|
Click here if news scroller does not appear |
|
Alliance for Economic Growth |
Lower Naugatuck Valley
Arts and Cultural Assessment
Final Report September 2000
By Maryann Ott
With Support from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
For the Alliance for Economic Growth
and the Greater
Valley Chamber of Commerce
This report was commissioned by the Alliance for Economic Growth, with financial support from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and administrative support from the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, to conduct an arts and cultural assessment of the Lower Naugatuck Valley with the intention of determining the need for the establishment of a regional Valley arts service agency.
The data collected for this assessment took place over a ten month period and included interviews with the Mayors and First Selectmen of each town, community leaders, individual artists, volunteers serving on commissions, arts organizations, and teachers, all living in Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton.
The Lower Naugatuck Valley region has an estimated population of 126,674, with ethnic and cultural heritage predominantly originating from Eastern and Western Europe. Residents are primarily Polish/Ukrainian, Italian, and Irish, with smaller numbers of African-American and Latino people. Many of the individuals interviewed for this assessment were found to be patriotic with strong ties to history, tradition and heritage. They share an enthusiasm for families and children, with much interest in competitive sports, programs to support youth, and quality education. When asked, most people were unable to identify the region as having an arts or cultural identity, and admit openly that they travel to New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport or New York City to enjoy visual and performing arts activities. Although it is true there is not a large arts community here, there exists a number of well-grounded, stable, and in some cases, thriving arts and cultural initiatives, all forming a solid foundation on which many things can grow. Many people who live here are surprised to learn what the Valley has to offer, and there is great enthusiasm from artists and non-artists alike for the development and support of what already exists. Those who live here express a desire for attitudes to change regarding arts and culture in the Valley, and many have come forward without prompting, to request to be a part of the effort to support, grow and develop this important component of the Valley’s identity.
Individual Artists and Performing Groups
Through the process of this assessment, close to 200 individual artists were discovered to be living in the 7-town region of the Valley, with the highest concentration being in the regions largest towns: Naugatuck and Shelton. The high number of artists identified in Naugatuck is likely due to the active outreach activities of the Naugatuck Arts Commission, a volunteer commission lead by Charles Marenghi. The Commission sponsors both a community band and community choir, as well as visual art displays and poetry slams, all encouraging individual artists to participate in community activities. The Howard Whittemore Library has dedicated wall space for showing the art of area residents, and boasts a part-time curator. Where cultural and arts commissions in other towns primarily organize a summer concert series and community events, Naugatuck has year-round activities designed to promote and encourage the individual artist. Over time, this has fostered a unique opportunity for artists to meet each other, work together and create a sense of community among themselves in Naugatuck.
The majority of artists in Shelton are affiliated with the Star Pin Complex and the Apex Center on Canal Street. These two extraordinary facilities provides affordable and spacious studio/work space to primarily visual artists and has succeeded in creating a vital and thriving artists center on the Housatonic River, comparable to nothing else in the region. Often filled to capacity, with a waiting list of artists desiring to get into studio space, there is a toy design company, a dance studio, a manufacturer of hand made musical instruments, photography darkrooms and studios, painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, and graphic designers. The facility has begun to organize regular open house events and uses a large open room as a gallery space to showcase the work of artists working in the complex. Artists express the primary reason for locating in the space is both the affordability and easy accessibility of the facility. A large number of artists renting space reside in Fairfield County. There is also great respect for John Watts, the owner and manager of the buildings. He is a passionate supporter of his tenants and will often bear the cost of adjusting a space to meet an artist’s needs. The Star Pin Complex is likely the single biggest catalyst for cultivating the individual visual artist’s desire to live and work in the Valley.
There are craft people, dancers, graphic artists, musicians, singers, actors, poets, writers, storytellers, painters and sculptors living in the Valley. Most notable, is that 12% of the artists representing all disciplines, are photographers—and many have established photography related businesses in the region. This may be due in part to the Apex Center facility, which has many large studios spaces equipped with darkrooms, high ceilings for artificial strobe light and many windows for natural light. It is interesting to note that nationally recognized, and regularly published commercial and fine art photographer Phillip Trager has his studio at 235 Canal Street.
The artists interviewed for this assessment consistently expressed their commitment to remain residents of the Valley, citing the close-knit nature of the community they live in, and the desire to raise families outside of major cities like Bridgeport and New Haven. There is a strong loyalty to the region from those artists who were born and raised in the area. There is also a commonly expressed frustration with the region’s lack of facilities supporting the work of artists. This is especially true for the visual artist, because there does not exist in the entire Valley, a single commercial, non-profit or community gallery space dedicated solely to displaying or selling art.
