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| | The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a nonprofit membership 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. See member benefits here. Join here.. |
| All links in green connect to information on our website See previous issues of Artists Newsletter here. |
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| SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW: THE MUSIC MUST GO ON! |
| If you missed the live broadcast of the June edition of our monthly Spotlight on Arts & Culture, tune in on our SPOTLIGHT podcast on Soundcloud. Hear representatives of five towns that are producing Make Music Day 2020, across Fairfield County, as part of the worldwide celebration of music on the first day of summer, JUNE 21. Tune in to hear Kate Cook, with Stamford Downtown, Jennifer DiLaura, Ridgefield Arts Council, Colin Healy, Coastal Arts Guild, Stratford, Suzanne Kachmar, Bridgeport Art Trail, and Linda Kavanagh, Norwalk Now, to hear what they have planned and why they believe keeping Make Music Day going is especially important this year.
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| | #CAFCARTISTOFTHE DAYArtist members of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County are invited to email your work to become our #CAFCArtistoftheDay on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, Tuesday - Sunday. Email an image of a work of art created during the current crisis, to david@culturalalliancefc.org along with its title and details of the piece and a few sentences describing the thoughts or feelings that triggered the work. JOIN IN!! |
| | | | The Cultural Alliance, in partnership with Beechwood Arts & Innovation, is offering The Virtual Innovation Challenge for artists in all media to create innovative, interactive, virtual programs that can generate income. Submitted work will be judged on its ability to: be innovative in its presentation; be interactive, engaging its audience to include feedback and interactivity; and incorporate an ability to generate income for the artist(s). Applicants need to state: WHAT the program is; HOW it works; and WHY it is innovative. Artists may develop and submit their work using any digital platform that has a URL. Applicants must be a current member of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County; non-members may join before submitting. Prizes of $2,000, $1,250 and $750 will be awarded the top three submissions. Jurors are: Holly Danger ; Frederic Chiu and Jeanine Esposito; Peter Van Heerden, and Cheryl Williams. Winning works will be shown in a special presentation of Beechwood’s interactive virtual The WE Events. DEADLINE: June 30, 2020. Apply here |
| | | Artist members now have a new feature on their profile pages on our website. A new "Store Link" field on your "My Membership" page (alongside your social media boxes) will enable you to add the URL for your account with Etsy, Sothebys, 1stDibs, or any other art sales site that you have an account with. |
| | ❦ – Latest List by Town of Organization and Creative Business Members: here
❦ – Latest List by Town of Artist Members: here |
| | | | | | TIFFANY R. JACKSON Dr. Tiffany Renée Jackson is a groundbreaking, highly recognized classical and jazz singer, body builder, nutrition specialist and teacher. She was raised in New Haven, where she attended the Educational Center for the Arts before earning her Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan, Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale University, Professional Studies Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Doctoral of Musical Arts from the University of Connecticut. Tiffany has an extensive signing career, spanning both classical and jazz. In the classical arena, after honing her craft with the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she sang with orchestras and symphonies around the world in Norway, Slovenia, Germany, and others, as part of her Metropolitan Opera Study Grant, and has been a featured soloist with many symphony orchestras. She sings in premier festivals such as Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen Music Festivals and in many of the worlds top venues including Carnegie Hall, making her debut in 2005. In the jazz world, Dr. Jackson is known for her interpretations of the music of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington. She has appeared at the Blue Note NYC, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Dr. Jackson can be heard on recordings with Emmy Award winning pianist, composer and educator, Dr. Rex Cadwallader. In 2003, she was chosen to accompany Oprah Winfrey to South Africa where she met Nelson Mandela at the World Aids Day Concert in Cape Town. As a teacher, she has taught in several private schools including Greens Farms Academy and Choate Rosemary Hall where she is currently a voice instructor. She has also received Certifications as a Sports Nutrition Specialist and Personal Trainer and brought her talents together in 2011 when she appeared on “America’s Got Talent”, performing as “Necessarydiva” the opera singing bodybuilder! These diverse paths led Dr. Jackson to create a one woman show, “From the Hood to the Ivy League” and establish a nonprofit organization, “Gift Purpose Passion Project Inc.” that helps students to hone their gifts, discover their purpose and nurture their passion. In addition, through her non-profit, this project will endeavor to provide resources to gifted musicians in underrepresented communities. See Tiffany's website, Facebook and Instagram pages.
