| ORGANIZATIONS' NEWSLETTER News and Opportunities for the Cultural Nonprofits and Creative Businesses of Fairfield County, CT
February 23, 2018 |
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| | The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a nonprofit service organization that supports its members through unified marketing, capacity building, professional development, 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 this community of more than 575 individuals and organizations. Sign up here |
| | | NEWMAN'S OWN FOUNDATION SUPPORTS THE CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY |
| | The Board and staff of The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County are delighted to announce a recent grant of $2,500 from Newman's Own Foundation. for general operations. Thank you, Newman's Own - we're grateful for your interest and support! |
| | SHAPING COMMUNITY VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE |
| | | | | 4. Remarks by CT State Senate Majority Leader, Bob Duff
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| | | | | | | | | | SHAPING COMMUNITY DISCUSSION ON WPKN PODCAST |
| | | | NOMINATE YOUR 2018 ACE AWARDEE |
| For our 3rd Annual ACE Awards, remember to nominate the Artist, Citizen, Corporation, Educator and/or Nonprofit you believe has made the most significant artistic and cultural contributions to our community, or has supported the arts and culture sector through volunteerism and/or patronage. Our Annual Arts & Culture Empowerment (ACE) Awards are designed to celebrate the passion for arts and culture in Fairfield County, and to raise awareness of the quality and diversity of our arts and cultural offerings. Click here to make your nominations. Deadline: March 15.
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| | ROUND-UP OF MEMBERS' NEWS |
| | Connecticut Film Festival’s FilmFest52 (now held every Wednesday night at The Bethel Cinema) is continuing its Classic Ciné program in collaboration with Connecticut Post journalist and film critic Joe Meyers. This series of outlier and noir classic films, with behind-the-scene stories as big as the stories on the screen, will feature those initially ignored by the media as too political, or not recognized as making the important artistic and socially relevant statements that they were, at the time of their release. The Classic Ciné series will feature 8 classics in the 52-week long schedule along with a catered VIP reception for all ticket holders. More...
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| | Danbury Music Center's Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Barbara Adams Jaeger (at right) to the position of executive director, following Mary Larew's resignation to take up a new post at Wesleyan University's Institute for Curatorial Performance Practice. The Board made a unanimous decision with the statement that it had "full confidence that Barbara’s diverse knowledge of the organization and her seventeen years of experience with the DMC make her the ideal person to lead the organization and to further its mission." In her time at the DMC, Barbara has served in many positions, most recently as Managing Director of DMC and Executive Producer of the annual Nutcracker.
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| | The Greenwich Alliance for Education has funded a residency by the Connecticut Ballet at Julian Curtiss Magnet School of World Languages in Greenwich. The school has a student body from some 60 countries and celebrates this diversity by offering various educational options to enhance student achievement. Over the next six weeks, twice a week, dancers from the Connecticut Ballet will demonstrate dance as an art form to 4th and 5th graders, teaching them about dance movement, dance terminology, spatial awareness, physical conditioning, emotional respect, and teamwork. A culmination of the project will be a dance performance presented by the 4th and 5th graders at an all school assembly in April.
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| | The Greenwich Historical Society was awarded a grant from the local garden club Hortulus, to restore the ornamental flower gardens, kitchen gardens, and grape arbor, part of the overall master plan for the Society's campus transformation. The artist colony Impressionist period gardens of the Bush-Holley House provide critical interpretive information for visitors, as they convey daily life routines (growing food for the residents), as well as inspiring subjects for the plein-air painters. Garden improvements include relocation and expansion of the Impressionist-era fruit and vegetable garden that supported the Holley boarding house, and a new Impressionist-era perennial flower garden flanking the walkway that will link the new building to Bush-Holley House and the Vanderbilt Education Center. A new grape arbor will have a more durable structure to support the existing grape vines, some of which are 120 years old. More...
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| | | Congratulations to Fairfield University's Quick Center for winning one of four President's Innovation Fund Awards for its production of WAR STORIES: A Veterans Project. Quick Executive Director, Peter Van Heerden, and Sonya Huber, associate professor of English, received this award from University President Mark R. Nemec. Along with their co-collaborator and Westport visual artist, Nina Bentley, Peter and Sonya brought to life a performance built through the courageous stories of a core group of veterans from Homes for the Brave. Click for larger image |
| | INTAKE’s artistic and administrative team joined 70 participants from 13 states in professional-development workshops sponsored by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. This cohort of music educators came from organizations that, like INTAKE, were awarded PlayUSA grants from Carnegie Hall. INTAKE is Carnegie Hall’s only investment in Connecticut and enables the group to add 5 new instrumental classes and to provide tuition-free music lessons and instruments for 35 new students. More...
