ARPA Grants for Arts & Culture Announced
ARPA Grants for Arts & Culture Announced – Norwich, New London, Stonington 
The Cultural Coalition partnered with the City of Norwich, City of New London, and the Town of Stonington to manage and administer municipal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated for arts & culture through grant programs and special projects.
The grant programs are funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). These funds are intended to support investments that help our local economy continue to address Covid-19 impact and recovery.
38 grants were awarded totaling $258,163 across the three cities.
City of Norwich Grantees (12 Grants totaling $97,159)
| GRANTEE | CATEGORY | PURPOSE OF FUNDS | USE OF FUNDS DESCRIPTION | AMOUNT | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COHORT | TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT |
| ArtsByTonton LLC | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
Marketing & Promotion
|
I always say that the best thing for an adult to do is to make sure the next generation is better than they were. Eglise Evangelique Psaume 23 and Samson TONTON will host an event once a month for the youth and would love to ask for funding to help pay the Artist involved in this project. This event will start in June and runs all the way to December. | $6,000 | $1,000 | $7,000 |
| Castle Church, Inc | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | Castle Church is launching the first phase of Jubilee Park with a landmark historic mural and an accompanying website page and video that tells the story of the mural’s subjects and engages the overall theme of resilience. The mural features two black history figures from Norwich — James Lindsey Smith who escaped slavery in 1838, and Sarah Harris Fayerweather, the first black student at Prudence Crandall’s school in Canterbury. The video and website will be accessed by a permanent QR code on site, and be included in future programming. | $10,000 | – | $10,000 |
| By Faith
(Faith Satterfield) |
ARTIST | Capital Improvement
Program/Event/Project Equipment/Technology/IT Utilities/Rent Professional Development Marketing & Promotion |
Faith Satterfield plans to create a large mural on the Sunlight Building on Franklin St, Norwich, CT. This mural project will be public art, an image of transition from dark to light to inspire hope. The recipient will use funds for the materials, labor and for local studio space to continue her creative business for the year ahead. | $8,850 | $1,000 | $9,850 |
| Norwich Arts Center
(with Blooming Into Greatness) |
NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project
Equipment/Technology/IT Marketing & Promotion |
In July and August, Blooming into Greatness will create at the Norwich Arts Center a Rose City Step Team, open to youth of all backgrounds, celebrating the African Diaspora, providing aerobic exercise, and instilling discipline, creativity, and confidence. Rehearsing will continue at NAC through December with additional arts activities and programming for participants, their families, and the public. | $9,000 | $1,000 | $10,000 |
| Best Production Co./Chestnut Street Playhouse
With Hispanic Alliance |
NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project
|
Chestnut Street Playhouse will be partnering with the Hispanic Alliance to create a summer bilingual theater program for high school students in the Southeastern Connecticut region. This partnership aims to create a theater program that contributes to emotional development, creative thought, team building, and a strong sense of community by producing bilingual performances to engage students of various English and Spanish proficiency levels. Bilingual works will be a unique attraction to audiences that are generally excluded from this form of art. | $10,000 | $1,000 | $11,000 |
| Otis Library | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | Otis Library plans to install permanent StoryWalk units along the walkway surrounding Spaulding Pond at Mohegan Park and provide a temporary installation at community events and popup story times around the city. StoryWalks are picture books displayed on posts along a trail, with fun facts and suggested activities that complement the story. New stories would be introduced regularly at the permanent installation. | $8,126 | – | $8,126 |
| Midnight Aether | FOR PROFIT CREATIVE BUSINESS | Capital Improvement
Utilities/Rent Marketing & Promotion Other, please explain:
Additional expenses for invoices + payments for consignment with local makers |
Midnight Aether would be utilizing the funds to continue scouting and procuring geek/pop culture specific Women-Owned and LGBTQIA-Owned business products to reach new customer bases within our physical storefront, as well as advancing our own in-house designed/produced apparel/accessories to additional markets both online and locally. We also plan to offer events to the public, such as: miniature conventions, gaming tournaments, etc. in the future. | $10,000 | $1,000 | $11,000 |