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| | NORMA MINKOWITZ Norma Minkowitz works primarily in fiber. Now known for her representational mesh sculptures and wearable pieces, Norma began her art career creating pen-and-ink drawings. She was exposed to both drawing and textiles at an early age, but focused on drawing while studying at the Cooper Union Art School in New York in 1958. She transitioned to working in fiber and now understands her practice in relation to both mediums. In particular, she associates the threads she uses to construct her sculptures with the intimacy of a hand-drawn line. Her sculptural works have also often been associated with vessels or nets, seeming to simultaneously to protect and ensnare. She writes: "Drawing continues to be important to me and I find that the threads and wires I use mimic the cross hatching and irregularities of my pen and ink drawings. My sculpture evolves into a three dimensional drawing. Recently I have been filling the open spaces of the fiber's netting with modeling paste having plaster-like consistency. This process creates a surface that focuses on and highlights the lines I draw with stitches, introducing a bas relief of concept, energy and movement. I often highlight these drawn lines with colors of paint." A notable figure within the fiber art movement of the 1970s, Norma has exhibited widely and has work in 32 museums, from Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Cooper Hewitt Museum, NY, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 2015, her artist papers were selected to be included in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, and in 2009 she was awarded a Master of the Medium Award from the James Renwick Alliance. Minkowitz was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2003. See her website and Facebook page |
| | | | | | | | Congratulations to Anonymous, Alicia Cobb, Jill Nichols, Nadia Martinez, Ben Quesnel, and Rene Soto for being awarded the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) Artist Respond Grant created to provide funding to artists and teaching artists to support the creation and presentation of free and accessible on-line arts-based experiences, learning opportunities and services to audiences across Connecticut - and beyond - using the World Wide Web. |
| | | | Anonymous was one of 73 artists awarded the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) Artist Respond Grant. At the onset of the pandemic, this artist shifted from one fiber art form to another, knitting. Since March 13, she's been knitting non-stop attaching snakes, banners, and bark scarves to willing models ranging from sign posts, to trees and has "balmed" over 30 sites (some had multiple pieces). She calls her project aKNITdote and, as it is ongoing and unpredictable like this pandemic, her Yarnbalming (yarnbombing) serves as a salve for herself and humorous therapy for others. She is so thankful for the generous gift from COA to help support her work so she can keep at it. It is meant to be discovered, induce smiling, and start conversations. See more @yarnbalmer on instagram |
| | Leslee Asch, former executive director of Silvermine Arts Center, and current committee member and curator at the Flinn Gallery, has just completed a book about her experience with the Henson International Festivals of Puppet Theater. Out of the Shadows presents a visually rich narrative of the festivals and their continued legacy, including a comprehensive look at the contemporary puppet theater landscape. Leslee worked with Jim Henson and The Jim Henson Company for more than twenty years. On Tuesday, June 23 at 9am, Leslee will be a guest on Pamela Kuhn’s Center Stage on WGCH radio. Part Two will air Tuesday, June 30. Thursday, June 25 at 4:00 pm, Leslee will be a guest on Barbara Ehrentreu’s Blog Talk Radio program, Tales from the Pages. |
| | | | Since the pandemic began, Alicia Cobb spent close to 20 hours of lesson planning and provided 51 one-hour, virtual art lessons to students of all ages, all over the U.S. as well as India, Russia, the Netherlands and Canada. The classes were all recorded live and remain in a special playlist on her Facebook page. She is now starting a paid, virtual summer camp on June 15. Congratulations on winning the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) Artist Respond Grant. |
| | Bridgeport artist Carlos Davila is one of the eight juried artists to participate in the New Canaan Sculpture Trail. His work, "Sugar Maple," is intended to be a stylized, abstract representation of one of New England’s most iconic trees; the sugar maple. Constructed using composite materials and steel hardware, the 10-foot tall piece is a stark contrast to the surrounding trees at Livingston-Higley Preserve, at the end of Apple Tree Lane in New Canaan. The New Canaan Sculpture Trail was created by the New Canaan Land Trust, in partnership with the Carriage Barn Arts Center, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. A Virtual Summer Sculpture Soiree is planned for June 19. |
| | Eugenie Diserio has two paintings on exhibit in the Carriage Barn Art Center's annual Art in the Windows in downtown New Canaan through July 4. Feel Flows (acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48") is at StudiO and Sea Of Love (acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48") is at Connecticut Power Yoga. Eugenie says, "Despite these venues still being closed, it's great to have the paintings out there and in closeup "live view" for passersby." Eugenie also has In Through The Out Door (acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36") in Ridgefield Guild of Artists upcoming Bedlam@Home, a virtual online show that's a bit "off the grid" June 27 - July 25. |
| | Lori Glavin has a one-person exhibit at The George Gallery in Charleston, SC which has been extended. “My abstract paintings and monotypes are inspired by a fresh examination of the familiar. Influenced by the repetitions and rhythms of domestic life, I collect, combine, and sort; alternating between large shapes and small bits to make an arrangement of nuanced color and shape that becomes a monument to minutiae,” says Lori. Her work is also on display in a group exhibit at the Blueprint Gallery in Dallas, which recently reopened to the public. |
| | Jana Ireijo's Vanishing Koala has been accepted into the online exhibit, Solstice: Create Art for the Earth at the Turner Carroll Gallery, opening June 20, 2020. "This koala mural would be drawn on an exterior wall with found charcoal from the Australian bushfires. It will eventually vanish due to environmental factors such as weather and people interacting with it," says Jana.
