Congratulations to Southeastern CT’s Regional Initiative Grantees from CT Office of the Arts 

 

 

 

 

 

Regional Initiative (REGI) grant program encourages and supports small community arts projects that are aligned with COA’s READI (Relevance, Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion) framework.  REGI grants provide funding for small arts-based projects to engage in a specific community matter, reflect on personal experience, and/or projects that bring neighborhoods together.

Mystic Film Festival – Film Festival, Mystic $2,500

Mystic Film Festival 2019 is an annual event showcasing independent feature length and short form narrative films and documentaries from all over the world. Through events, community engagement, industry panels, workshops, and film screenings by acclaimed and up-and-coming talent, Mystic Film Festival aims to create a special experience for both filmmaker and audience.

Norwich Arts Center – Blues on Broadway, Norwich $4,000

Blues on Broadway presents national and international blues artists at Norwich Arts Center’s Donald L. Oat Theater in downtown Norwich. Generating new audiences to blues performances and increasing an appreciation of and a following for blues artists, Blues on Broadway helps establish Norwich as a Blues destination and fill a shortage of outlets in region.

Resurrección Espinosa – Frink  – The Bank Street Blues Project, New London $3,000

Bank Street Blues was composed in New London by late New London composer Charles Frink. This project presents the music and songs at various local venues and fosters civic responsibility and community involvement, and promoting an understanding of local people, cultures, and issues. Project includes performances and educational components about the music composed in this region and its relationship to living conditions, history, and the diverse musical traditions contributed by our multicultural populations. 

Amy Hannum – #arewereachingyou, New London $4,000

#arewereachingyou is a sustainable and eco friendly project that uses driftwood to increase awareness of the SECT shoreline and its impact on culture and society. The project uses the Long Island Sound as a tool and serves to create connections between constituents near and far to educate them on the importance of our local waterways using artistic means.

La Grua Center – Pawcatuck Remembers $4,000

In partnership with the Stonington Public Schools, La Grua Center will present an art exhibition and student-developed book project that captures 80 years of history, in November and December 2019. Recently, the transition to Stonington Middle School, which merged students from all middle schools in the villages of Mystic, Old Mystic, Pawcatuck and Stonington Borough took place. This project celebrates stories and photographs with accompanying video to provide an opportunity for residents of the Pawcatuck, Westerly and Stonington communities to convene and reminisce about the impact the Pawcatuck school has had on generations of local school children. 

Aly Maderson Quinlog – New London Book Arts Fair $4,000

On the 3rd weekend of May 202, the Cultured Studios, Magik Press, and the Visual Art Library will host a Book Arts Fair to create a sense of community among artists, poets, performers, writers, and others interested in zines, independent publishing, and artists’ books. The event will activate various art-focused spaces and introduce the community to ideas around self-publishing, book arts, and bookbinding. The event will take place over three days at various locations in New London’s Historic Arts District. A variety of programming will be offered for all ages and experiences, including workshops, spoken word performances, music, poetry and storytelling panel.

Southeastern CT Cultural Coalition serves as a Regional Service Organization for Southeastern CT to support the CT Office of the Arts.  REGI Grant Panelists from Southeastern and Windham regions reviewed, discussed and made recommendations for FY20 REGI grant funding in eastern CT.

REGI Grant Panel Team: (From L-R):  Dirk Fecho, WindhamARTS; Wendy Bury, Cultural Coalition; Scott Rhoades, artist, panelist; Matthew Marshall, Director of Visitor Services at Florence Griswold Museum, panelist; Julie Menders, Community Engagement and Adult Programming Coordinator at Otis Library, panelist; Elizabeth Shapiro, Director of Arts, Preservation and Museums at CT DECD CT Office of the Arts (COA); Deb Mathiasen, Cultural Coalition