BJ Goodwin in Keeping a Breast

Photo by Sondra Peron

BJ Goodwin Memorial Fund

In honor of the late BJ Goodwin--performer, dancer, and educator--the Northampton Arts Council, Inc has formed a special funding opportunity to benefit the arts community. The formation of this memorial fund was announced following her death on March 31, 2003 after many years of battling breast cancer. With fundraising efforts by the Northampton Arts Council, Inc., and money raised by other arts organizations and numerous individuals from across the country--Washington State, California, Illinois, Florida, New York to name just a few--we have raised almost $5,000 to date.

The first BJ Goodwin Memorial Fund award of $1000 was made in 2004 to Mollye Maxner towards a danceWEB-Europe scholarship. The second award of $500 was to Mo Ringey for her weekly email newsletter featuring local arts events, exhibitions, performances and readings. This unique web-based project originally started as a newsletter to a small group of friends and now serves hundreds of people interested in arts and culture happening in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. The third BJ Goodwin Memorial Fund award was granted September, 2008 to storefront ART, a residency and exhibition program that uses empty storefronts to provide artists and the community greater access to the studio, exhibition and gathering space. In 2009, Serious Play! Theater Ensemble received a grant to travel as the first American theatre company to perform their prodcution Milosevic at the Hague at the 4th International JoakimInterFest in Kragujevac, Serbia.

The 5th BJ Goodwin Memorial Fund Award was granted this month to Alan Schneider of Leeds, MA for the unique opportunity to sing the title operatic role in Mozart’s Idomeneo at the prestigious International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel this summer. Read More...

This award will be the only one made from this fund in 2010 as the Arts Council works to raise more money insure its maintenance and long-term growth.

The BJ Goodwin Grant is designed to provide direct assistance to a Northampton-based artist, writer or arts organization in recognition of exceptional work and to support the further development of artistic talents. It is our hope that this new grant opportunity will also provide artists with recognition and affirmation from their peers and the public. This memorial fund is very unique and should not be thought to replace funding that can be found in the traditional ARTS EZ spring and MCC/LCC fall grant rounds to artists and arts organizations.

Please contact Sondra Peron, Arts Administrator, at 413-587-1069 for special eligibility requirements.