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| | The Kennedy Center's Maggie Daly Arts Cooperative (MDAC) recently showed its original 2017 music video in MIXTAPE, a group exhibit of artwork created through the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)'s Access Partnership Program that collaborates with NYC-area organizations to create space for people with disabilities to express them-selves, feel seen, be heard and valued. Last July, MoMA educator Rebecca Goyette, and A&J Production sound engineers, visited Bridgeport to assist in the filming of the music video, featuring an original song, Rat Woman, by Ouch!, an MDAC punk/noise band. All MDAC staff and artists were involved - acting, dancing, designing, or making scenery, props, and costumes. This month, the artists attending the MIXTAPE opening reception, meeting artists from such programs as LAND Studio and Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn, and Pure Vision, NYC. Ouch! band leader A. Martinez and leading lady J. Vecchione addressed the audience, thanking all those involved. MIXTAPE is on view at MoMA's Pullman Education and Research Building, through Feb. 27, and on MDAC's web site.
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| | Geoffrey Morris, owner of TownVibe that publishes Ridgefield Magazine and Fairfield Magazine, among others, has created the TownVibe Fund as a 501(c)(3) to partly support the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival (RIFF). Continuing his role as primary event and media sponsor of the Festival, Morris has taken on new executive roles with RIFF. Recognizing the need to broaden the scope and impact of RIFF to include events throughout the year, he has hired a new creative team and has a new ambitious mission to grow the festival into an "even larger celebration of film and community." The 2018 Festival will be four days (Oct. 18-21) with many community and social events, beginning with the Red Carpet fundraising kick-off and Oscar® Screening Party at the Aldrich Museum, Sun. March 4, 7:30pm.
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| | | | | ROLE OF LOCAL COMMUNITY MEDIA TRAINING AND FUNDING
Investing in Local Journalism and Storytelling: Examples from Place-Based Foundations, is an important new short report, commissioned by the Wyncote Foundation, profiling nine grantmakers — including community foundations and independent and family foundations rooted in place — and detailing their media funding approaches, their grantees’ work, and how together they foster community engagement and creative storytelling. Written by consultants Sarah Lutman, Jessica Fiala, and Anika Fajardo from Lutman & Associates, the report showcases innovative approaches to grantmaking and exemplifies funders in the field who understand the role of local media, journalism, and storytelling as key elements of an open and creative society. The report points out that local and regional funders have a unique capacity to complement national stories by supporting the creation and discovery of media that reports and listens, engages local communities, and elevates local voices and culture. It is media carried out by people who live and work in these same communities. The grantmakers highlighted in the report share the belief that funding media can reinforce their grantmaking priorities and strategies, illuminate community life in new ways, and lift up the stories and voices of people who are less visible within mainstream and commercial media outlets. |
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| IMPACT OF BOARD DIVERSITY DOES DIVERSITY AFFECT PROGRAMMING?
A new report, The Impact of Diversity: Understanding How Nonprofit Board Diversity Affects Philanthropy, Leadership, and Board Engagement, explores the correlations between board diversity and potential outcomes for leadership development and organizational growth by evaluating board member engagement, fundraising engagement, and advocacy engagement. The BoardSource study, produced with Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, found that gender and age diversity seem to play a role in board member engagement. "For example, boards with higher percentages of women tend to be more engaged in oversight and governance and have higher commitment and involvement, as do boards with higher percentages of members age 39 or younger," asserts the report’s findings. An article in Nonprofit Quarterly, "Making Your Board More Inclusive," picked up other themes, including the finding that "the older the board and the higher the budget, the lower the levels of diversity. Older organizations are likely to have higher levels of board involvement in fundraising. Those founded before 1900 had significantly higher percentages of board members who met with potential donors, asked others for money, and contributed themselves. They also tend to have higher board member engagement and were significantly more likely to be rated as highly committed and involved by their CEOs." See the article for two case studies taken from the report that show board transformation through an emphasis on board diversification.
