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News and Opportunities for the Cultural Nonprofits and Creative Services of Fairfield County, CT |
| | | 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. Find out more and sign up here. |
| All links in green link to pages on our website |
| | | | CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY OFFERS NEW GRANT WRITING PROGRAM |
| Our new Funding Booster Program is free and open to all members. It will provide monthly workshops, drop-in grant clinics to help you with specific grant writing challenges, one-on-one sessions with grant writing expert Jessica Morozowich, regional meetings and panel discussions with funders, and more. To apply, and to help us better understand participants’ levels of experience with grant applications, please complete this form. Under our leadership, this program partners with CT Office of the Arts, CT Humanities, New England Foundation for the Arts, and Office of U.S. Representative Jim Himes, CT 4th District.
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| | NEW WEB PAGE RESOURCES ON CAFC WEBSITE |
| | | The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County has recently added new webpages to its website. In addition to the new Funding Booster program, it has created an Economic Impact of Arts & Culture page that brings together research and data on the economic impact of just the nonprofit arts and culture industry as well as the combined for-profit and nonprofit arts and culture sector. In addition it has created an Arts & Culture Infrastructure page that lays out the national, regional, and local infrastructure that supports arts and culture. Check out these and more under the Resources tab of the website. |
| | JUNE SPOTLIGHT ON ARTS & CULTURE THIS MONDAY JUNE 14 MAKE MUSIC DAY FAIRFIELD COUNTY 2021
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| | | Our June 14th Spotlight on Arts & Culture radio show on WPKN 89.5 FM, will be dedicated to Make Music Day, June 21, with representatives from each of the towns talking about their offerings and presenting samples of the music you can hear. Learn more about what each town is planning: Bridgeport, Fairfield, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Stamford, Stratford. Hear past podcasts. |
| | YOU SHOP...AMAZON DONATES TO THE CULTURAL ALLIANCE JUNE 21-22 |
| | Amazon Prime Day is happening June 21-22. This is an opportunity to increase your AmazonSmile donations to your favorite nonprofit organization - The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County! Sign up for AmazonSmile and select Cultural Alliance Of Fairfield County Inc as your preferred charity at smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3434503. Remember to shop for deals at smile.amazon.com, or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon app, and AmazonSmile will donate to us at no cost to you." |
| | OUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGE DEDICATED TO KIDS AND TEENS |
| | | In an effort to serve young people with interests, activities, and ambitions in the arts and culture, we have created two new spaces for KIDS & TEENS. First, a Facebook Page and Group: FCBuzz Kids & Teens. Please "like", post to, and spread the word to teachers, parents - and kids and teens! We also have a dedicated CLASSIFIEDS category for Kids & Teens. Please POST any resources, opportunities, contests, etc. to both spaces, and please spread the word to parents, teachers and young people so that we have an audience for these new resources. |
| | | | CITY OF BRIDGEPORT
Mayor: Joe Ganim. Known fondly as the "Park City" - the City of Bridgeport has 1,300 acres of public park space for recreation and enjoyment by residents and visitors. Bridgeport is home to hundreds of working artists, musicians, performers, and creatives. The diversity of the art scene here is evident in our various neighborhoods, galleries, and spaces. Explore all that the Park City has to offer with colors, cultures and cuisines! See website, Facebook and Instagram pages |
| | HONORINE GOLF CLASSIC
The Honorine Golf Classic was established in memory of Anthony & Marcelle Gance, who generously supported St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for many years. The tournament is named after Marcelle, whose French middle name is “Honorine.” For many years the tournament donated all of its net proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, contributing well over $130,000. Today the tournament still carries on this tradition by donating a portion of its proceeds to the hospital. This year the Honorine Golf Classic is thrilled to announce support for an additional fantastic children’s cause that is closer to home here in Connecticut. Starting in 2021, the event will donate a large portion of its proceeds to the Hole in the Wall Gang, where seriously ill children can enjoy some serious fun. See Honorine's website, Facebook and Instagram pages. |
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| | | The Ballet School of Stamford and the New York City based dance company Parsons Dance, that has an international reputation, are pleased to announce that they will create a new studio in Stamford Town Center that will allow The Ballet School to increase its dance training programs in Fairfield County, and give Parsons Dance a place for intensive rehearsal residencies. The administrative and artistic staff of Parsons Dance will continue to operate from its New York City home. The mission of Parsons Dance is to bring life-affirming performances and joy to audiences worldwide and, through education and outreach programs, to sustain an appreciation for dance.