| Norwich Rotary Foundation, Inc. | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | The Rotary Clubs of Norwich plan to revive their Celebrate Cultural Diversity event held at Norwich Howard T. Brown Park. This outdoor family event will highlight area restaurants, cultural music, art and dance bringing together a diverse community of many cultures that represent the Norwich area. | $4,000 | – | $4,000 |
| Carin Jennie Estey | ARTIST | Staffing/Contractors | Carin Jennie Estey, founder of Safe Spaces, plans to host a series of free professional development workshops for community and educational theatre artists on Zoom. Workshop topics will include Recognizing the Role of Unconscious and Implicit Bias in our Artistic Choices, Defining Power and Personal Responsibility in Rehearsal and Production, and Establishing and Maintaining a Culture of Consent in Rehearsal and Performance. | $3,000 | – | $3,000 |
| Gallery at the Wauregan, Inc. | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project
Utilities/Rent Marketing & Promotion |
The Gallery At The Wauregan, Inc. will use the requested funds for operating cost, program cost, the creation and maintenance of social media platforms and marketing & promotions. Marketing and promotions of art, cultural and other activities and events can be expanded by creating and maintaining a website and other social media platforms. | $5,183 | – | $5,183 |
| Norwich Camera Company, LLC | FOR PROFIT CREATIVE BUSINESS | Capital Improvement
Program/Event/Project Equipment/Technology/IT |
Norwich Camera Company intends to start in person film developing workshops. Students will be provided with all the materials necessary to take images, develop and print in small groups. Norwich Camera will be hosting several camera walks throughout the city to teach photography and display their final images in Norwich businesses. Norwich Camera also operates photographic services for Veterans free of charge to the service member and their families. This service has been put on hiatus due to lack of funds from our retail sales decline due to the pandemic. | $6,000 | $1,000 | $7,000 |
| Norwich Bully Busters | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | The Norwich Bully Busters plans to offer a variation of our YAB program which will be YAB’s Arts and Culture Program. The YAB’s Arts and Culture Program will offer youth the chances to experience a wide variety of art platforms and cultures and how they are integrated with each other. | $10,000 | $1,000 | $11,000 |
| TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: | $90,159 | $7,000 | $97,159 | |||
City of New London Grantees (17 Grants totaling $114,724)
| GRANTEE | CATEGORY | PURPOSE OF FUNDS | USE OF FUNDS DESCRIPTION | AMOUNT | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COHORT | TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT |
| James Jackson – Easy Entertainment, LLC | ARTIST | Equipment/Technology/IT
Marketing & Promotion |
Eazy Entertainment, LLC plans to use the funds for new equipment and marketing/promotion. Outside of the pandemic, equipment was stolen from Eazy Entertainment, LLC and caused a significant setback. This grant would be a huge help to get back on track and allow us to increase our marketing/promotion, which we believe will help grow Eazy Entertainment, LLC directly, and indirectly contribute to our presence and involvement in the New London community. | $6,000 | $1,000 | $7,000 |
| Stephanie Gerald | ARTIST | Equipment/Technology/IT
Utilities/Rent Printing & Framing |
Stephanie will use these funds to offset cost of future endeavors by preparing art (printed and framed) and restocking for marketplaces to continue to create revenue. | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Be Well Productions | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project | Be Well Productions will present a work-in-progress reading of a one-woman play based on the life of Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, written and performed by Emma Palzere-Rae. The Fall 2022 event, free and open to the public, will include a panel discussion with Emma Palzere-Rae and other female artists to discuss their work and challenges and benefits of working in this current time. Lyman Allyn Art Museum will host the event and connect the program with related exhibits featuring female artists. | $4,000 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
| Bradley Sheridan | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
Marketing & Promotion Community Building |
Pivot is an invitational showcase exhibition of new work by twelve New London based artists to be held at the Garde Art Center in September/October of 2022. This grant will fund the production, design, and delivery of this exhibition and related programming and marketing. | $10,000 | $1,000 | $11,000 |