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| | | | AMPHION FOUNDATION GRANT PROGRAM APRIL 1
The Amphion Foundation was established in 1987 to encourage the performance of contemporary concert music, particularly by American composers, through support to performing and presenting organizations that have demonstrated sustained artistic excellence. As part of this mission, the foundation is accepting applications from nonprofit performing ensembles for general operating support or for special projects. For the 2018 grant cycle, support will only be given to projects that begin between September 2018 and August 2019. (Under extraordinary circumstances, the foundation will consider projects that fall outside that period.) In general, grants will range between $1,000 and $7,500, although larger grants may be awarded to larger performing organizations with an extraordinary commitment to contemporary concert music or with a particularly significant project. To be eligible, applicants must be a nonprofit amateur choral ensemble or youth choir performing contemporary classical music at an exceptionally high artistic level. Applications may be submitted by publicly supported non-profit or fiscally-sponsored Performing Ensembles that have a history of substantial commitment to contemporary concert music at a high level of excellence. Organizations must have been in existence for at least two years. Please note that, in general, the grant program does not support jazz music. The Foundation does not accept proposals for:
commissions to composers; endowment funding; audio or audio-visual recordings of any kind; music publishing projects; projects that are part of the curriculum of an educational institution. Click here for complete program guidelines and application instructions. Deadline: April 1. |
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| | NEA: CHALLENGE AMERICA APRIL 12
The NEA's Challenge America grant offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify as underserved. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development. Challenge America grants: extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations; are limited to specific types of projects outlined below; are for a fixed amount of $10,000, and require a minimum $10,000 match. Partnerships can be valuable to the success of these projects. This category supports focused, distinct projects that take place over limited periods of time and involve limited geographic areas. Such projects generally are smaller in scale and shorter in duration than those in the Art Works category. All projects must extend the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. The involvement of experienced artists and arts professionals is essential. Each applicant must present a straightforward project that reflects only one of the three project types below. Grants are available only for: 1. Guest Artist project type, which refers to an arts event or events that features one or more guest artists, who must be engaged specifically for the proposed project. 2. Cultural Tourism, specifically the unified promotion of community-wide arts activities and/or the development of cultural tourism products to enhance public engagement with arts and culture in communities. 3. Public Art Projects, community-based and professionally directed visual arts projects. Guidelines and application here. |
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| | | | WILD APRICOT: WRITING A NEWSLETTERS YOUR MEMBERS WILL READ
In a recent Wild Apricot Blog, Tobi Johnson writes about some communications paradoxes that Newsletters seem to embody. She points out that, ironically, communicating online through digital newsletters can have the opposite reaction to what is expected: people feel more disconnected. There's a name for this: the Connectivity Paradox: the more connected we become, the more isolated we begin to feel. This distance grows the more we rely on virtual communications. So how best to respond to this "virtual distance" issue where trust, cooperation, role clarity and project success can drop precipitously? Of the different kinds of "Virtual Distance" (including physical distance - working in different time zones; and operational distance - psychological gaps arising from workplace issues) it's "Affinity Distance" - emotional disconnects due to lack of relationship information and development - that is the killer. Choosing topics for a newsletter that align with reducing "affinity distance" can help build trust and educate volunteers and members about their shared stake in the organization. So it's a good idea to address these issues:
● Cultural Distance - values and communications styles. Include topics such as: What We Believe; Our Values in Action; Reminders About Group Norms; Glossary of Slang Words
● Relationship Distance - a lack of shared history, including friends of friends. Include topics such as: the Organization’s “Birth” Story; Friends in Common; Neighborhood News; Team Report-Outs; Team Photos.
● Social Distance - Recognition based on formal status versus informal status; important for building trust. Include topics such as: Introductions of New Members; Kudos for Strong Effort; Congratulations for Results; Org. Chart & Who Does What
● Interdependence - Sense of shared future and fate, equal stake in outcome. Include topics such as: Current Team Action Plans; Member Polls & Surveys; Org’s Annual Highlights; “How We Did It” Stories; Customer Testimonials/Stories. To read the blog piece, click here. |
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| COMMON FIELD: A NEW ORGANIZATION FOR ARTISTS & THEIR ORGANIZATIONS
Common Field is a relatively new national network of independent visual arts organizations and organizers that connects, supports, and advocates for the artist-centered field. Founded in 2013, launched in 2015, Common Field became a 501(c)(3) in 2017. Its network has 700+ members across 43 states. Programs include national convenings, grants, research, resources, forums, meet-ups and advocacy. Its vision is to build understanding about artists' organizations and to build their capacity. Common Field’s network includes contemporary, experimental, noncommercial artist-centric organizations and organizers including alternative art spaces, publications, digital exhibition venues, residencies, platforms, collectives, collaboratives, and individual organizers. The network supports artists, connects artists with the public in experimental, and generative ways. MACHINE PROJECT X COMMON FIELD GUIDES (SEE ABOVE). Working with Machine Project (closing down after 15 years of experimentation) Common Field is publishing a series of toolkits available for FREE download: GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR OWN ART SPACE - ins and outs of conceptualizing, setting up, and running your own organization; GUIDE TO CURATING AND PLANNING EVENTS- basic ideas, philosophies, and techniques for event-based programming; and GUIDE TO WORKSHOPS - basic ideas, philosophies, and techniques for workshop-based programming. FIELD GRANTS provide grants of $500-1000 to support projects that generate exchange, connection, and thinking on arts organizing, projects and practices. Each grantee creates a report documenting their process. Stay tuned for 2018 Field Grant deadlines in the upcoming weeks! See Common Field website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.