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| | The Bruce Museum is creating a New Bruce Community Mural to celebrate it's reopening. Museum Educators invite the public to participate in an in-person art project on weekends through June, creating their own work of art inspired by the Museum’s collections and the new exhibitions of art and science that will be on view once the building project, and renovations to the current Museum building, are completed. The tiles will be added to a special installation alongside the construction fence at the Museum’s entrance and displayed throughout the summer. More...
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| | The Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) has collaborated with The Mary & Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community and local artist Aisha Nailah to produce a public mural commemorating the legacy of Bridgeport heroes Mary and Eliza Freeman. The mural was unveiled on June 5. The process to create the mural engaged neighborhood stakeholders to add to the growing network of murals in pedestrian plazas, creating a pathway connected by visual art through different elements of the neighborhood. Read more...
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Bridgeport’s Downtown Cabaret Theatre like so many other performing arts venues was devastated by the blow suffered from the impact of the pandemic. Director Hugh Hallinan reports that in his four-decade tenure at the Theatre he had never met a challenge so great as trying to figure out a scenario for reopening, scarred as he and his staff were from the emotional and financial toll of trying to figure out a way out of the disaster of having to close for business for so long. The first rays of hope came when the Cabaret’s patrons started to donate their purchased tickets back to the theatre and contributed to fundraising efforts at the end of 2020. Hope also came with the almost fatally-flawed Shuttered Venues Operators Grant (SVOG) program, run by the SBA. With the news last week that the Cabaret had been awarded $541,000 (45% of lost revenues), Hugh knew he had the lifeboat needed to come back in a humane way and enjoy the process of putting the worst 18 months of the Cabaret's history behind them. Congratulations and safe sailing ahead!
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| | The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum has has received a donation of outstanding Herter Brothers furniture from R. Joseph Wiessinger, a collector and resident of Belleair, FL, and frequent LMMM visitor. LMMM’s new acquisition will be displayed for viewing in the Museum’s Period Rooms.
Mr. Wiessinger has been an avid collector of Herter Brothers furniture for the past forty years. LMMM has an extensive Herter Brothers furniture collection and the Herters’ woodwork can be seen throughout the house. Charles D. Mathews’ daughter, Florence, who lived at the Mansion until her death in 1938, wrote about the Herters’ furniture in her diary. The furniture described had been ordered by the Lockwoods, but they never received it due to their entanglement in the first Black Friday on Wall Street and subsequent loss of their fortune.
In other news, LMMM announced that Kathleen Custis, Reverend Roosevelt Ewell, and Pamela Murrin have joined the Board of Trustees.