There is also a desire among visual artists, for locally produced juried exhibitions. Many artists spoke of a fine art show taking place in the Valley about 15-20 years ago, and expressed an interest in such an event being developed again. The interest is in creating opportunity to show and sell artwork and crafts, and in creating an event that heightens the profile of the arts being valued and supported in the Valley.
Performing artists find most opportunities by association with performing groups, such as bands, musical ensembles, dance companies, and theater groups. There are approximately 35 groups of this kind in the Valley, a goodly number considering the size of the population. There are dance schools in nearly every community, including Irish dance, modern dance, gymnastics, ballet, improvisation, and dance theater. Musicians can perform in the Naugatuck Community Band, or with the Connecticut Hurricanes, a fife and drum corps based in Ansonia. There are three Barbershop Quartets, the most well known being the Valley Chordsmen, a group that performs around the state and has won competitions. The Valley also boasts some regionally well-known bands, including Center Street Band of Shelton, and the Highland Rovers, an Irish band that has been an opening act for nationally recognized musicians. Three of the high schools in the Valley have performing bands; the Naugatuck High School Jazz Band, the Shelton High School Band and Derby High School Band.
The Valley has three impressive theater companies, each providing a performance opportunity for a different age group. Naugatuck Teen Theater is a project of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and produces a yearly musical production with performances in the church hall where there is a stage and seating for about 150 people. It is not necessary to be a member of the church to audition for performances, and many participants are from outside the Borough of Naugatuck.
Youth CONNection is the most widely known and recognized theater company in the Valley. Founded in 1983 by Shelton High School guidance counselor Gary Scarpa and his wife Francesca, it has developed into a high quality, fully produced, and professionally run community theater company for high school students and young adults to age 25. Each production engages 40 to 50 young people with performances taking place in late June at Shelton High School Auditorium. What is most impressive about Youth CONNection is that each production is 100% funded by ticket sales, filling the 1,100-seat theater to capacity each night during a show’s run. The extraordinary community turnout for semi-professional theater productions indicates that residents of the Valley have interest in supporting locally produced arts and culture programs, especially if the quality is high.
There is an adult membership performance company based in Naugatuck called the Kollege Kapers. Each year they produce a variety show raising money to present an annual scholarship award to a deserving Naugatuck high school senior, who plans to further education in music or the performing arts. Founded 45 years ago by community members affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, it currently averages 25-35 members, each paying dues and volunteering to produce the event with a different theme each year. Performances take place in April at Naugatuck High School auditorium.
Individual artists in the Valley could benefit greatly from a single place to obtain information about available resources in the region. For example, although there is not a community or commercial gallery for visual artists, places like the Kellogg Environmental Center and the Seymour Library have regular small-scale shows featuring local artists. It would be of great assistance to provide artists with a central resource to identify existing options that they could then pursue on their own. There is also a need to provide support services to those individuals interested in initiating programs or projects in arts and culture. If an adult actor wanted to start up a community theater company, he or she might want to know venue options, how to reach other actors, where to find musicians, and would likely benefit from a single source through which to promote or advertise interest in their project.
Providing easily accessible information to individual artists is the single biggest way to grow this sector of the arts community. Many artists work alone, isolated from other artists, a factor that is inherent in the creative process, but challenges an artist’s growth and development professionally. A regular newsletter, a monthly bulletin, access to convenient meeting space, regular network gatherings, printed venue lists, contact names and technical support can lead to a stronger, more vital arts community; one in which the individual artist can thrive—encouraged, supported and cherished—and make a valuable contribution to the community in which they live.
Arts and Culture Organizations
There are not a large number of arts organizations in the Valley. This may be due, in part, to the lack of facilities to support arts-related initiatives locally or the natural draw to travel to nearby city centers for arts & craft schools, special interest organizations, year-round performance events, and art education programs, therefore inhibiting the growth of local efforts. Despite the challenge of available resources, there are several local arts organizations well worth noting.
