The Arts Factor: The Power of Music
TRANSFORMATION: Access to arts and culture changes lives and strengthens communities. The arts bring people together, encourage dialogue among our region’s diverse population, and create pride in our local history. Paid admission to nonprofit cultural organizations covers only a fraction of the cost to produce a show or put on an exhibition, which is why the arts and culture sector needs strong collaborators to ensure members of all communities have the opportunity to enjoy the artistic and cultural riches of Greater Boston.
THE POWER OF MUSIC – ZUMIX
What started in 1991 as a summer songwriting program for youth has grown into a nationally recognized, neighborhood-based cultural center — and a perfect example of how arts and culture empower and transform communities.
ZUMIX engages East Boston’s large Hispanic/Latino and immigrant populations in music-based educational programs and community events. Through after-school and summer programming as well as in-school partnerships, the program serves more than 1,000 youth per year. An additional 10,000 adults, children, and families attend ZUMIX-hosted community events and festivals in the ZUMIX Firehouse and throughout the East Boston community.
The ZUMIX Firehouse has given residents of East Boston a place to make their voices heard while creating a new cultural destination in one of Boston’s most distinctive neighborhoods. In 2011, the White House awarded ZUMIX the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, our nation’s highest honor for youth arts programs.
Learn more about ZUMIX here: http://zumix.org/about