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| | | The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk announces the opening of “Pinniped Cove,” the new home for the five harbor seals that have resided at the Aquarium for decades. “Pinniped Cove” offers 160,000 gallons of water – eight times the size of their original habitat – and depths of 22 feet – a deeper habitat than several seals have seen in more than 30 years. The seals can explore underwater caves and crevices, and haul out to rest on a variety of rock outcroppings. For The Maritime Aquarium, “Pinniped Cove” becomes the largest aquatic display, as well as the physical and spiritual center of the Aquarium. |
| | | The Norwalk Art Space had a spectacular opening weekend, with a preview of the café's food, a ribbon cutting with Mayor Rilling and Senator Blumenthal in attendance, tours of Resident Artists' studios, and some phenomenal music from an immense range of musicians and dancers from many cultures. Opening with an exhibit of Resident Artists and Korry Fellow Artists, the Space will soon kick off with a high school art contest, summer workshops for high-school students, music concerts and a promising exhibit of the work of Jahmane and Adger Cowans opening in July. See short video at right. |
| | | Combining the magic of reading and Redding’s uniquely scenic natural backdrop, the Mark Twain Library has created enchanting pathways around town, each featuring a different picture book. StoryWalk® is an innovative way for all ages to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. The idea was created by Anne Ferguson, a chronic disease prevention specialist in Montpelier, VT, in 2007, in conjunction with Rachel Senechal from the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Knowing that physical activity is a key component to good health, her goal was to initiate an activity that would keep families moving. But she found that no matter what the offering, adults would stand separately, talking amongst themselves while the children were engaged in the pastime. For more information about the StoryWalk® Project. |
| | | The Weir Farm National Historic Park is offering a free teacher workshop: Reading Landscapes & Writing Nature. In partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project, Fairfield, educators will explore their local environments and national park with a special focus on water: the cycles, the resources, the stories, the science, the poetics, and even the politics. Participants will create, explore, photograph, and connect with the outdoor world, including the human-made Weir Pond, and explore opportunities to engage students in the National Day on Writing and Write Out initiatives. More information here. |
| | | | PLEASE DO YOUR PART: 1% FOR THE ARTS OF MUNICIPAL ARPA FUNDS
Bridgeport will receive some $113 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Easton will receive $2.2 million. In between, all towns and cities in our region will receive direct municipal plus county aid from ARPA. A national effort, led in our state by the CT Arts Alliance (see its 1% for the Arts page here) is advocating for just 1% of a municipality's windfall be allocated for the arts and culture. Some municipalities have already declared a plan to spend 1% more (Hartford, New Haven and Ridgefield have so far committed). As towns debate how this money should be spent, please join with your fellow arts and culture organizations in your town or city, working with your arts council or commission to develop a plan. See our letter of suggested uses here that we are sending to all mayors and key decision makers in our towns. JUST IN: Bridgeport now is asking its residents how to spend its money. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Bridgeport residents: vote for arts & culture allocation and create a plan. Contact Cultural Alliance if you need more ideas. See this chart of estimated revenue for each municipality in our region. |
| | OTHER ARPA FUNDING NEWS
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released the first of two rounds of ARPA-based funding in April to state and regional arts agencies to regrant. CT Office of the Arts received $792,900 and is at work developing funding programs to be announced shortly. The NEA will be announcing funding applications this month for direct applications, which it has promised will be notably more open and equitable than in the past. See this FAQ on ARPA and the NEA. The National Endowment for the Humanities released its first round of funding also in April. A second round is expected to be announced soon. NEH will also be allocating funds for distribution in CT by CT Humanities - details have yet to be announced. |
| | SHOULD CULTURAL ENTITIES RELAX MASK MANDATES YET? DATA UPDATE
With half of U.S. adults fully vaccinated, the United States is opening back up! On May 13th, the CDC lifted its mask guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals and some states are lifting capacity restrictions. That said, as of a few weeks ago, 24 U.S. states/territories have opted to retain statewide masking requirements, and numerous organizations across the country are choosing to require masks regardless of the lack of government mandates. Needless to say, we’re in a time of change in terms of expected and desired safety protocols in public places. What does this mean for museums, zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, historic sites, science centers, theaters, symphonies, etc.? According to Colleen Dilenschneider's blog, Know Your Own Bone, the kind of people who have any interest in attending cultural entities at all are more likely than the average American to be vaccinated. And they are significantly more likely to be vaccinated than people who profile as NOT having an interest in attending a museum or performing arts organization in the United States. Full article here... |
| | MUSEUM VISITS TOP THREE MILLION THROUGH MUSEUMS FOR ALL SNAP PROGRAM
Museums for All, an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) initiative, has been instrumental in opening museum doors for 3,000,000 community members receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits since its launch in 2014. The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), administers the initiative at more than 640 museums across the country to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. A wide range of institutions participate in Museums for All, including art museums, children’s museums, science centers, botanical gardens, zoos, history museums, and more. As part of this initiative, museums offer individual admission fees ranging from free to $3 to individuals and families presenting a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card during all normal operating hours. Full Article... |
| | | | WEBINAR: BECOME AN AIR INSTITUTE FACILITATOR JUNE 16
Do you enjoy working with diverse groups of people?
