Annual Meeting and Another Friday

As they have in the past, wonderful musicians from New Britain High School’s Brass Ensemble and Jazz Group enhanced the festivity of the 11^th Annual Meeting of the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance. Victuals provided by the Board and beautifully coordinated by Mel Ellis were enjoyed by all while a brief PowerPoint presentation gave the assembly a taste of the depth and variety of our local arts scene. Jill Crandall was elected to the GNBAA Board of Directors to represent the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, and Candice Brown, Joseph Centofanti, Richard Dighello, Gina Kahn, and Cora Marshall were reelected to the Board. Awards were presented and the gathering was treated to Bruch Romance performed by Jesse Levine, conductor of the New Britain Symphony on viola, accompanied by Reinis Zarins from the Yale School of Music on the piano. The up-until-then secret Unsung Hero award was presented to George Martin by GNBAA Board member and New Britain Museum of American Art employee Becky Trutter for George’s many years of service to the Museum.

Following the Annual Meeting, the GNBAA Board of Directors met and elected Candice Brown, President, and Donald Courtemanche, Treasurer. Debra Scarlett and Mel Ellis were reelected Vice President and Secretary, respectively. As the GNBAA moves into another year of service to the arts it is fitting to acknowledge that it is the efforts of many people that makes the work of the GNBAA possible. Recognition in particular is due to outgoing president, Alan Ettinger, and outgoing Treasurer Joseph Centofanti. Outgoing Board members Patricia DonAroma and Catherine Stockman also deserve praise for their years of service.

The 11 Annual Meeting of the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance was held at Trinity-On-Main in anticipation of Trinity being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. As so often happens, this is taking longer than expected. We will have another opportunity to celebrate as Trinity is scheduled to host September’s Another Friday. The designation should be realized by then. Join us on September 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm for hors d’ oeuvres, beer, wine, soft drinks, door prizes, and the delightful conviviality that characterizes our gatherings. The suggested donation for Another Friday is $5 for members of the GNBAA and $8 for nonmembers.

Summer Arts

Many of our arts organizations cool off their level of activity as the heat goes up. That is true of the Arts Alliance itself as we skip Another Fridays during the summer and the Downtown Gallery lays fallow during August. Trinity-On-Main is also shut for the summer but not due to a dearth of programming possibilities but because of a lack of air conditioning.

On the other hand, there is plenty going on at the New Britain Museum of American Art, and the New Britain Public Library provides a wealth of opportunities for all the young people (and their parents) home for summer. The Youth Museums downtown and at Hungerford Park also provide healthful diversion for bored students and overwhelmed parents. Nevertheless, if there is one of our member arts organizations where the activity level heats up for the summer it’s New Britain’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Bill DeMaio, Director of New Britain Parks and Recreation was awarded the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance’s Public Servant of the Year Award at the Annual Meeting in May. No one was more surprised than Bill. While the Parks and Recreation Department has been an arts organizational member of the GNBAA for many years, the extent of their involvement in a wide variety of arts activities tends to be overshadowed by everything else they do.

The Public Servant of the Year Award is presented to a public official who by his or her efforts has furthered the mission of the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance. The mission of the Arts Alliance includes promoting the creative, performing and visual arts, serving as a catalyst for arts-related collaborations, nurturing individual creative abilities, and advocating the arts as vital to the economic health and quality of life in the region. With Bill DeMaio’s leadership and the excellent efforts of a dedicated staff, New Britain’s Parks and Recreation Department does all this in spades. The New Britain Summer Music Festival is a terrific example. The Festival features music in a wide variety of styles in live concerts on Mondays and Wednesdays during July and August at the Darius Miller Memorial Band Shell in Walnut Hill Park. Thousands of people come to the Shell to relax and picnic on the grounds while they enjoy Rock, Jazz, Blues, Polka, Swing, Big Band, Latin, Motown, Italian or other musical favorites. The musical offerings reflect the remarkable diversity of New Britain’s population and the richness of our area’s musical talent.

In addition to music concerts in the parks, New Britain’s Parks and Recreation also actively collaborates with area artists and arts organizations. Music and dance lessons are a regular part of Parks and Recreation offerings. A Summer Youth Theatre program brings together folks involved with Hole in the Wall Theater, the Repertory Theatre of New Britain, and the Black Box Theatre at Central Connecticut State University to work with our young people. As Bill DeMaio never tires of reminding us, with New Britain Parks and Recreation, “the benefits are endless.” That so many of the benefits involve the arts is a good thing for New Britain

GNBAA Receives City and State Grants

Mayor Timothy Stewart and the City of New Britain have been supporting the GNBAA by funding the rent for the office in the Downtown District Visitors’ Center for the last two years. This arrangement has made possible a great deal of the progress the Arts Alliance has recently made. The profile of the Alliance has been enhanced; provision made for the work of interns, volunteers, and additional paid staff; and the opening of the Downtown Gallery with its increased outreach to visual artists are only the most prominent of the resulting benefits. In addition and more recently, Mayor Stewart and the City provided to the GNBAA a $5,000 grant from funds designated by the Common Council for New Britain arts organizations. These funds will be used for the production of a New Britain Arts promotional video. The video will feature our area arts organizations in what will be a fascinating and exciting portrayal of this important component of the life of our City. When completed, it will be posted on the Websites of the GNBAA, the City of New Britain, the New Britain Downtown District, the Chamber of Commerce and other locations that can host this technology. In addition, it will be available in DVD to be sent out to those interested in learning more about New Britain and its dynamic arts scene. Final arrangements are being made for the production with January 1, 2008, as the target date for completion.

The GNBAA has also learned just recently that the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism approved our $8,000 grant request for funds to assist with our outreach effort. These funds will be used to fund a part-time person to assist with efforts to engage arts organizations in Plainville, Southington, Berlin, and Newington. This arts outreach associate will also assist in outreach efforts to individual artists and the business community. Part of the money will also enable the GNBAA to further develop its Website and significantly increase its utility to all constituencies.

Finally, the Arts Alliance is especially grateful to our Connecticut State legislative delegation for their remarkable support for the arts in New Britain by including in the State budget $100,000 for the GNBAA. Other parts of the State have been getting large sums for the support of their arts organizations. Senator DeFronzo and Representatives Terczyak, O’Brien, Geragosian, and Boukus are to be commended not only for inserting this item into the State budget but for making sure it stayed there through all the ups and downs of the process.

Main Street Singers Providing Musical Opportunity for Youth
Contributed by Nancy Eaton, Main Street Singers Administrative Director

The Main Street Singers, a community of children’s voices in grades five through eight based at 90 Main Street in downtown New Britain, invites all children who love to sing to try out for this wonderful group!  Try-outs are being held on Thursday, September 6, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and on Saturday, September 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  The try-outs are fun and easy – children will sing “Happy Birthday” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”  For more information or to make an appointment, please call 223-3691, ext. 123.

The Main Street Singers was founded in 2003.  In the 2006-07 season, The Main Street Singers presented their Fall and Spring concerts at South Church, and during the holiday season, they performed with Mayor Stewart and Santa Claus as part of New Britain's Tree Lighting festivities, and on South Church’s SecondSundays concert series.  MSS was the featured guest choir at a regional conference of the Music Educators National Conference on Friday, March 9, at the new Hartford Convention Center.  On April 20, they sang the national anthem at a New Britain Rock Cats baseball game, and on Tuesday, May 1, they toured three New Britain schools and sang for the elderly residents of the Jerome Home.  We have exciting plans for our next season – do join us!