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| | Niki Ketchman is thrilled to have her sculpture, “15,000 Roses” included in the Virtual Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden Exhibition which will be on view online for an entire year. Other artists selected for the show come from New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Arizona, as well as Japan, Morocco, Finland, Germany and Iceland. To see the entire exhibit including artist statements, click here... |
| | Julia-Rose Liptak's piece Explorer (Acrylic, oil pastel, fabric, and mixed media on paper 10" x 8") has been accepted into the Focus Under Forty Juried Exhibition at the Rowayton Arts Center. The exhibit can be viewed online until July 5. According to Julia, "Texture is a current focus in my work and collage is a new medium in my artistic journey. The various elements in this piece aim to investigate the contrast between boundaries, possibilities, and transformation." |
| | Lina Morielli's “Cellular Manifestation” series and Ellen Gordon's "Crazy Town" series have been installed at a Pop Up window display on Bedford Street in Stamford. Ellen is a Stamford-based mixed media artist. Her finished work speaks about the creative magic that happens when inspiration and form collide. Lina is an artist/arts activist and has been in involved in many aspects of the local art scene in the Stamford since 1987. |
| | Jill Harrington Nichols was one of 73 artists awarded the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) Artist Respond Grant. The $1,000 grant will facilitate her online painting classes, kicking off in early July. Other projects include the installation of Phi (8'x4') Though the Vatican Observatory is currently closed, the installation of the Carina Nebula continues. Jill's piece, Grand Canyon is scheduled to be on set of CBS mini-series about James Comey, based on his book, A Higher Loyalty. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, The Weston Arts Commission at the Weston Library planned an exhibit, featuring one of Jill's works. The exhibit is now on view online: Water- Element, Source, Life, Energy. |
| | | | Ben Quesnel and Michael Manning are grateful recipients of The Artist Respond Grant from The CT Office of the Arts (COA), in support of their "Developing Artist Program." The participating contemporary artists will be contributing to their online interview series, which will be paired with an accompanying art lesson plan for students and educators to use. The Developing Artist Program was established to encourage, develop and inspire future artists enrolled in secondary school by exploring studio practices of emerging and established contemporary artists. Learn More... |
| | Rene Soto is a receipient of the Artist Respond Grant from The CT Office of the Arts (COA). Rene plans a Zoom Art Experience, The Way I See My World (TWISMW), which was piloted for the STAR Program earlier in 2020 both as a live art class as well as an online program. The STAR Program, based in Norwalk, serves disabled adults. |
| | Trish Wend is pleased to announce that her painting Glissando was juried into the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society Spring Online International Exhibition. NOAPS supports artists around the world in striving for artistic excellence by recognizing great art, enriching education, enhancing skills, challenging abilities and expanding marketing opportunities. |
| | | | | ARTWORLD LOSES CHRISTO, FEARLESS MAKER OF MASSIVE PUBLIC ARTWORKS
Christo, who with his wife and partner, Jeanne-Claude, used sculpture as a means to dramatically shift people’s understanding of iconic structures and sites, has died of natural causes at 84. “Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it,” a statement released by the artist's office reads. “Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s artwork brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories.” The news comes as Christo was in the midst of one of his most ambitious projects to date, a project involving plans to wrap Paris’s Arc de Triomphe in 269,097 square feet of fabric. First conceived in 1962 by Christo and Jeanne-Claude and titled L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris, Place de l’Étoile – Charles de Gaulle), the project is still expected to be executed in September 2021. Full ARTNews article...
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| | ART SPIEL: HOW ARTISTS ARE COPING DURING THE PANDEMIC
During the Coronavirus pandemic, Art Spiel is reaching out to artists to learn how they are coping. Sharing her insights this month is Suzan Shutan, who lives and works in New Haven. Susan is a sculptor and installation artist who creates room sized environments and smaller hybrid objects that explore the architecture of nature and organic growth. Paper and fiber are her main materials, forming patterns through repetition. Her work represents cellular structures, pathogens and toxins. Full ART SPIEL article...