Are you at your best when you’re in the midst of creative problem solving? Do you believe that arts and culture is a centerpiece of thriving communities? Are you looking for a new challenge that will promote arts and culture as the means for civic change? If so, consider applying to become an AIR Institute Facilitator for the Connecticut Office of the Arts. The COA will work with AIR staff to train 36 AIR facilitators over the next three years in an effort to apply creative solutions to community-identified issues across the state. AIR is a train-the-trainer method. It is collaborative and results-oriented. To learn about this paid opportunity to become an AIR facilitator join us at a live webinar on Wed. June 16, 20201 from 9-10:30am. Join Webinar. Register here... |
| | CONNECTICUT ARTS HERO AWARDS JUNE 27
The Connecticut Arts Hero Awards honor and celebrate Connecticut residents who are doing inspiring things in, for or through the arts in Connecticut. Since 2016, the Connecticut Arts Hero Awards have introduced us to an array of remarkable individuals engaged in or supporting the arts - some publicly and some behind the scenes. If you know a special someone who has contributed significantly to the arts in Connecticut, please take a moment to nominate this individual. You can do so by completing the nomination form below. The deadline to submit a nomination is Sun. June 27, 2021 at 11:59pm. Learn more... |
| | STRATEGIES FOR CREATIVES WORKSHOPS
The Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut is offering a series of webinars giving five business growth strategies for creative entrepreneurs, arts and cultural leaders, designers, makers and others to grow their business. Great for creative entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to strengthen and grow their business. Zoom workshops conducted every other Tuesday. Workshops will start at 5:00pm and go to 6:00pm or 6:30pm depending on the session.- June 22: Finding Funds to Grow Your Business
- July 6: Protect Your Business From Lawsuits and Liability
- July 20: Prioritizing New Technology to Transform Your Business
- August 3: The Importance of Your Financials
- August 17: Ensuring Goals and Values Align With Your Website
REGISTER HERE... |
| | | | PODCAST: WHAT U.S. ORGANIZATIONS CAN LEARN FROM AUSTRALIA'S REOPENING?
While many U.S. arts organizations are preparing to reopen their venues, organizations in Australia—where the virus has been effectively contained—began the reopening process as early as January. In this episode, Claire Spencer shares the lessons she’s learned from Arts Centre Melbourne’s reopening. She also explains why her team put most of their digital programming on hold and discusses the importance of acknowledging and supporting team members’ mental health challenges in the workplace. Listen here...
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| | NAVIGATING A DISRUPTED FUTURE AT #AAM2021
In 2021, museums face rapid, transformative shifts on all fronts. In response, The TrendsWatch session at the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo virtual kickoff, May 25, focused on issues museums must attend to right now, to minimize harm to their communities and ensure their own survival. The report addresses:- Closing the Gap: Redressing systemic inequalities of wealth and power
- Digital Awakening: Essential technologies for pandemic survival and future success
- Who Gets Left Behind? Caring for the vulnerable in a time of crisis
- COVID On Campus: How the pandemic is reshaping higher education
- Strategic Foresight: How to survive an era of uncertainty
Download your free copy here... |
| | REPORT: PRIORITIES FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP
In the past year, cultural organizations have undergone a rapid turn towards digital. For membership professionals, this raises the question: how do we go digital with membership? Causeum presents a new report containing: Digital benefits, Virtual events, Digital membership cards, Virtual appreciation weeks, and Virtual membership levels. This report also outlines how and why leading cultural organizations are supporting digital transformation in membership. Download Report Here...