Derby, Naugatuck, Oxford, and Seymour all have Cultural Arts Commissions, and these organizations sponsor community concerts, festivals and special events that benefit the community and foster civic pride. In Beacon Falls and Shelton, a summer concert series is organized by Parks & Recreation. These events are almost exclusively funded from town budgets, with additional funds garnered from local corporate sponsors (in some cases). With the exception of Shelton, these commissions are volunteer run, and in all cases are operating with "shoe-string" budgets. It bears noting that in July and August a person living in the Valley can hear free music nearly every weekday evening in every town except Ansonia.
Tuesday nights "Derby Summer Concerts on the Green"
Tuesday nights "Naugatuck Summer Music Festival"
Wednesday nights "Beacon Falls Summer Concert Series"
Wednesday nights "Seymour Summer Concert Series"
Wednesday nights "Shelton Music Under the Stars Concerts"
Thursday nights "Summer Concert Series at the Oxford Gazebo"
The biggest obstacle facing the volunteers who organize the town concerts is the lack of funds to properly publicize events. They must rely solely on public service announcements and press releases in newspapers to promote concerts, as budgets do not allow for direct mail, posters, or flyers, etc. They have no way to grow audience or heighten the profile of their activities with the resources available to them. There is a unique opportunity to foster collaboration between Valley towns and encourage local residents to support neighboring events while increasing attendance in each community, by publicizing the town festivals, concerts and special events in a Valley-wide summer promotion piece. This would not only benefit attendance at each individual town event, it would foster the overall sense that cultural events are bountiful in the Valley, and for those that live here, there is much to enjoy.
The Valley is home to a unique arts organization whose members are committed to the rescue and restoration of theater pipe organs. In 1986, The Connecticut Valley Theatre Organ Society installed a theater pipe organ in Shelton High School and has since performed bi-annual concerts for the enjoyment of the community. This organ is the only operating organ installed in a public high school in Connecticut. Recently, the Organ Society has become concerned about its survival because concert attendance has fallen off in the last three years. The need to significantly increase audience and attract new members to the organization has become critical to their future operation. Budget constraints have hampered their ability to effectively promote and advertise concerts and, despite a base of committed volunteers, they lack the means to properly market their organization. If the trend continues, they will be forced to discontinue concerts and perhaps abandon the organ at Shelton High School, which would indeed be a tragedy.
There are a number of privately operating music and dance schools in the Valley that run successful programs for school age children. They include the Edgewood Music Studio (Ansonia), the Ferguson Music Studio (Shelton), the Morry Lopinto Music School (Shelton), Barbett’s Dance Academy (Shelton), Children’s Studio for the Performing Arts (Shelton, Naugatuck, Oxford), Dance Fantasies (Ansonia), Dance Theater and the Arts (Naugatuck), Danz Magic (Derby), Gold Star Dance & Gymnastics (Shelton), Horgan Academy of Irish Dancing (Naugatuck), Jill Chase Dance Studio (Shelton), Lorraine Judd Dance Center (Seymour), Renee’s School of Dance (Naugatuck), Rita Tottenham Studios (Seymour), and The Dance Gymnastic & Fitness Center (Shelton). The Connecticut Poetry Society and the International Brotherhood of Magicians both have Valley residents as members. These organizations and those mentioned above, provide the region with a much needed opportunity to enjoy arts and cultural locally.
The Cultural Commissions of each town, and the smaller, more grass roots arts organizations need support if they are to continue successful operation. They need the benefit of developing networks with one another, and the means to affordably and effectively promote and market what they do. Many of the individuals volunteering to support these organizations need to learn how to access more resources. There would be tremendous benefit from workshops or training classes on such topics as "How to Raise Money", "How to Recruit and Retain Volunteers", and "How to Access Better Media Coverage". There is a need for collaboration, and an opportunity for Arts Commission volunteers to come together with others to share ideas, develop mailing lists, jointly promote events, and to support each other.
Performance and Visual Arts Venues
The Valley does not have a facility or venue dedicated to supporting large or small-scale community performance events. This lack of an arts facility is a major contributor to local artists migrating away from the Valley to produce their art, and why residents travel to other towns to attend shows, special concert events, and theater productions in arts facilities. The lack of a particular venue or site associated with the arts greatly influences public perception that the arts are lacking in the Valley. It is also why the local performing arts community has not been able to grow and flourish. Artists need a place to identify with, to inspire new work, to meet other artists, and to encourage and foster participation in the community. Without a place to identify with, it becomes challenging for grassroots efforts to materialize and sustain themselves. Despite this obstacle, the Valley arts community has made creative use of the resources available to them. Most arts-related activities take place in school auditoria, gymnasiums, church halls, and library community rooms.