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| | | NEW ENGLAND MUSEUM ASSOCIATION 100TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE - STAMFORD SESSION PROPOSALS DUE FEBRUARY 28
Session proposals for NEMA's 100th Annual Conference, held at The Hilton, Stamford, November 7-9, are due Feb. 28. Sessions are a variety of lengths: 30, 60 and 90 minutes long. A very few slots are available for double-length 180 minute sessions, generally best filled by hands-on, technique driven workshops. Conference sessions may be structured in anyone of the following ways, or by another means of delivery that is well thought out and described: ● Demonstration Station: 30-minute demonstration or presentation of a technique, project, or case study. Located in the exhibit hall, these fast-paced demonstrations are a low-tech, high-energy option.
● Debate: Find lively, knowledgeable speakers to present opposing views, plus a firm but open moderator.
● Guest speaker: Find a true expert everyone wants to hear.
● Showcase: Recruit 6-10 participants who will bring materials and create a browsing area on a topic.
● Panel Presentation: Panels will be limited to no more than 3 speakers plus a chair to ensure adequate time for presentations.
● Think Tank or Roundtable Discussion: Recruit a thoughtful, well-informed person for each table to facilitate discussion on a large-scale topic or interconnected topics.
● Creative or Introductory Workshop: Features at least one interactive segment or new skill building activity in a 90-minute slot.
● In-Depth Workshop: NEMA can accommodate hands-on instruction in a three-hour “double-session” timeslot. |
| | | | | | NOMINATE AN ARTS HERO!
The Arts Hero Awards honor Connecticut residents who are doing extraordinary things in, for or through the arts. The 2018 Arts Hero Awards theme is RESILIENCY! Resilience is that ineffable quality that allows people to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and to keep going in the face of adversity. Do you know a someone who is resilient and is doing extraordinary things in, for or through the arts in their community? If yes, please nominate them for a 2018 Arts Hero Award! You can do so by completing the nomination form. Submission deadline is Friday, March 23, 2018. The 2018 Arts Hero Awards will be presented on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 as part of Connecticut Arts Day 2018! NOMINATE HERE |
| | 2018 CONNECTICUT ARTS DAY
SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 25, 2018
COA in partnership with the State's nine Regional Service Organizations and the Connecticut Arts Alliance will present Connecticut Arts Day 2018 on April 25, 2018. Connecticut Arts Day celebrates Connecticut’s investment in and support of the arts and reaffirms the significant role the arts play in our state. The day includes networking opportunities, workshops, performances, and interactive opportunities. The 2018 theme is Resiliency! Connecticut Arts Day 2018 will begin at Hartford Stage! Stay tuned for detail
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| | | | | | CREATIVE ARTS WORKSHOP REGISTRAR
Creative Arts Workshop, a nonprofit visual arts school and gallery in downtown New Haven, CT seeks a full-time registrar to start immediately. The successful candidate will join a dynamic team of professionals under new leadership who are dedicated to CAW’s mission, to building a thriving and sustainable institution, and to providing high quality arts instruction, experiences and studio environments for its loyal and growing new audiences. As part of realizing the vision for CAW, the registrar will work towards measurable goals to increase enrollment, increase the number, variety and composition of its workshops and classes, and ensure greater profitability of the school. The registrar will work with the faculty, department heads and the Executive Director to achieve these goals by developing and producing a rich, vibrant, and relevant curriculum each semester that are part of a cohesive whole and competitive in the marketplace. The registrar’s responsibilities will include, but not be limited to registration activities for classes and workshops, curriculum development and delivery with faculty, producing the four-times-a-year online and print catalogs, providing excellent customer service, and working toward measurable goals of increasing enrollment and revenue from tuition. Additional details on activities and responsibilities and a full position description can be found here. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the entire position description before applying. |
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| I-PARK
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The I-Park Foundation seeks an inspirational, highly collaborative leader as executive director, to commit their skills and energies to the important work of nurturing the creative practices of highly talented artists who are powering the cultural vanguard. With generous, reliable operational and financial support from the board, the Executive Director (ED) will continue to professionalize and streamline operations without losing sight of the daily mission: helping to remove obstacles to artists’ productivity, encouraging a healthy balance between solitary studio time and time for collegial exchanges – and safeguarding the artists’ privacy and tranquility, while providing for their physical comfort and safety. The ED will commit to accelerating organizational development and to a smooth, respectful transition from a founder-led culture, seventeen years in the making, that has facilitated almost 900 fully funded residencies, innovative programming and growing recognition within the field. In this transition, the board and ED will be aided by external resources to ensure that the ED position is empowered with an appropriate level of operational autonomy in the context of strategic board oversight. During, and beyond, this most exciting moment in the organization’s evolution, the ED will agree to sustain the values upon which I-Park was founded: kindness, attentiveness and authenticity. Under the guidance of the Board of Directors, and with both internal- and external-facing responsibilities, the ED will provide the expertise and direction necessary to fulfill the organization’s mission as it continues to grow. For full position description click here. To Apply click here. |
