In the Press

You may not have heard of the comic book “Kellen the Kid.” Yet. But odds are pretty good that someday you will. It’s one of several comic books and strips created by Kellen Paul, a 9-year-old cartoonist and illustrator who’s been plying his trade at the Community Art Center in his hometown of Cambridge, and whose work has taken the center by storm.​CAC's very own Kellen is interviewed by Boston.com. 

This fall, teens at Cambridge’s Community Art Center are working with Boston artist Marlon Forrester to design a permanent public artwork for Cambridge’s Port neighborhood.

The $130,000 commission for Forrester's collaborative project, under a partnership of Cambridge Arts and the center, is funded via the City of Cambridge’s Percent-for-Art program as part of the city’s Port Infrastructure Project, which will reduce flooding and make improvements to the neighborhood’s streets, sidewalks, and open spaces. Cambridge Arts is providing additional funds to the Community Art Center to support this project, and participating students will be paid for their creative contributions and work

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - A young girl from Cambridge is showcasing her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama and even got the chance to see the famous Obama portraits at the Museum of Fine Arts, hoping one day her own work will end up in the museum.

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The Cambridge Community Arts Center took eight-year-old Grace Jean to the Museum of Fine Arts Thursday to see the famous of portraits of the Obamas after they had students paint pictures for their gallery “Iconic Black Figures.”

Kellen Paul might only be 9 years old, but the youth has been making his mark by putting pencil to paper, drawing his own comics as he hones his craft and inspires others.

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Sharing his artwork on YouTube and at events hosted by the Community Art Center in Cambridge, Kellen has been receiving encouragement from the center’s staff as he makes his progress on his first ever comic book.

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“We told him, ‘You know what? You can be an artist when you grow up.’ and he proclaimed, ‘What?” program manager Jada Alleyne said.

“That I will!” he said.

The Cambridge Public Health Department, through its Cambridge in Motion campaign, has awarded a total of $12,500 in mini-grants to 13 local organizations to develop activities that promote healthy eating and active living.

The Community Arts Center will expand its children's yoga therapy program to include strategies for coping with stress and trauma, including mind-body awareness.

COMMUNITY ART CENTER is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to
$500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The CAMBRIDGE-based organization was
chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $100,000 over 2 years.

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Community Art Center is elated to have received a grant through Cummings $25 Million Grant Program. The generosity of
this grant will allow Community Art Center to invest in a vehicle to assist in day-to-day operations and will help to offset the
insurance costs tied to transportation of children to and from its programs.

In preparation for the 25th annual Do It Your Damn Self!! National Youth Film Festival, Teen Media Programs Media Manager, Lionel

Blaise Jr., and CAC alumni Amarah Gonsalves stopped by to visit our friends at NBC10's The Hub Today, to chat about DIYDS!! Film Festival.

The Cambridge Community Foundation (CCF) has recently awarded over

60 community-based non-profits to further help the wellbeing of local families who are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

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Awards went to non-profits that help address the financial, social, mental, and emotional stresses the neighborhood residents have been going through. Among these non-profits is Community Art Center, where CCF has  acknowledged our efforts in providing "vital support services including childcare, education, food, and community development to families who live primarily in public housing."

The Hub Today stopped by Community Art Center to learn about our programs and the impact we've had on the Port neighborhood, Cambridge, and beyond. 

This piece featured interviews with Executive Director, Erin Muirhead McCarty and recent CAC Alum Greggy Bazile.

For the second season of Cambridge's Starlight Square, the teens from the Public Arts program were able to celebrate with a new mural. The question behind the piece is "What does food justice mean to you?" 

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The goal of the space is to be an outdoor performance venue, learning space, and art canvas.

We are pleased to announce that Community Art Center was selected to participate in the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative – as announced yesterday on the Barr Foundation’s blog. A partnership between two Boston-based foundations - Barr and The Klarman Family Foundation – the initiative is a $25 million, six-year investment in 29 arts and cultural organizations from across Massachusetts.

The Community Art Center, an 80- year old institution providing creative youth development programming in the Port neighborhood of Cambridge, has been recommended for a grant of $100,000 from The National Endowment for the Arts to support their Home Port Public Art Project. NEA Chairman Jane Chu announced 89 awards totaling $6.89 million supporting projects across the nation through the agency’s Our Town program.

Thanks to Polaroid and a basement arts center, the kids of Newtowne Court have built a photographic monument to their neighborhood since the 1960s.

Using borrowed cameras and a basement darkroom they made photos of daily life that hold poignant memories today.

Photography teacher and current Board President Susan Richards and former student Tyrone Bellitti share surprising images from Cambridge public housing in the 1980's.