The largest and most heavily used venue for performing artists in the Valley is Percy Kinsley Auditorium at Shelton High School. Although its availability for public use is limited due to the priority given to the high school and Board of Education functions, a number of dance school recitals, community fundraising events and the annual Youth CONNection musical production take advantage of this 1,100-seat theater. The auditorium is most heavily booked during the Christmas holiday season and in May and June with groups booking the facility from as far away as Monroe, Trumbull, Meriden and Fairfield. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra performs here three times a year, each time filling the auditorium. The Facilities Committee of the Board of Education must approve use of the theater and many requests must be turned away due to conflicts with longstanding bookings or school-related activities.
Other schools regularly used for community events are the John L. Freiheit Auditorium at Shelton Intermediate School seating 715, and the Davis Auditorium at Naugatuck High School seating 989. Occasionally the gymnasium at Derby’s Irving Elementary School is used as a rain location when concerts on the Green are forced indoors. The newly constructed Ansonia High School houses the Ruth Feinberg Connors Auditorium and seats 424, although this is not large enough auditorium to support many programs outside of the school’s needs.
The Strand Theater in Seymour is primarily a second-run movie house seating about 266 patrons. The theater also schedules live performances 3-4 times a year, and has worked with the Thomaston Opera House in running family events previously staged in Thomaston. The Strand Theater does not have its own lighting system, and theater productions must rent or borrow lighting when needed. There is a small orchestra area directly below the stage, and this allows for additional seating, if necessary. The theater is owned by the Knights of Columbus, and leased by the town of Seymour. The manager of the Strand Theater, Jeri Swinik, works with David Duff of the town’s Arts & Cultural Commission to program special usage.
In Naugatuck, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church is used for productions of the Naugatuck Teen Theater. This large open room has a small stage and piano and the capacity to seat up to 150 people with folding chairs. This church and the high school auditorium provide the best performance venues in Naugatuck given the lack of a traditional facility.
Many churches in the Valley make their halls and community rooms available to the public when the facilities are not being used for church events and functions. Most notable are St. Joseph Church in Ansonia and St. Jude Church Hall in Derby. These resources, however, are not commonly taken advantage of by area residents outside of the church community and are underutilized, probably because their availability is not promoted beyond their congregations.
The Congregational Church of Naugatuck is a unique church in the Valley because it aggressively promotes itself as a music performance venue as well as a house of worship. Rich in architectural and acoustical beauty, the sanctuary of the church provides the perfect environment for musical performance. Through the employment of Scott Lamlein as a full-time Director of Music Ministry, they not only host 6 uniquely different choir groups (including a choir that utilizes African drumming), they sponsor the Valley Music Series. This concert series has been created with the sole purpose of bringing first-rate musical performances to the Naugatuck Valley at no cost to concertgoers. A regular feature of the series is monthly half-hour concerts on the church’s grand Austin pipe organ. The Valley Music Series runs from September through May and along with the Summer Music Festival, provides year-round free music on the Naugatuck Green. The sanctuary of the church seats 500.
The Sterling Opera House was the center of community culture when it opened in Derby in 1889. Though the stage has been dark for more than forty years, restoration of this landmark will return a valuable and much needed asset to the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Determined to be structurally sound, the opera house needs a complete interior restoration and substantial exterior repair and restoration. As the largest theatrical structure in the Valley, it can again be a center for performing arts that will galvanize the local arts community and greatly enrich the lives of the residents both in the Valley and beyond.
Under the leadership of Mayor Marc Garofalo of Derby, an effort has begun to address the restoration and adaptive use of this facility. With initial support from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, matched by the City of Derby, the consulting team of Fletcher Thompson has been retained to conduct a cost analysis, market study, and architectural/structural report. Results are results expected in late winter of 2001. Senator Joseph Crisco recently added $200,000 to the one million he has procured in state funds to support the project. Numerous volunteers from the community have come together to play an additional role in raising money and assist Mayor Garofalo in this effort.
A reopened Opera House would provide the needed professional venue for the performing arts and for many of the events that can bind the Valley community together. As a cultural center, it would bolster regional arts activities, and become the catalyst to turn around public perception that the Valley is void of arts and culture. The wide variety of theatrical productions, concerts, dance recitals and lectures to be presented will broaden tastes, expand horizons and increase exposure to good drama and music. The Sterling Opera House could have a powerful impact on tourism, audience development, arts education and the quality of life for area residents, as well as serving as a significant economic generator providing new recreational and employment opportunities in the region. There is a tremendous need for an immediate, all-out effort to restore this national and community treasure and create a first-class multi-use performing arts facility in the Lower Naugatuck Valley.
