The Year of the River 2025

The Westfield River is the Cummington Cultural District’s backyard, flowing behind the buildings and houses that line Main Street, our celebrated rural arts destination. In 2025, the CCD will bring our backyard front-and-center, making the Westfield River that runs through the heart of town the focus and site of our programmatic work, making 2025 the Year of the River.

The 2025 Year of the River programs will include:

• deTours: Exploring the Westfield River in Cummington, a series of site-specific walking tours led by Hilltown artists, humanists, and naturalists in the spring
• REFLECTIONS: Westfield River Art Activations, a public art and community cultural event granting program and public art exhibition opportunity that opens for applications in the spring for projects that unfold at the River throughout the year
• RiverFest: a family-friendly, participatory celebration of the wild and scenic Westfield River that runs through the heart of Cummington in the fall

Mark your calendars to join us, and for open application programs like REFLECTIONS, to begin envisioning your site-specific River projects to share with the community with CCD support. Consider amplifying the support for your Cummington-based projects by applying for other funding opportunities, including:

• Cummington Cultural Council project grants awarded through the MCC program, due October 16, 2024, apply via MCC: https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/ 
• Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation project grants for New England-based artists https://berkshiretaconic.org/grants/artists-resource-trust-a-r-t-fund-for-individuals due Oct 15, 2024
• Mass Cultural Council Grants for Creative Individuals, due Oct 24: https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/grants-for-creative-individuals/ 

Here’s is a timeline of our 2025 programming:

• April 2025: Spring Pancake Breakfast
• April-mid-May 2025: REFLECTIONS open for application for projects beginning in June
• June (perhaps into July) 2025: deTours: Exploring the Westfield River in Cummington
• September 2025: RiverFest