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| | HOW THE CORONAVIRUS IS AFFECTING MUSEUMS
Temperature scans, obligatory online reservations, enforced social distancing, and sanitizing stations—these are just some of the ways your next museum visit might look different from in the past. As U.S. states and other countries gingerly emerge from lockdown, museums and cultural institutions have to comply with new government-mandated health and safety protocols and find ways to entice visitors—many of whom are now wary of spending time in enclosed spaces with strangers—back, all while dealing with the economic strife caused by the shutdowns. For some art and design lovers, the experience of living under lockdown for months has given them a new appreciation for museums and the artistic treasures they contain. Beloved cultural institutions are in trouble—this is what’s at stake and how you can help. Full ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST article...
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| | | | FAIRFIELD COUNTY CHILDREN'S CHOIR AUDITIONS
The Fairfield County Children’s Choir is holding auditions on Zoom for its upcoming season. FCCC is a community choral program that provides youth in grades 4 - 12 exceptional musical training and the opportunity to perform in the community and around the world. There will be NO registration fee or tuition payments due until rehearsals begin. For more information and to set up an audition, email manager@SingFCCC.org. |
| | SCULPTURE CENTER IN PRACTICE JUNE 15
SculptureCenter's In Practice open call program, supporting emerging artists in creating new work for exhibition at SculptureCenter, is now open. The application deadline is June 15. Since 2003, In Practice has supported more than 200 emerging artists with the essential resources of space, funding, time, curatorial support, and administrative guidance to help turn their ideas into reality. Sculpture Center's program encourages artists and audiences to explore the possibilities of sculpture and the multifarious ways in which sculpture is developing and connecting to other forms of expression, including installation, video, performance, architecture, and other media. Application details... |
| | MARITIME GARAGE GALLERY VIRTUAL EXHIBITION JUNE 15
The Maritime Garage Gallery is excited to present its first online virtual gallery exhibit titled – 'Strength Through Unity'. Artists are encouraged to enter artwork depicting the unity and strength of humanity given the current situation with the global pandemic. The theme is intended for positive images in the spirit of kindness, support, Togetherness, and hope. All accepted pieces will be displayed throughout the month of May and June on the Maritime Garage Gallery’s social media (Facebook and Instagram). Curated by Robert Abriola. Submission Dates: May 8 – June 15. Submission Process: Email to maritimegallery@norwalkpark.org |
| | BRUCE MUSEUM FINE ART FESTIVAL CALL FOR ARTISTS JUNE 30
The 39th Annual Outdoor Arts Festival of the Bruce Museum is scheduled for October 10-11 at the Museum grounds in Greenwich. The Festival is juried for the best in original, contemporary fine arts. Application deadline is June 30. |
| | SILVERMINE ART CENTER CALL FOR ARTISTS 70TH A•ONE JULY 15
Juried by Barbara O’Brien, an independent curator and critic, 70th A•ONE is a national competition/exhibition, hosted by Silvermine Art Center Galleries, highlighting the diversity of work that is currently being made by established and emerging artists. Open to all artists, 18 years of age and older, residing in the United States. Original artwork in any media excluding sound and video. Giclée reproductions of original works will not be accepted. Eligible artwork must have been completed after January 1, 2018. Application details... |
| | BENNETT PRIZE SOLO EXHIBITION BY WOMAN FIGURATIVE ARTIST OCTOBER 16
The call for entries is now open for The Bennett Prize, which awards $50,000 to a woman artist to create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings that will travel the country. All women figurative realist painters are cordially invited to submit their work. The Bennett Prize was founded by art collectors, curators, and philanthropists Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt. It seeks to propel the careers of women figurative realist painters who have not yet realized full professional recognition. The call for entries is open through October 16, 2020. The jury will select 10 finalists and the winner will be announced in May 2021 at the opening reception for the finalists’ exhibition at the Muskegon Museum of Art in Michigan, which will host the exhibition through early September. Given the economic hardship caused by COVID-19, the entry fee has been halved to $25. At left: Dianne Gall, Everybody Knows (2017, oil on linen, 60x66). |
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PERFORMING ARTISTS GRANTS AVAILABLE JULY 31
The Guilford Performing Arts Festival is offering six Artists' Awards and a total of $15,000 in grants to Connecticut performing artists who create original, new work for premiere at the 2021 festival. Awards will be given in music, dance, drama and spoken word. Recipients will be announced in late summer or early fall. The dance award will be named the Carol Sirot Artists' Award in Dance in gratitude for a generous donation made by the Guilford resident, which funded the award in entirety. The music award will be named the Donn Trenner Artists' Award in Music, celebrating the career of the incomparable pianist, musical director, conductor, arranger and Guilford resident. Apply here...