As noted earlier, a majority of the artists residing in the Valley are visual artists, and yet, there are no traditional galleries for visual artists to show their work locally. There does exist alternative and non-traditional venues where local artists can display work. Some commercial small businesses, such as the Crafter’s Marketplace in Seymour, Frame Creations in Shelton, and Terry James Arts & Frame in Oxford display selected work from a variety of sources. These shops are not able to have entire shows, but like to support local artists by providing opportunity to show individual pieces. Both the Seymour Public Library and the Howard Whittemore Library in Naugatuck have dedicated space where visual artists can have shows periodically throughout the year. The Kellogg Environmental Center encourages artists to show paintings and photographs on partitions in its facility on subjects related to the natural environment.
The gallery space at the Star Pin Factory is used once or twice a year during open house events to feature the work of those artists renting studio space in the complex. This large, open, well-lit space is not available on a regular basis, nor is it open to outside artists. There is no staff to oversee shows, no manager to book or coordinate events, and no administrative time available from the building supervisor to make this space available to the public. However, it is likely that a unified effort by the visual arts community to pursue this space for the regular showing of work, in a way that would not place additional strain on the owner of the facility, could lead to the Valley’s first public gallery.
For a region its size and population, the Valley offers a high number of community events, parades, festivals, free concerts, and special celebrations. It seems that this is a community that likes to celebrate itself—to provide special opportunities for families to gather, children to play, music to appreciate and history to honor. What the Lower Naugatuck Valley lacks in arts facilities and organizations, it makes up in the spirited events that are organized throughout the year by volunteer citizens. On average, 25 free community events happen each year, including 4 Memorial Day parades, 6 public concerts series on town greens, a Duck Race, a Winter Film Series, a Pumpkin Festival, 3 town "Days", and new this year, the Valley Rivers Celebration. It bears noting that the Seymour Pumpkin Festival is in its 35th year and averages 30,000 people attending this one-day event. The Naugatuck Memorial Day Parade is the 4th largest in the United States and is listed in the Library of Congress as a "local legacy".
The areas churches also provide carnivals and fairs, many of which reflect the rich ethnic heritage of the congregation members. Ansonia’s Holy Rosary Church celebrates a three-day Italian Festival that draws approximately 15,000 people. Saint Anthony’s Church, also in Ansonia, has a one-day Lithuanian food and craft festival that over 1,000 families attend.
The following is a list of community events organized by town:
|
Town |
Event |
Date |
Producing Agency |
|
Ansonia |
Memorial Day Parade |
Last Sunday in May |
Volunteers for City of Ansonia |
|
Ansonia Day |
Second Sat in Sept |
Volunteers for City of Ansonia |
|
|
Beacon Falls |
Annual Duck Race |
September |
Beacon Falls Lions Club |
|
Beacon Falls Summer Concert Series |
Wed in July-Aug |
BF Park & Recreation Commission |
|
|
Annual Fireman’s Carnival & Parade |
Second Week June |
Beacon Falls Hose Company #1 |
|
|
Derby |
Derby Day |
Last Sunday in June |
Derby Cultural Commission |
|
Derby/Shelton Memorial Day Parade |
Memorial Day |
Derby/Shelton Parade Commission |
|
|
Derby Summer Concerts on the Green |
Tuesdays June-July |
Derby Cultural Commission |
|
|
Naugatuck |
Summer Music Festival |
Tuesday July-August |
Naugatuck Arts Commission |
|
Valley Music Series |
Year round |
Naug Arts Comm & Cong Church |
|
|
Whittemore Library Film Series |
Jan-Feb-Mar |
Whittemore Library |
|
|
Memorial Day Parade |
Memorial Day |
Veteran’s Council |
|
|
Oxford |
Oxford Fireman’s Carnival |
Last week in June |
Quaker Farms Fire Company |
|
Memorial Day Parade |
Memorial Day |
American Legion |
|
|
Oxford Annual Arts & Craft Show |
First Sat November |
Oxford Cultural Arts Commission |
|
|
Fall Hayrides & Pick Your Own Crops |
October |
Shreiber’s Farm |
|
|
Summer Concerts at the Oxford Gazebo |
Thurs July-August |
Seymour Cultural Arts Commission |
|
|
Seymour |
Seymour Summer Concert Series |
Wed July-August |
Seymour Cultural Arts Commission |
|
Pumpkin Festival |
Sec last Sun in Sept |
Seymour Pumpkin Fest Commission |
|
|
Shelton |
