Subject: Organization Newsletter January 2023

News & Information for Arts & Cultural Organizations & Creative Businesses in Fairfield County

January 2023

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

The Unitarian Church in Westport  A Unitarian Universalist organization that serves lower Fairfield County and beyond in an award-winning midcentury-modern sanctuary (designed by acclaimed architect Victor Lundy). A diverse and welcoming community, free of creed and dogma, and open to people of all backgrounds and beliefs. WEBSITE

CAFC NEWS

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” T. S. Eliot


HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thanks to you... 2022 was a great year for Arts & Culture!


We begin 2023 with the first of twelve monthly themes...

JANUARY: NEW YEAR | NEW PERSPECTIVE


In our constant effort to connect the CAFC community, we hope that each month's theme will offer network-wide motivation, inspiration, and focus. Wherever we can, we will connect programming to the theme as well.


In January, we simply invite you to join us as we seek new inspiration, new ideas, new ways to support you, new opportunities to collaborate and create. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us via email, on Instagram whenever prompted, or in person.


We're looking forward to another year of connecting, learning, sharing, advocating, and helping our communities to thrive. TOGETHER.


Cheers to expanding our beautiful arts and culture network in 2023 and beyond.

LISTEN IN: MONDAY, JAN 9th at NOON


In our next "Spotlight on Arts & Culture" we have invited a range of artist members from across Fairfield County to talk about the highlights of their 2022 and what they most are looking forward to in 2023. Artists include:


Alicia Cobb (Bridgeport)
Joseph Dermody (Stamford)
Afsaneh Djabbari-Aslani (New Canaan)
Jahmane (Norwalk)

Jana Ireijo (Westport)

Felicity Kostakis (Greenwich)

Shanna T. Melton (Bridgeport)

Gerald Moore (Stratford)
Jill Nichols (Shelton)
Rick Shaefer (Fairfield)
Alissa Siegal (Stamford)

Brian Whelan (Wilton)


Hear how these artists connect with the towns they live in, how they help our communities thrive, and what more we can do to help our artists flourish. Podcast will be available HERE

TIME TO UPDATE YOUR PROFILE


NOW is a great time to refresh your profile on the CAFC website for 2023. Update your bio and images and maximize your membership through this service. We link your news to this page in our newsletters, and it's a great way to drive new audiences to your own website. Go to culturalalliancefc.org and click into MY ACCOUNT and then MY PROFILE. Go ahead, do it now :)

PARTICIPATE IN THE ARTS & ECONOMIC PROSPERITY STUDY


Become a PARTNER or VOLUNTEER for the AEP6 Study. There are opportunities for member organizations to distribute & collect surveys at events or help us collect surveys. If you are interested in having your venue participate or if you would like to volunteer at an event, please submit your live event for consideration or email David Green at culturalalliancefc2@gmail.com

LOOKING FOR MEMBER STORIES


We are still looking for Member Impact Stories for the homepage of our website. In 1000 words or less, please share the following information:


  • Introduce your organization, location, & what you do.

  • Share your most current impact story - a story that shares how you or your organization contributes to the community in a meaningful way. Please use a current example with impacts and outcomes.

  • Provide contact information (especially website link)

  • Provide a high quality, engaging 700 X 450 image that best reflects your story


Send to marketing@culturalalliancefc.org

MEMBER NEWS

ACT of CT was featured in 068 Magazine for its initiative called "First ACT." This initiative supports the organization's mission to make theatre accessible to all. It supports and nurtures individuals, families, students, and working artists of all socio-economic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders so that they may receive the highest level of theatrical opportunity possible.

CONNECT-US announced a $10,000 investment by J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Greenwich. As part of the fifth anniversary celebration of Connect-Us, Kelvin Savage, an Executive Director and Banker made the announcement behalf of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been a great partner and supporter of young people in Bridgeport. Connect-US is also proud to host “Bridgeport Has a Dream” on January 16th –– a free, youth-led cultural celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The show will feature 100 performers who make up a multi-racial, multi-generational cast that will pay tribute to Dr. King through song, rap, dance, and poetry.  LEARN MORE

Darien Arts Center is thankful to The Darien Foundation for a $100,000 grant that went towards a new, state-of-the-art lighting system. The lighting enhanced holiday performances, and will continue to do so for all performances in the future.

George Billis Gallery is moving to a new location this month at 1700 Post Road in downtown Fairfield. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, January 12th, 5-8pm. The gallery was voted #1 Gallery in Connecticut's Gold Coast 2022.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum has been voted as one of the USA Today 10 Best Holiday Historic Home Tours in the country. The list includes Graceland and the Stetson Mansion, among others. Hand-picked by 10 Best Local Experts from around the country, the Museum qualified as 6th out of the eighteen museums and cultural institutions from all over the U.S. selected to compete for the title of 10 Best. Ultimately, it was the public who decided which institution would be awarded this prestigious title by casting their votes daily for their favorite holiday historic house holiday tour.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center is thrilled to announce the very first museum exhibition celebrating artist Sophy Regensburg’s profound and inspiring 20-year career. Regensburg, who began painting at the age of 67 in 1951 while living on the Upper East Side in New York City, produced more than 500 works of art over the course of two decades. “Sophy Regensburg: A Retrospective,” an exhibition posthumously dedicated to the artist, features 70 of Regensburg’s paintings, drawings, prints and needlepoint works and is now on view through March 19th. LEARN MORE

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk welcomes new harbor seals Feisty and Gracie to the aquarium’s largest exhibit, Pinniped Cove. Both seals came to the aquarium from ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Feisty is a gentle 33-year-old male. He is the second male to call The Maritime Aquarium home in its 35 year history, and is currently the only male in Pinniped Cove. Gracie is a curious 20-year-old female. She was rescued off the coast of Maine after suffering an injury to her optic nerve that left her unable to survive in the wild.

