Money for the arts
Connecticut Office of the Arts is accepting applications for the Connecticut Arts Endowment program, fiscal year 2019.
Applicants must be Connecticut 501(c)(3) arts organizations that have raised more than $15,000 in private-sector contributions, from non-governmental sources, for two consecutive fiscal years. Applicants must submit the organization’s tax returns to substantiate reported contributions, as well as a current Certificate of Good Standing (aka Certificate of Legal Existence) from the Connecticut Secretary of State’s Office.
The deadline is Dec. 15. The funding period is April 15 to Oct. 15, 2019. For details and instructions on how to apply, visit ct.gov/cct.
CHS CEO steps down
Jody Blankenship, CEO of the Connecticut Historical Society, has stepped down to take the job as president and CEO of the Indiana Historical Society. The CHS board of trustees will conduct a nationwide search for a new CEO.
During Blankenship’s tenure, CHS acquired significant collections including George Washington documentation of New Gate Prison Revolutionary War inmates and the DeMars collection of glass plate negatives that document northwestern Connecticut. Blankenship also led the adoption of the Connecticut Folklife Program, which chronicles the histories of diverse communities in the state. chs.org.
CT’s architecture stories
“Connecticut Architecture: Stories of 100 Places,” a coffee-table book describing distinctive buildings, building styles and locations in the state, hits stores on Nov. 6.
The book is written by Christopher Wigren for the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, where he is deputy director. Wesleyan University Press is the publisher. It is 304 pages, features 213 illustrations and sells for $40.
Some of the places profiled are individual buildings or built spaces, such as the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Hilltop Farm in Suffield, Warner Theatre in Torrington, First Church of Christ in Wethersfield and the Merritt Parkway. Others are collections of buildings, unique building designs, distinctive structural elements or other architecture-oriented places, such as Perfect Sixes, the Alice Washburn houses in Hamden, Seaside Village in Bridgeport and the Brownstone Quarries in Portland. wesleyan.edu/wespress.
‘Parallel Narratives’
A panel discussion titled “Parallel Narratives: The Future of Period and Contemporary Design” will be Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St. in Hartford
The discussion of pivotal moments in American design, and how they inform design work today, will include Eric and Noah Wunsch of the Wunsch Americana Foundation, Thomas Jayne of Jayne Design Studios, Alexandra Gilbert of Sotheby’s Home, David Wiseman of Wiseman Studios and Rodman Primacy of Design Miami. The moderator is Mitchell Owens of Architectural Digest.
Admission is free to the event, which is being held to showcase the Atheneum’s collaboration with Wunsch Americana. Items loaned by Wunsch will be on exhibit. Attendees also can sign up for a dinner with the panelists following the program. thewadsworth.org.
Women photographers
“Women Photographers of Connecticut,” an exhibit of work by members of that organization, will be on exhibit from Nov. 9 to Dec. 31 at LaGrua Center, 32 Water St. in Stonington. An opening reception is Nov. 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $5. lagruacenter.org.
The arts of Indonesia
Wesleyan University in Middletown is playing host to Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta, a sultanate in Indonesia, and is celebrating the monarch’s visit with a series of cultural events performed by members of his court.
A free performance of Javanese court dance is Nov. 8 at 11:50 a.m. in Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. On Nov. 9, Music and Dance of Yogyakarta will be held in Crowell Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $28, $26 seniors, faculty, staff, alumni and non-Wesleyan students, $6 Wesleyan students and youths. A free puppet play accompanied by gamelans will be Nov. 10 at 2:30 p.m. in the World Music Hall. The play, “Wayang Golek,” is based on the Islamic story of Amir Hamzah. wesleyan.edu/cfa.
Dragons and kings
“Myths and Folktales from Great Britain: Dragons, Kings, and Standing Stones” is a storytelling program at Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St. in New Haven, on Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. Tom Lee will tell stories from England, Scotland and Wales, and then visitors can see the artworks that inspired his stories on exhibit in the museum. Admission is free. britishart.yale.edu.
Calling all artists
New Britain Commission on the Arts is seeking submissions of artwork for a Mayor’s Invitational Exhibition in City Hall, which will run from Dec. 12, with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m., to June 2019.
There is no fee to apply. Artists and artworks with a connection to New Britain are encouraged, but that is not a requirement.
To apply, send a resume in Word or PDF format, along with 10 jpegs of artworks, to dhuck@newbritainct.gov. The submission deadline is Nov. 25.
‘How It Is’
Judy Dworin Performance Project will perform “How It Is,” a dance-song-narrative piece on the subject of female incarceration, at Charter Oak Cultural Center, 21 Charter Oak St. in Hartford, on Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
“How It Is” excerpts elements from two previous Dworin performances, “Brave in a New World” and “In My Shoes.” Dworin’s dancers will perform with guests artists who have spent time in prison.
Admission is $20, $15 seniors, $5 students, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. charteroakcenter.org.