Annual Cider & Donuts Arts & Crafts Festival |
Fall |
Shelton Woman’s Club |
|
Shelton Day |
First Sun Oct |
Derby-Shelton Rotary |
|
|
July 4th Fireworks & Concerts |
July 4 |
Shelton Parks & Rec Commission |
|
|
Pick Your Own Christmas Trees |
Nov-Dec |
Jones Tree Farm |
|
|
Music Under the Stars Concerts |
Wed July & Aug |
Shelton Parks & Rec Commission |
|
|
Multi-town |
Valley River Celebration |
Columbus Weekend |
Alliance for Econ Growth/Healthy Valley 2000 |
A coordinated effort to market arts and culture in the Valley should begin with promoting these events. It is by putting the individual towns in the region together, one is struck by the plethora of activities that go on year round that are free and open to all. A unique characteristic of Valley residents is that they freely, with out hesitation, pass between each of their towns, with little regard for town lines or boundaries. People are causal about traveling from Derby to Shelton, or Beacon Falls to Naugatuck, and most people who live here think of their community in regional terms. It seems only natural to market the extraordinary number of cultural events here as a group, and at the same time "show off" to the cities and towns outside of the Valley the variety and diversity of what residents have happening in there own back yard.
Since the early 1980’s, education in the United States has undergone many changes. Today educators are challenged to create schools that help students acquire the knowledge, skills, confidence, and motivation to succeed in the increasingly sophisticated workforce. Business leaders want employees who are critical thinkers, have creativity and imagination, possess cooperative decision-making and leadership skills, the capacity for problem solving and the ability to communicate effectively. Arts education possesses the power to play a vital role in meeting this challenge.
Arts education builds such thinking skills as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and critical judgment. It nourishes imagination and creativity, as well as developing collaboration and teamwork skills, technological competencies, flexible thinking, and an appreciation for diversity. These elements form the core of the argument for why arts education is basic and vital to education, and why it helps meet the needs of young adults entering the workforce.
This arts and cultural assessment did not include an in depth study of arts education in the Valley, however, research was conducted to take a look at the art teacher-student ratio as a way of indicating what the public school system is allocating to educate children in the arts.
Town Nbr of Students K-12 Nbr of Art/Music Teachers
|
Ansonia |
2,428 |
8 |
|
Beacon Falls |
471 |
3 |
|
Derby |
1,574 |
5 |
|
Naugatuck |
5,651 |
22 |
|
Oxford |
904 |
4 |
|
Seymour |
2,811 |
8 |
|
Shelton |
5,444 |
19 |
This table indicates that there are 69 music and art teachers teaching 19,283 students from grades K-12. The average number of students per art and music teacher is 279. Because each school district is relatively small, the range of opportunities in arts programming has been limited. The Mt. Auburn Associates Report states the following:
Arts education could potentially have a bigger impact in the schools and in the Valley if there was more cooperation amongst the communities in their arts education programming, if programs were jointly undertaken by different school systems, and if strategic investments were made in facilities and programs.
Perhaps this information can lay the groundwork for the justification and development of a regional arts magnet school to meet the needs of the Valley’s children and play a key role in school improvement and reform in the area.
A Valley Regional Arts Council
In the early 70’s, a $10,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) lead to the founding of the Valley Arts Council. This grassroots organization was staffed entirely by volunteers, including its first director, Patricia Edwards, a resident of Shelton. It twice organized an arts and craft show in Osbornedale Park that included an opportunity for local visual artists to sell work, and also a local talent show at Seymour High School, lead by Seymour resident Frank Stuban. Local artists were also granted money to teach special interest classes such as photography and paining. By 1975, the organization began to flounder, as volunteers began to disagree about program development and the director became ill. Since this initiative ended, there has been no organized effort to address the artistic and cultural needs of the Lower Naugatuck Valley as a region. Twenty-five years later, the need remains.