| Jesse Good Art & Design/MaxMetal Design & Fabrication | ARTIST | Equipment/Technology/IT
Utilities/Rent |
Jesse Good Art & Design, also known as MaxMetal Design & Fabrication, is requesting funds for production, safety equipment and shop rent. | $5,959 | $1,000 | $6,959 |
| Pamela Wilson (New London Drone Orchestra) | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
Staffing/Contractors Marketing & Promotion |
The New London Drone Orchestra plans to hold a free concert open to the public in Evans Hall, a fully accessible venue at Connecticut College, between October 13 and 15, 2022, exact date TBD. The program will include the world premiere of visible mending (program), a piece about the pandemic-related need to knit our communities back together, written especially for the group in June 2020 by Connecticut performance poet and conceptual artist Jim Whitten. We will use video to share elements from the graphic scores we play from, which are themselves works of art, revealing an important aspect of our work heretofore unknown to our audiences. | $6,325 | $1,000 | $7,325 |
| Kat Murphy | ARTIST | Capital Improvement
Program/Event/Project |
Kat Murphy Studio plans to create a covid friendly Artist Alley. This outdoor space will provide an exterior safe space for community and individual enjoyment from the street and during showings. Furthermore, this engagement will be an example and help develop other ideas to create neat spaces within the City Center District. | $10,000 | $1,000 | $11,000 |
| Patrick Regan | ARTIST | Utilities/Rent | Patrick Regan plans to aid his self-employment by using these funds to help pay his rent, electricity, and internet. | $1,200 | – | $1,200 |
| PaintDragon/Amy Hannum | ARTIST | Utilities/Rent | Funding will be allocated for rent and utilities for Artist Amy Hannum, founder of PaintDragon, for the months of June-December 2022. | $8,000 | – | $8,000 |
| Nicki Arciolinda Bonanno | ARTIST | Utilities/Rent | Funds will be used to support rent/overhead of artistic space for artist Nicki Arciolinda Bonanno, relieving some financial burden and allowing her time to focus on the creation of art for upcoming community programs. | $4,800 | $1,000 | $5,800 |
| Glen Metcalfe | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project | The goal of this project is to provide an all ages, family oriented event that will support a diverse array of local artists and provide affordable meals to the community. As a result, this project will help to offset the financial and communal damage that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the community. | $9,900 | $1,000 | $10,900 |
| Lydia Blaisdell Brunner | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
|
Lydia Blaisdell plans to workshop her play, GERSTL TOOK THE EASY WAY OUT, in CT prior to a sharing at the fall 2022 New Georges JAMBOREE. | $4,000 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
| New London Community Orchestra | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | The New London Community Orchestra will use ARPA funding for our after-school enrichment program that targets marginalized children excluded from access to this type of activity. We offer string-instrument music lessons at no cost to families as we supply instruments, materials, and instruction free of charge. This is a collaboration with the Public Library of New London that offers the lesson space pro bono. | $2,500 | – | $2,500 |
| Lyman Allyn Art Museum | NONPROFT | Program/Event/Project
Community Learning |
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum seeks funds to support the development of educational “family guide” booklets to enhance learning within the museum for families exploring the exhibitions on their own. The family guides will be produced in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole to specifically support the needs of New London families and reflect the diversity of the area. The guides will help people throughout the region connect with, and think more deeply about, the artwork presented in the museum while supporting intergenerational learning, language inclusivity, and creativity. | $4,850 | $1,000 | $5,850 |
| Eastern CT Symphony Orchestra | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | ECSO plans to hold an outdoor concert which will allow for interactive experiences for attendees. | $7,000 | $1,000 | $8,000 |
| New London Music Festivals | NONPROFIT | Equipment/Tech/IT | New London Music Festivals will use funds from this grant to purchase portable staging, lights and other backline equipment. | $7,110 | $1,000 | $8,110 |
| Go Big LLC (The Social & The Oasis) | FOR PROFIT | Equipment/Tech/IT | Go Big LLC will use the proceeds from this grant to purchase equipment to support live entertainment programming at our two businesses in downtown New London, The Oasis Pub (16 Bank Street) and The Social Bar + Kitchen (200 Bank Street). This investment will allow us to present more original artists on our stages and create new opportunity for the musical community here in New London. | $9,080 | – | $9,080 |
| TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: 17 | $101,724 | $13,000 | $114,724 | |||
Town of Stonington Grantees (9 Grants totaling $46,280)
| GRANTEE | CATEGORY | PURPOSE OF FUNDS | USE OF FUNDS DESCRIPTION | AMOUNT | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COHORT | TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT |
| Scala Studios | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
|
Artist Susan Scala will hold free community painting workshops for Stonington children at La Grua Center and the Como which are both handicapped accessible venues. Seven-inch wooden stars will be decorated by the children and displayed together on an illuminated Wall of Wishes, as part of Starry Lights, a large scale community art project this December in handicapped accessible Donahue Park. Each star will have art work on one side and the child’s wishes for the future or messages of love and hope indicated on the reverse side, which when displayed together, symbolizes that we are all equally brilliant and contributing members of society making our community a better place. | $5,795 | $1,000 | $6,795 |
| Jessica Cerullo | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project | Jessica Cerullo’s The Ships in the Night is a living archive project that uses socially engaged storytelling to amplify diverse community voices that seek to remember, reclaim, and frame a collection of New London County’s pandemic experiences. The project manifests as a book of poetry and related community dialogue at the Stonington Historical Society and Stonington Free Library. The community dialogue, set to take place October 20, 2022 is meant to honor caregivers, to connect people in meaningful ways, and to preserve and disseminate these stories. | $5,800 | $1,000 | $6,800 |
| D Derek | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
Utilities/Rent Staffing/Contractors Marketing & Promotion |
D Derek’s project proposal addresses the challenging social and psychological impacts of Covid-19 on society. The architectural public installation titled “School of Fish” conceptually illustrates lessons of nature and the power of collective intelligence as a way of finding solutions. | $5,600 | $1,000 | $6,600 |
| Dess Lea LLC/Dessa Lea Productions | FOR PROFIT CREATIVE BUSINESS | Program/Event/Project Marketing & Promotion |
Dessa Lea Productions plans to design and produce a series of seasonal, promotional street banners for Stonington Borough. The banners will highlight marquee events and cultural assets that drive traffic to the Borough and into shops, restaurants, galleries, and museums. | $7,700 | $1,000 | $8,700 |
| Bill Pere | ARTIST | Program/Event/Project
Equipment/Technology/IT Marketing & Promotion |
Funds will support creation of new online content (music, video, educational) and interactive capabilities, requiring upgrades to equipment and technology, as well as virtually engaging other service providers. Technology and services which were readily available in other physical locations now have to be done in-house, due to covid restrictions. | $3,200 | – | $3,200 |
| Green Planet Films, Inc. | NONPROFIT | Staffing/Contractors | Green Planet Films will be once again be presenting the International Ocean Film Festival, this year to be held at the Mystic Aquarium‘s Milne Center in October 2022. The ARPA funds will be used to compensate a development and fundraising professional for this event for a period of 5 months prior to the in-person and online film festival. This compensation will help us meet our fundraising goal so that we can produce and implement our program ‘Green Planet Films Presents the International Ocean Film Festival’ in our region for 2022. | $2,500 | $1,000 | $3,500 |
| Michele Cahill | ARTIST | Equipment/Technology/IT
Other: Membership into a local artist co-operative |
Michele Cahill Photography would like to create a website and join a local artist co-op. | $750 | $1,000 | $1,750 |
| Studio M, LLC | FOR PROFIT CREATIVE BUSINESS | Equipment/Technology/IT Marketing & Promotion |
Studio M plans to use the funds to upgrade its online presence, emphasizing the gallery’s presence in the local community of Stonington by highlighting the Owner/3rd Generation Artist Mara Gillen Beckwith and promoting other local artists. Studio M will use some of the funds to advertise the Gallery, to reinforce the on-line presence of the owner and local artists. | $4,500 | $1,000 | $5,500 |
| Yellow Farmhouse Education Center | NONPROFIT | Program/Event/Project | The Yellow Farmhouse Education Center intend to build an outdoor kitchen for culinary education at Stone Acres Farm. | $2,435 | $1,000 | $3,435 |
| TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED: | $38,280 | $8,000 | $46,280 | |||