continues to do so by pursuing initiatives like creating the Plymouth Bay Cultural District designation in Downtown Plymouth, which will help leverage the increased tourism that will accompany Plymouth’s 400thanniversary in 2020 and sustain it long after the 2020 commemorations are over.
What is a Commonwealth Award?
The Commonwealth Awards are presented every two years by the Massachusetts Cultural Councilto “shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions made by the arts, sciences, and humanities to education, economic vitality, and quality of life in communities across the state.
The Commonwealth Awards ceremony is also a chance for the Massachusetts nonprofit cultural sector to come together, assert its value, and make the case for continued public investment. The event is free and open to the public.” (via MassCulturalCouncil.org)
Who else is receiving an award today?
Mayor Martin Walsh, Boston for making arts and culture a priority for the city of Boston.
WBUR, Boston for expanding quality coverage of arts and culture through the ARTery.
City of Gloucester for providing leadership, funding and infrastructure to the places where art and culture are presented, and where artists live and work.
… just to name a few!
Who has won the award in the past?
Aerosmith, the Boston-based rock band, won the award in 1995
David McCollough, “the storyteller who enthralls us with the unfolding drama of our past and its lessons for our present” took home a Commonwealth Award in 1999
Olympia Dukakis, an Academy-Award winning actress, director, producer, teacher, activist, and author, received the award in 2013
Needless to say, the Town of Plymouth’s Creative Community is in good company!
You can follow along as we post photos & clips of the award ceremony today from 1-4PM by using the hashtag #CommonwealthAwards
