Let me begin this blog entry with a quote from one Buzz Lightyear: "To Infinity, and beyond!" That's how members of the West Haven Council on the Arts feel, right now.
Hot on the heels of learning that we received $194K in stimulus money, we were astonished and amazed at the subject of a press conference held in the parking lot of the currently empty, Masonic Temple building on Center St. On that rainy Tuesday of April, 21, 2009, the City was given a gift from Yale University of $500k in support of the Arts Center planned for the space. Mayor John Picard and Associate Vice-president of Yale, Michael Morand, presented the check to WHCA President, Paul Scanlon in front of a large gathering of city officials and arts supporters who braved the elements to witness the event.
Although the day was damp, the mood wasn't. Everyone present felt the warmth of a bright future with the realization that this project has support, not only locally, but regionally as well, from one of the greatest educational institutions in the world. Although previous ties to Yale have been mainly through sports and science, the university itself is a leader in arts education and promotion. Their gift and vote of confidence will surely help to change the face of West Haven, artistically, socially and economically. West Haven Cultural Arts Center will be the first arts related project for the city but , undoubtedly, not its last. To further envelope everyone with the feelings of warmth and hopefulness, Nicole Frechette performed an inspiring rendition of LeeAnn Womack's, “I Hope You Dance” for the appreciative crowd.
But the story doesn't end there...
On Friday evening, May 1st, West Haven Council on the Arts held a fundraising dance at Westwoods Ballroom, (the old IA Club on Chase Lane). The event had the dual purpose of raising awareness of the NEW Arts Center and money to support the performances, exhibitions and programs that will call this location "Home."
The theme of the dance was "Family Arts Night," because the Arts Center is being created for every family in West Haven and it garnered much support from The Democratic Town Committee, The Downtown Merchants Association, local businesses and private citizens who gave WHCA advertising space in their storefronts, gift baskets for raffle prizes and their presence at the event. The night was quite successful with nearly 200 adults and children in attendance. Congratulations to the WHCA Events Committee and committee Chairperson, Cathy Granoth.
We would like to thank local entertainers Michael Rea and Steve Miller for their contributions as MC and magician/ juggler, respectively and Ken Cox for his moderation of the craft area that was created for the young and the young-at-heart. They kept the "kids" engaged and very entertained. Our two bands, Infinity Project and Stars of Gold had everyone grooving all night long. Stars of Gold's appearance was a gift from the Savin Rock Festival Committee. (Thank you Ed O'Brien, Tracy Morissey and the entire SRF committee.) Thank you to Mickey and the entire staff at Westwoods Ballroom. (Mickey, We're sorry that you couldn't attend. We hope that your procedure went well.) Thank you to all of our Prize Basket donors; each district of the Democratic Town Committee, Nancy Rossi, Marianne Callahan, Rosemary O'Brien & Alan Alfonso, Infinity Project, The Granoth Family, The Murillo Family, Kevin & Michelle Davignon, Yale School of Music and The Shubert Theatre for your generous donations. A special note of thanks must go to Ms. Callahan for making sure the raffle prizes were as beautiful and enticing as they could possibly be. Thank you to Paul Scanlon, Cathy Granoth, Rosemary O'Brien and the entire Murillo family whose tireless efforts made sure that word of this event got out to the entire city. We are fortunate to be backed by friends and town leadership who truly recognize the important part The Arts play in growing a community.
West Haven Council on the Arts is dedicated to providing to the talented artists of West Haven, a forum in which to display those talents. Even though $700k is but a fraction of the total amount needed to complete the building project, it is a fantastic sum of money and is, in the words of Paul Scanlon, "Amazing!"
As always, we invite you to be a part of this journey. Become a member of West Haven Council on the Arts at any time by writing to us at artswh@aol.com or come see us at Rita's Italian Ice at 25 Ocean Avenue in West Haven (the Baybrook area) on June 17th. We will be there scooping ices ad ice cream between 3PM - 6PM and Rita's will be donating 15% of all sales between the hours of 12PM - 10PM to WHCA.