The Westport Country Playhouse partnered with WSHU Public Radio in December for Playhouse Radio Theater’s “A Merry Little Christmas Carol.” Featuring Paxton Whitehead as Scrooge, the radio show aired for third consecutive year. The free broadcast series was written and directed by Mark Shanahan, adapted from his play of the same name, and based on “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Shanahan is curator of Playhouse Radio Theater in addition to curating the Playhouse Script in Hand playreading series.

The Westport Museum for History and Culture announces its Garden Revitalization project which includes paths through native flower beds, shrubs and benches. The plantings are deer resistant and include various native and historically significant species. The site design takes inspiration from a plan from the early 2000s that was found while cataloging the museum's archives. LEARN MORE

WSHU Public Radio received more than $29K in grants which has helped support WSHU’s mission to ‘provide and encourage thoughtful discourse.’ The grants were from Connecticut Humanities and the Solutions Journalism Network which awarded WSHU $25,000 to be a “climate beacon” newsroom, a newsroom with a reporter covering climate change.

WE DEPEND ON YOU TO SEND US YOUR NEWS


MEMBERS: Please post your News and Opportunities through your account on the CAFC website or send directly to Lorie Lewis at marketing@culturalalliancefc.org before the next Organization Newsletter which is always the first Friday of each month.

OTHER NEWS

CONNECTICUT ARTS HERO AWARDS

Congratulations to our ARTS HERO 2023, Maricarmen Godoy who was nominated by our readers, and selected by our regional panel: Elaine Braithwaite (Bridgeport Public Library), Frank Derico (Neighborhood Studios), and Megan Quinn (Fairfield Theatre Company). The Connecticut Arts Hero Awards honor and celebrate Connecticut residents who are doing inspiring things in, for, or through the arts in Connecticut. Maricarmen Godoy, of Norwalk, is a journalist, artist manager and philanthropist. Join us as we honor the CT Arts Heroes at a special event on Wednesday, January 18th at 6 pm at Infinity Music Hall in Hartford. The event is be free and open to all. 

SMITHSONIAN'S TSIONE WOLDE-MICHAEL TO LEAD PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS


Tsione Wolde-Michael has been named Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). Under a new Executive Order issued by President Biden, PCAH has been established to engage the nation’s artists, humanities scholars, and cultural heritage practitioners on ways to promote excellence in the arts, the humanities, museum and library services. The goal is to demonstrate their relevance to the country’s health, economy, equity, and civic life. Wolde-Michael is the youngest and first Black individual to direct PCAH.

AUDIENCE DATA


Based on the latest available data, and most recent modeling efforts, this annual article gives you the overall volume of visitation that the US museum and performing arts cultural sector can reasonably expect in 2023. This market potential report provides a measure of data-informed sector “ground-truthing” to help inform your organization’s expectations.

COLLECTIONS ASSESSMENT FOR PRESERVATION (CAP) PROGRAM APPLICATIONS OPEN


The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) is excited to announce that applications are now open for the 2023 Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program, with a deadline of February 28, 2023. Participating institutions receive support for a general conservation assessment from a qualified collection and building assessor. The assessment is a study of all the institution's collections, buildings, and building systems, as well as its policies and procedures relating to collections care.

FUNDING

NEH: Public Humanities Projects

DEADLINE: JAN 11


COA: General Operating Support for Theaters & Performing Groups

DEADLINE: JAN 12


Conservation Connection: Museum Makeover 2.0

DEADLINE: JAN 13 (Extension)


NEA/MidAmerica Arts Alliance: Creative Forces Connecting Communities

DEADLINE: JAN 19


NEH: Landmarks of American History and Culture

DEADLINE: FEB 1


AAM: Museum Assessment (MAP) Program

DEADLINE: FEB 1


Good to Great 2.0 Grants

DEADLINE: LETTER OF INTEREST BY FEB 3


Grants for Arts Projects

DEADLINE: FEB 9

WEBINAR: JAN 11


New England States Touring (NEST) Grant

DEADLINE: MAR 1


CT Humanities Capacity Grants

DEADLINE: APR 7


NEA: Challenge America

DEADLINE: APR 27

Development Assistant

The Ridgefield Library | Ridgefield


Associate Director of Development

The Bruce Museum | Greenwich


Curator of Exhibitions & Public Programs

Mary & Eliza Freeman Center | Bridgeport


Director of Scholarly Research & Education

Mary & Eliza Freeman Center | Bridgeport


Director of Development and Fundraising

Mary & Eliza Freeman Center | Bridgeport


Museum Interpreter

The Keeler Tavern Museum | Ridgefield


Operations Manager

I-Park Foundation | East Haddam


Audiences Services Manager

International Festival of Arts and Ideas | New Haven


Program and Evaluation Manager

Greater New Haven Community Foundation | New Haven


CT League of History Organization Jobs List


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SPREAD THE WORD!

Did you know that, in addition to this monthly Organization Newsletter, we have a monthly Artist Newsletter and a weekly e-Buzz event listing? Subscribe to any or all of our publications and share a sample with a friend or peer. Please help us expand our reach by sharing and subscribing here:

BECOME A MEMBER

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a nonprofit membership service organization that supports its members through marketing, capacity building, professional development, networking, and advocacy services. This newsletter is sent to all who request it, but we ask that, if you are not a member, you explore membership benefits and consider joining.

THANK YOU

SPONSORS & MEDIA PARTNERS

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a 501(c)(3) cultural nonprofit membership organization. We are grateful to our members and our donors whose support enables us to do our work. In particular, we are grateful for support from:

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