As this assessment points out, each sector of the arts and cultural community could benefit from the services provided by an arts agency. Individual artists need a place to develop network opportunities, find career development programs, and locate information on resources. The development of a "Valley Artist Catalog" could become invaluable for connecting artists with art commissions and performance gigs. Sub-committees of the organization could develop showcase performance events or locate, develop and staff a community gallery. With an agency taking the lead, arts and cultural commissions in all 7 towns could grow audiences and turn around public perceptions of the Valley by taking part in a joint campaign to promote concerts and special festivals together. Arts organizations in the Valley need advice on fundraising, audience development, board development, and volunteer recruitment, and they could find this information at an agency. This same agency could play a very important role in the Sterling Opera House renovation by providing administrative support services on this project until staff is hired. As a regional agency, it could be valuable in galvanizing the greater Valley arts community to get behind the Opera House and help sustain its long-term operation. A new arts service agency would strive to make the Valley "arts friendly" and foster new initiatives in constant response to the needs of the community.
For a regional arts service agency to succeed in the Valley, the vision, mission, goals and strategies of the organization must clearly be defined. There must be support from community leadership in all 7 towns served by the council, there must be input from local arts organizations and individual artists receiving services, and it must have sufficient funding to support staff and program development. The new arts council should be broad in its reach – representing the entire Valley region, and involving artists and organizations of all sizes and disciplines. It should celebrate, nurture and preserve the artistic and cultural life of the Valley, developing programs and services that have a direct and positive impact on the region. It would be the most effective measure in addressing the issues raised in this assessment.
Based on the needs of individual artists, arts organizations, performing groups, and special events committees, it is recommended that this organization include as part of its mission the following:
1. Technical support and consultation services to cultural organizations, arts groups and individual artists.
2. A coordinated marketing effort on behalf of the region’s special events, concerts, festivals, and arts initiatives.
3. Support services to local artists and others interested in starting up new initiatives for arts and culture.
The work of a Valley arts council need not wait until a fully established, incorporated organization is founded. The early effort can begin under the auspices of the Alliance for Economic Growth, with second year funding for this assessment from Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. The long-range goal could be an independent non-profit organization, funded by membership dues, corporate membership, donations, grants and fund raising events. However, in the short term, the development of a marketing campaign to promote what arts and cultural resources and events currently exist in the Valley would heighten the profile of this effort and garner early support for its important work. Should the long-term goal of a non-profit organization be pursued, the Board of Directors would clarify and define programs and related services. It is important that the effort come from within—with leadership evolving from the very community the arts council will serve.
This assessment highlights many of the extraordinary arts and cultural resources that exist in the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Some have been thriving for 20 to 30 years with the outstanding support of local residents and patrons. Others are new, heartfelt efforts to unify the community and give residents an opportunity to take pride in their hometowns.
As is true with all communities struggling to grow and adapt to demographic changes, shortcomings run parallel to strengths. The lack of gallery and performance space is not an insurmountable problem especially in a community that recovered from a fire that destroyed the Boys and Girls Club by building a $5 million facility in its place. The Sterling Opera House is further along in the renovation process than it has been in 40 years, and it will likely succeed in opening its doors to the community on a limited basis within the next 36 months. This facility can one day house a resident symphony orchestra, a ballet school, or theater company—or any number of arts related activities and programs, each one building on the other.
The commissioning of this arts and cultural assessment has resulted in an inventory of every known artist, performing group, arts organization, venue and special event in the Valley. This data is an indispensable tool for communicating directly with the members of the arts community. The positive and supportive response to the collection of this data is a strong indication that residents want change and welcome an opportunity to build on and strengthen arts and culture.
No single investment can do more to enhance the Valley’s image than a modest investment in arts and cultural development and promotion of its assets on a region-wide basis. Arts and culture can provide a sense of vitality and excitement that will counteract the perceptions of decline and decay that have lingered in the Valley since the economic depression of the 80’s. The Valley is clearly in the midst of redefining its identity, of embracing national attention as an All-America City, and in forging new and impressive relationships with partners for economic change. The cultural community of the Valley – artists in all media and at all levels of development in their careers and cultural organizations of all size and purpose – is eager to grow. Many of these groups and individuals have been producing high quality work for a long time. Only recently has the importance of their role in the renaissance of the greater Valley region been acknowledged. It is a time for action.
The creation of a new, region-wide agency will address the needs of the arts community, turn around perceptions both within and outside the region, build public participation in the arts, and position arts and culture in the community as a key to quality of life in the Valley.
