The Harvard Cultural Council has two new members: Mary Vesenka-Turner and Rachel Oglesby. Vesenka-Turner grew up in town, graduated from Bromfield, studied theater arts at Brandeis, and practiced animal husbandry in the Peace Corps. She and her husband, Keith, lived in Hawaii before returning to town to run Friendly Crossways Youth Hostel and Conference Center. The Turners have been volunteers in drama, dance, sports, and gardening. Oglesby has a fine arts degree from Purdue. She has worked in theater design and costumes, has an arts education teacher’s license, and a master’s in communications. She worked for the Lincoln Financial Group in Fort Meyers, Indiana, and brought independent films to her community. She is a Warner Free Lecture trustee and an active gardener.
In 2007, the council awarded grants totalling $4,020 to arts education in the schools for nature, science, and environment education; restoration and preservation; community festivals, concerts, and plays; and local cable programming.
The council is currently seeking input from Harvard residents to set its priorities for the future. To ensure a fair and equitable distribution of grant funds, the council periodically surveys the community to make sure its needs are being served. Surveys will be available at town cultural events in May. Residents who complete the survey before June 1 will be entered into a drawing to win two free tickets valued at $40 to a Tower Hill 2007 Concert Series performance.