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| | WORKSHOPS: MANAGING DIGITIZATION PROJECTS JUNE 15
The Museum Learning Hub presents a three-part Digitization Project Workshops. The first technical workshop will address Strategies and Purpose -- the “why” and “who” of collections digitization projects – why your digitization project matters and to whom; the importance of defining your digital collection project’s purpose, audience, and interfaces; the role of digitization in your museum’s access strategies and how communities will use your digital collection; how to use metadata for findability and to support public use/access. Workshop 2 on June 22: How to Build a Digitization Project and Workshop 3 on June 29: Imaging Standards and Logistics in Digitation Projects. Register here...
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| | EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS: WHY THEY'RE NECESSARY JUNE 30
Your organization may have an employee handbook, but are you using it optimally? This webinar, offered by Probono Partnership, will provide you with the tools you need to tailor your employee handbook to make it effective for your workforce and efficient for your nonprofit. Topics will include: The importance of an employee handbook; Policies that are required to be in an employee handbook; Recommended policies for an employee handbook; Administrative aspects of an employee handbook like how often to update it, handbook acknowledgements, and more. The speaker will be Robert J. Guidotti, Esq., Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C. Register here...
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| | | | FOLK & TRADITIONAL ARTS COMMUNITY IMPACT COORDINATOR
The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA), the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CCHAP), and the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (CAFC) are seeking a Folk & Traditional Arts Community Impact Coordinator to join CCHAP and to serve as an engagement leader with a focus on connecting to folk and traditional artists and communities across coastal Fairfield County (the towns served by CAFC). Folk & Traditional Arts as defined by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): The folk and traditional arts are rooted in and reflective of the cultural life of a community. Community members may share a common ethnic heritage, cultural mores, language, religion, occupation, or geographic region. Application Deadline: Wed. June 30, 2021. Access the application here... |
| | BRUCE MUSEUM SEASIDE CENTER SUMMER NATURALIST
The Bruce Museum seeks a seasonal, full-time Naturalist for 13 weeks beginning mid-June through early September 2021; 35 hours per week. Must work weekends, July 4, and Labor Day Monday. The Naturalists for the Bruce Museum Seaside Center at Greenwich Point Park are responsible for the operation and care of the building and marine tanks, under the supervision of Museum staff and in cooperation with the Town of Greenwich. The Naturalists are responsible for the development, implementation, staffing and evaluation of educational programs at the Seaside Center, as well as supervision of interns, if applicable. View Full Job Description... |
| | GOODSPEED MUSICALS DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Goodspeed Musicals, a two-time Tony Award-winning LORT theater in East Haddam, CT, seeks a Director of Finance to oversee and manage all financial systems of the organization, with an annual budget of approximately $10M. The successful candidate will have an anticipated start date of August 1, 2021. The Director of Finance has the primary responsibility for Goodspeed Musicals’ finance operations, including day-to-day, month-end, and quarterly accounting processes and financial reporting; creation and monitoring of detailed budgets and forecasts; supervising accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and benefits management; managing the annual audit, 990 preparation, and state charitable registrations; preparing and assisting with grant budgets and reports, government and charitable aid applications, and preparation for and liaising with the Board and Board Committees as needed. Qualified applicants will have 5+ years of experience in accounting; experience leading and preparing a non-profit organization. Learn more... |
| | PREPARATOR/ART INSTALLER HEATHER GAUDIO FINE ART
The New Canaan-based Heather Gaudio Fine Art Gallery is looking for a PT/FT preparator/art installer. The job is 4-5 days a week, total of (30-40 hours). Pay is hourly and by experience. The ideal candidate is a knowledgeable art handler looking to create his/her own space and assume ownership of the work and process. There is room in this role to grow, both in hours and in implementing new ideas and processes. There is a dedicated workspace for this person, and an adjacent space for showing and art storage. Thorough knowledge of handling artwork, fine art installation, proper wrapping materials and safely packaging and boxing artwork is required. Send resume to Please send resumes to Christine. |
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| FOR JOBS, FOR SALE, KIDS & TEENS, VOLUNTEERS, & CALLS FOR ARTISTS - CONSULT AND POST IN OUR CLASSIFIEDS |
| | | | | SPREAD THE WORD!
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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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