Appendix
List of Arts & Cultural Data
Arts Organizations
Connecticut Poetry Society
Conn Valley Theatre Organ Society
Derby Cultural Commission
Edgewood Music School
Ferguson Music School
Intern’l Brotherhood of Magicians
Morry Lopinto Music School
Naugatuck Arts Commission
Oxford Cultural Arts Commission
Seymour Cult’l & Arts Commission
Studio 600
Individual Artists
Craft-Pottery (1)
Craft-Stained Glass (1)
Craft- Woodwork (3)
Dance (5)
Music-General (7)
Music-Band (4)
Music-Instrument (44)
Music-Choir (24)
Music-Country (1)
Music- Jazz (1)
Music-Organist (1)
Music-Teacher (1)
Music-Voice (14)
Photography (19)
Storytelling (1)
Theater (7)
Visual-General (9)
Visual-Graphic (4)
Visual-Illustrator (2)
Visual-Painting (17)
Visual-Sculpture (2)
Other (4)
Performing Groups
Center Street Band-Shelton
Children’s Studio for the Performing Arts
Dance Fantasies-Derby
Dance Theater & the Arts-Naugatuck
Danz Magic-Derby
"Happy to be Here" Quartet-Shelton
Highland Rovers-Shelton
Horgan Academy of Irish Dancing-Naugatuck
Intern’l Brotherhood of Magicians-Shelton
Kathryn Kollar & Company-Shelton
Lorraine Judd Dance Center-Seymour
Michael Coppola Jazz Quartet-Shelton
Naugatuck Community Band
Naugatuck Community Choir
Naugatuck High School Jazz Band
Naugatuck Teen Theater
R Gang-Ansonia
Rancho Folclorico-Naugatuck
Reader’s Theater-Naugatuck
Renee’s School of Dance-Naugatuck
Rita Tottenham Studios-Seymour
Sifters-Derby
Silent Majority-Shelton
Soundwave Quartet-Naugatuck
Stephen Wynnick Dance-Shelton
Talent Hut Players-Seymour
Youth Connection-Shelton
Valley Chordsmen-Valley-wide
Performance Venues
Ansonia Public Library
Congregational Church of Naugatuck
Derby High School
Derby Neck Library
Derby Public Library
Howard Whittemore Library-Naugatuck
Naugatuck High School
Osborn Dale Park Pavilion-Derby
Plumb Memorial Library-Shelton
Seymour Public Library
Shelton Community Center
Shelton High School
Shelton Intermediate School
St. Joseph Church Auditorium-Ansonia
St. Jude Church Hall-Derby
St. Michael’s Episc Church-Naugatuck
Strand Theater-Seymour
Visual Arts Venues
Crafter’s Marketplace-Seymour
Frame Creations-Shelton
Kellogg Environmental Center-Derby
Osborn Dale State Park Nature Center-Derby
Seymour Public Library
Terry James Art & Frame-Oxford
Whittemore Gallery-Naugatuck
Arts & Cultural Events and Festivals
Annual Duck Race-Beacon Falls
Annual Fireman’s Carnival -Beacon Falls
Beacon Falls Summer Concert Series
Derby Day
Derby Summer Concerts on the Green
Derby-Shelton Memorial Day Parade
Fall Hayrides & Pick-Your-Own Crops-Oxford
July 4th Fireworks & Concert-Shelton
Memorial Day Parades- Shelt/Naug/Oxford
Music Under the Stars Concerts-Shelton
Oxford Annual Arts & Craft Show
Oxford Fireman’s Carnival
Pumpkin Festival
Seymour Summer Concert Series
Shelton Day
Summer Concert Series at the Oxford Gazebo
Summer Music Festival-Naugatuck
Valley Music Series-Naugatuck
Valley Rivers Celebration-Multi-town
Whittemore Library Film Series-Naugatuck
Church Festivals and Events
Four Seasons Fair-Beacon Falls
Holiday Fair-Ansonia
Holy Rosary Italian Festival-Ansonia
St. Anthony Parish Fair-Ansonia
St. Francis Church Fair-Naugatuck
St. Hedwig’s School Fair- Naugatuck
St. Joseph’s Festival-Ansonia
St. Joseph’s Annual Carnival-Shelton
St. Joseph’s Crafts Show-Shelton
St. Lawrence Carnival-Shelton
St. Mary’s Food Festival-Derby
St. Michael’s FunFest-Derby
St. Thomas Christmas Fair-Oxford
United Church Fair-Beacon Falls
Naugatuck Arts Commission logo by Frank Alcorace
Pages designed and maintained by Ty Smith / Naugatuck Arts Commission