The Carol Vidal Cultural Fund
With heavy hearts we commemorate our friend, Carol Vidal, who led the Westport Cultural Council with enthusiasm and a tireless effort to enrich our community with the arts and culture. As chairperson of the council she helped to secure grant funding, administer the Council’s procedures, tutor the board’s members, and guided the development of new programs with the goal of bringing area residents together to socialize, laugh, and learn.
In honor of her 20+ years of service, the Council announces the renaming of our fund for sponsoring Westport cultural programs to the Carol Vidal Cultural Fund.
The events and projects sponsored by the Wetsport Cultural Council rely on the financial support of our community.
You can join others who are supporting the work of the WCC by sending a check to The Town of Westport, 816 Main Rd, Westport MA 02790. Be sure to add “For The Westport Cultural Council “ in the check’s memo line.
Get Ready to Apply for a Westport Community Grant
Proposals can start being submitted in a few weeks, stay tuned!
This winter, the Farmcoast Winter Conversation and Reading Series invites our community to come read, share, or write as we explore our relationship to land and water across four two-hour gatherings.
Sponsored by the Westport Cultural Council through funding from the Carol Vidal Cultural Fund and the Helen E Ellis Charitable Trust administered by the Bank of America
2025 – 2026 Season
Concerts at the Point is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization presenting classical chamber music concerts in the fall, winter and spring. The audience experiences chamber music as the great composers intended – in an intimate space with rich, resonant sound.
Sponsored in part by the Westport Cultural Council and the Helen E Ellis Charitable Trust, administered by the Bank of America.
Concerts are held at the Westport Point United Methodist Church, located at 1912 Main Road, Westport Point, Massachusetts. All performances begin at 3 pm, with doors opening at 2:15. $20.00 – $40.00
For more information or to purchase tickets go to Concerts at the Point website.
December 7
The Dorian Wind Quintet
Recognized by critics, audiences, and professional musicians alike for its uniquely polished and passionate performances, The Dorian Wind Quintet is known worldwide as one of chamber music’s pre-eminent and longest continuously active ensembles.
February 22
Ruckus Early Music
With flutist Emi Ferguson and violinist Rachell Ellen Wong
Ruckus is a shapeshifting, collaborative baroque ensemble with a visceral and playful approach to early music. Described as “the world’s only period-instrument rock band” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Ruckus’s core is a continuo group, the baroque equivalent of a jazz rhythm section: guitars, keyboards, cello, bassoon, and bass.
March 29
Cantus Vocal Ensemble
As one of the nation’s few full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus has come to prominence with its distinctive approach to creating music. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process, creating programs that give voice to shared human experiences.
April 26
Handel & Haydn Society
An audience favorite, musicians from the Handel and Haydn Society return to enthrall us with a program of Baroque and Classical gems in historically informed performance. This elite chamber ensemble will bring to life the music of history’s greatest composers with the same dedication, freshness, and energy that they felt when composing their music.
Summer Film Series 2025
Thanks To All Who Attended!
The screenings at Weatherlow Farms filled their barn to capacity for each showing. For those who missed out, here’s a listing of the films and links to their websites.
The Film Series is funded through the generosity of donors to the Westport Cultural Gift Fund.
July 16
"It's a tale of resilience and defiance."
~Evelyn O’Doherty, Session Film Review
Surf’s Up with our first film on July 16 – Maya and The Wave (95 min) – directed by Stephanie Johnes. The film tells the story of Maya Gabeira, the first woman to surf the giant wave in Nazaré, Portugal. She nearly drowns – and is ridiculed by the other big wave surfers who dominate the sport until she becomes the first female surfer honored with a Guinness World Record in big wave surfing.
Guest Speaker (Virtual) – Stephanie Jones, Prod/Dir
July 30
"The film is a gem of a ripping tale"
~Bradley Gibson, Film Threat
From Executive Producer Ang Lee and director Joe Wein, a profoundly immersive documentary that plunges you into the heart of one man’s extraordinary survival story. When a whale left Steven Callahan’s boat sinking in the dead of night he drifted helplessly across the vast expanse of the Atlantic for an astonishing 76 days. Forced to confront his deepest fears, limitations, and the raw power of nature, he discovered an inner strength he never knew he possessed.
Guest Speaker – Robert Sennott, Producer
August 13
"A chronicle of photo journalist's evolution""
~Film Daily
The series concludes its screenings at Weatherlow Farms on August 13 with The Wonder and The Worry (98 min), by David Alexander Baker, which follows the lives and work of National Geographic photographers Chris Johns and his daughter, Louise. Chris made some of the most lasting images ever seen before rising through the ranks to become the only photographer to serve as editor in chief of the world renown magazine. This screening is presented in conjunction with the South Coast Artists Association.
Guest speakers (virtual) – David Baker (Dir) & Chris Johns
The Landscape About Us: A SouthCoast Anthology, has been selected by the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) for its “short list” of IPNE annual book awards. The book received an Honorable Mention. The award list honors books throughout the six states of New England while the judging panel is composed of experienced editors, librarians, booksellers, literary agents and other industry professionals. “Our goal is to highlight for readers the best of independent publishing and to recognize authors and publishers for fine work.” The project, which received sponsorship from the Westport Cultural Council, features twenty-five local authors and photographers while production included LCF Design, a Westport book designer, and Country Press of Lakeville, MA.
2025 WCC Community Grant Awards
The Westport Cultural Council awarded nearly $67,000 in grants to over twenty organizations and individuals for 2025-2026. The funding will support a wide range of arts, entertainment, educational, theatrical, civic, literary, and historical programs which will serve Westport and neighboring communities.
The WCC’s Community Grants are made possible through the support of the Helen E. Ellis Trust, administered by the Bank of America, and the Westport Cultural Gift Fund, which receives its funding through the generosity of an anonymous Westport family. The family encourages others to join them in contributing to the Fund to help sustain the WCC’s work to enrich arts and cultural programs in our community.
Please Support the Carol Vidal Gift Fund!
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The events and projects sponsored by the Wetsport Cultural Council rely on the financial support of our community. The Council receives no funding through the town and minimal support from the state’s cultural program. We are extremely grateful for the kind generosity of a Westport family that wishes to remain anonymous who have provided significant support to the fund. Please join them and contribute to the Carol Vidal Cultural Fund.
Gifts can be sent via check to The Town of Westport, 816 Main Rd, Westport MA 02790. Be sure to add “For The Westport Cultural Council “ in the check’s memo line.
For information on how to donate, please connect with us below.
2024-25 Local Grants Awarded
Congratulations to the 2024-25 recipients of local Massachusetts Cultural Council grants. The Westport Cultural Council awarded 20 programs a total of $9,000 for projects ranging from a student theater workshop to a local jazz festival, from complimentary tickets for seniors to a symphonic concert to a kid’s all-abilities surf competition, and much more.
