Spotlight ACA

Join us for Spotlight ACA!

Saturday, April 29 @ 7-10PM

Arlington Center for the Arts is reimagining our favorite spring party as a new event: Spotlight ACA! This new fundraising event is designed to give our guests and community members an interactive experience and a little taste of all our signature programs, with live music, hands-on activities, delicious food and drinks, and irresistible items to take home! This year's event will take place at the Arlington Community Center at 27 Maple Street (ACA's home)!

We are also excited to be honoring filmmaker and community member Eric Stange with the 2023 Alan McClennen Community Arts Award!

Proceeds of the event will support ACA's efforts to produce high quality, engaging community programs for Arlington and beyond!

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TICKET OPTIONS

Spotlight Supporter Ticket ($125):

Exclusive entry into a drawing for a custom portrait (people or pets!) created by artist and ACA's Education and Programs Director, Cat Beaudoin
2 Drink Tickets for the Spotlight ACA event
Admission to Spotlight ACA 2023 + all benefits included in our Individual Ticket level

Individual Ticket ($75):

Admission to Spotlight ACA 2023
Food from many beloved, local establishments including:
Spotlight Activities include:
- Artist Demos by Arlington Open Studios artists and members of our skilled faculty including Justine Curran, Ellie House, Deb Lewis, Anastasia Semash, and Anna Thai!
- Interactive art-making activity inspired by our popular Vacation Arts Program lead by ACA teaching artist Allison Power
- Tours of our newly opened exhibit in the Shaira Ali Gallery, REUNION: 10 Iranian Artists 10 Years Later
- A screening of acclaimed film "Pony Boys" directed by local filmmaker and 2023 Alan McClennen Award Recipient Eric Stange
- Live entertainment by Made in the Shade, Outrageous Fortune, and Taal Mel

ACA Member Ticket ($65):

This ticket option is available to all current ACA members!
It includes Admission to Spotlight ACA 2023 + all benefits included in our Individual Ticket level

Entertainment

We've got 3 terrific bands we are thrilled to be spotlighting over the evening's festivities:

The Made in the Shade Trio has performed for concerts, events and parties for decades in the Boston area and beyond, recreating the sounds on New Orleans style tradition jazz. Band members include Dan Fox on trombone, Annie Linders on trumpet and Dave MacMillan on banjo.

Direct from The Great Northeast Jug Band Festival, Outrageous Fortune is a Boston-based acoustic vintage jazz and blues trio. Their repertoire features innovative arrangements of early jazz (Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong); blues and jug band music (Robert Johnson and the Memphis Jug Band); and traditional folk music.

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An Arlington Porchfest fan favorite, Taal Mel combines rhythms and harmonies of the east with those of the west to create a fun and lively style of music that's all their own. The band's eclectic repertoire ranges from American pop, rock, and blues to Bollywood and Indian classical music. Come dance along! Check out a sneak preview!

2023 Alan McClennen Award Recipient

Eric Stange

Arlington Center for the Arts is proud to present the 2023 Alan McClennen Community Arts Award to Eric Stange in recognition of the skill and passion he has demonstrated as an Arlington-based filmmaker and for his important contributions to the cultural life of our town.

The award is named for former Arlington Town Planner Alan McClennen who was a driving force behind the creation of ACA in 1988. It celebrates local citizens like Eric who embody our organization’s mission to transform lives and build community through the arts.

Eric is a former board chair of ACA and a long-time member of Arlington Historical Commission. The executive producer and founder of Spy Pond Productions, Eric is also an award-winning independent documentary film producer, director and writer who specializes in history and science subjects. His work has been broadcast on PBS, The Discovery Channel, and the BBC.

In fall 2022, Eric’s short subject documentary, PONY BOYS, was acquired by The New York Times Op-Docs. Touching on themes of childhood, freedom and adventure, the film chronicles the improbable journey of two boys from the suburbs of Boston to the 1967 World’s Fair in Montreal by pony cart!

Special Thanks to our Spotlight ACA Host + Planning Committees!

We'd like to thank all of the members of this year's host committee for their support of Spotlight ACA!

Judi Berman - Judi Bohn - Lisa Brown - Barbara Costa - Len Diggins - Carolyn Levosky - Beth Locke - Aaron Leventhal - Mari Meigas - Sandra Miller - Bonnie Payne - Ron Rosenbaum - Mark Santello - Molly Scannell - Roger Tobin

Many thanks to the members of our planning committee for all their hard work in making this event happen!

Emily Belz - Sarah Buyer - Cathy Garrnett - Ari Herbstman - Margaret Moody - John Oliver - Suzanne Rothschild

Spotlight Silent Auction!

The items in this year's auction are specially crafted and generously donated by our Spotlight ACA committee and community members and include local experiences, excursions, and treats to help us all feel a little more connected and creative this year! Proceeds of the silent auction will support ACA's efforts to produce high quality, engaging community programs for Arlington and beyond!

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.