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CT OFFICE OF THE ARTS ARTISTS FELLOWSHIPS
The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) expects the schedule for the 2020 Artist Fellowship Program:to be along these lines:Release of Program Guidelines & Application: June 2020
Application Deadline: September 2020
Award Notification: Late November 2020
Funding Period: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021 |
| | | Recommended Sources for Calls and for Opportunities |
| | | | AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE JUNE 23-25
Registration is now open for the 2020 Annual Convention and Public Art & Civic Design Conference! This newly virtual convening, happening June 23-25 from the comfort of your home, is the chance for arts leaders across the country to gather virtually and better understand the current health crisis, how we are responding to it, and how the arts field can move toward recovery. In this challenging time, artists and arts organizations have united to advocate for the arts, are imagining new ways of artistic practice, and continue to serve their communities with resilience and compassion. That’s why this year’s sessions are centered on how we guide the arts through this crisis and the upcoming recovery. Save your spot... |
| | | | CT AUDUBON MEMBERSHIP MANAGER The CT Audubon Society Membership/Annual Fund Manager is responsible for growing the membership base, renewing and upgrading member support, and strengthening relationships with current members below the major donor level. They are accountable for meeting annual donation goals for donors who contribute less than $1,000 annually, in conjunction with the Director of Development. The Manager develops and implements strategy for direct mail and electronic fundraising, member level communications and cultivation efforts, including events and member benefits. Further responsible for setting standards and providing content for the member services function, including tiered gift acknowledgments, member benefit mailings, and telephone communications. See full job description... |
| | DAVID SCOTT PARKER WRITER/ SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT David Scott Parker Architects seeks a full-time executive assistant with a background in art history and/or architecture to join our small-but-growing firm in Southport, CT. Our ideal candidate is self-starting, proactive, resourceful, impeccably organized, and an excellent communicator. A background and/or demonstrable interest in architecture, historic preservation, and/or art history is helpful. Submission of examples of writing, previously assembled presentations, examples of social media outlets managed, etc. is encouraged. See full job description... |
| | POLYPHONY FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Polyphony Foundation is seeking an Executive Director to support Polyphony’s activities in the U.S. and Israel through institutional advancement, strategic planning, and day-to-day management. The Polyphony Foundation, based in Stamford, aims to help bridge the divide between Arab and Jewish communities in Israel through music and to serve as a worldwide model for cooperation based on cultural exchange, dialogue, and partnership. The ED sets the organization’s tone, is responsible for building a strong reputation for and awareness of the Foundation’s mission, and for nurturing successful relationships with board members, funders and the greater community. Application deadline: June 30, 2020. Full informaton here... |
| | TRIANGLE COMMUNITY CENTER DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENTSince 1990 Triangle Community Center has been Fairfield County's leading provider of LGBTQ programming and resources to nurture growth and connection within the community. The Development Director is responsible for the creation and implementation of a Development plan to raise significant funds for TCC from major gifts, corporate sponsorships, annual campaigns, special events and grants. Duties include overseeing and managing fundraising efforts, building strong and successful relationships with donors and volunteers, and collaborating with staff to effectively execute all fundraising activities. Full informaton here... |
| | ONE RIVER SCHOOL SUMMER ART INSTRUCTORSOne River School of Art & Design, a company whose mission is to "transform art education", is looking for part time visual art instructors to teach summer camps. We are looking for hard-working, team players who love helping people learn and are motivated to grow. The ideal candidate is a thoughtful art educator with a proven track record of delivering engaging and student centric experiences in the classroom. We are looking for people who are enthusiastic about art, focused on great student outcomes and also want to make sure that their students students have fun. See career opportunities here... |
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JOBS, FOR SALE, FOR RENT, VOLUNTEERS, AND CALLS FOR ARTISTS - CONSULT AND POST IN OUR CLASSIFIEDS |
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June 15: Sculpture Center In Practice Open Call Deadline
JULY
AUGUST
ROLLING DEADLINES Gottlieb Foundation: Emergency Grant Program (painters, printmakers, and sculptors) ioby/ArtPlace America: Artists Lead!: creative placemaking crowdfunding plus |
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| | | 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. Donations are always very welcome and may be made here. In particular, we are grateful for support from: |
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