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| | | WADSWORTH ATHENEUM DIRECTOR OF MARKETING MARCH 9
The Wadsworth Atheneum seeks a marketing professional with significant experience and creative energy to lead and coordinate its institution-wide approach to growing our audience as Director of Marketing. All aspects of brand development, strategic partnerships, promotions, and media relations are encompassed by this role, as well as participation on the senior management team. Ideal qualifications include: a sophisticated visual aesthetic appropriate to an art museum setting; superb poise, presentation and public speaking skills; and a high level of professional integrity, diplomacy, and discretion. Key competencies range from a unique ability to transform relationships into substantive partnerships; applying your passion for the arts through creative story-telling and audience-centric marketing; to flexible writing skills which can transform content for every channel; and use of your ability to influence, empathize, and collaborate to understand and connect with our audience. Essential responsibilities: Lead, create, manage, and implement multi-year marketing and promotions which support the institution’s strategic priorities. Manage the institution’s aesthetic vision and voice in all content development. Take ownership and lead strategy and relationships related to public relations activities, publications, media relations, and advertising campaigns, press previews, and special events. Identify and leverage cross-marketing opportunities with a variety of community, state, and regional partners. Serve as spokesperson for the institution in the community, the field, and media. Send cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Attn: HR Dept, 600 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103, or to HR@wadsworthatheneum.org Deadline for applications: March 9, 2017. The Wadsworth Atheneum is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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| PRUDENCE CRANDALL MUSEUM CURATOR/SITE ADMINISTRATOR
The Prudence Crandall Museum seeks a forward-thinking, experienced Museum Curator/Site Superintendent to assume the leadership of this national historic landmark as it enters a period of organizational growth, guided by a new vision that embeds Prudence Crandall, Sarah Harris and the Academy students in the national conversation about racism, sexism and injustice in America. The successful candidate will be able to imagine what the site could be, and develop and carry-out strategies to make the vision a reality. As the only staff person regularly on-site, responsibilities are diverse, including but not limited to: oversight of all aspects of the museum’s daily operations, overseeing seasonal staff and docents (junior and adult), working collaboratively with the Friends organization, building relationships with local, state and national organizations, performing curatorial functions, program planning and execution, exhibit research, design and installation, and representing the museum effectively to its stakeholders and to the public. Qualifications: Proven success in coordinating staff and volunteers, including team-oriented working styles; highly organized, detail-oriented and results-driven; articulate communicator with strong written and public speaking skills; relationship-building skills; demonstrated ability to solve problems both independently and as a team; ability to work within the proscribed processes associated with the state system; demonstrated knowledge and use of current technologies, including social media; deep understanding of best practices in history museums; experience with the care and restoration of historic structures; experience interpreting African American history, Women’s history, and/or Native American history; and experience working or living in a rural setting. The ideal candidate will be an active participant/leader in the museum community with an understanding of current trends; be curious and ask questions; show a commitment to continuing education; be optimistic, enthusiastic and flexible, and have a sense of humor. PLEASE APPLY HERE by March 22, 2018.
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| | | | | MEMBERS: Please post your Job Opportunities in FCBuzz Classifieds: http://fcbuzz.org/classified/jobs/ |
| | | | | MARCH
April 12: NEA Challenge America Application Deadline (register by March 21)
MAY
JUNE June 20: NEA: Register/renew Grants.gov/SAM registration for July 12 ArtWorks deadline
JULY July 12: NEA: ArtWorks Application Deadline |
| | The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are very grateful for the support of our individual and organization members, our individual donors and the following organizations. |
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