Greenwich
Arts and Cultural Leaders Meet at
the Greenwich Arts Council
On
October 17 GAC Executive Director Paul Master-Karnik welcomed a group
of 25 cultural leaders to a special program devoted to the topic of
collaboration. The meeting was designed as a networking opportunity
for Directors and Board leaders to learn more about each other’s
organizations with a view to developing program collaborations, thereby
expanding audiences and facilitating innovation. Many new ideas were
generated as a direct result of the meeting, which also explored the
sharing of resources among organizations as a cost saving measure.
Arts
and Cultural Leaders Meetings were inaugurated by GAC to encourage the
discussion of the challenges confronting non-profits today, provide
a forum for keynote speakers on a variety of important topics and establish
agendas for program innovation in the arts in Greenwich.
For
more information about the project and meeting schedule, call 203.862.6750.
Granted
GAC
has been awarded a General Operating Support grant from the CT Office
of the Arts in the amount of $5,800 for the 2012 calendar year. The
competitive award recognizes the quality of Council programs and their
importance to the community.
Youth@Art
FUND ESTABLISHED
Thanks
to the generosity of longtime GAC supporters Al and Janet Clausi a permanent
Youth@Art Fund has been established with their inaugural gift of $20,000.
Introduced by Janet Clausi to the Council’s regular programming
some years ago, today Youth@Art has become GAC’s major arts education
outreach program working with some of the most under-advantaged public
school populations in Greenwich. Such components of the program such
as Student Docent training, peer to peer exhibit tours, workshops and
student exhibitions, all based in the inquiry method of learning, have
made Youth@Art a model of effective arts education. Additional gifts
to grow the Fund are welcome as they help to ensure the stability and
growth of this important youth education project. Please contact Paul
Master-Karnik, GAC Executive Director.
Michael
Reilly
F. Michael Reilly – GAC Patron & Friend
The obituary reads born, August 1920, died October 2003, yet there is so much more to the story.
One afternoon in 2000, a dapper eighty-year old man, a stranger to the Arts Council, walked into the GAC office and, in response to a newspaper article about the mounting costs of our gallery renovations, wrote a rather large check to help cover our expenses. Until that time, Michael Reilly had had no contact with the Greenwich Arts Council—he simply acted upon his instincts, and the Arts Council was rewarded with his generosity and trust.
Apparently this was not unusual for Michael. He was a man of many interests and passions. A one-time actor, he counted many celebrities as his friends including Carol Channing and designer, Bill Blass. Edward Everett Horton was often a Thanksgiving houseguest. He also supported the arts by investing in Broadway shows. While investing on B’way is not characteristically a financially sound idea, Michael supported the arts from his heart. And his instincts were often rewarded. He was one of the original investors in A Chorus Line.
Born and raised in Greenwich, Michael traveled and lived all over the world, and at one time had multiple businesses in Puerto Rico including a hotel. Through his travels, he established a lot of strong and lasting friendships. He was a diligent and faithful letter writer and, while independently wealthy, he often joked that because of his far-reaching correspondence, all done longhand, he didn’t have time to work.
Outwardly, he was a flamboyant figure. On stage and in
life, he could fill up a room. Yet there was a quite, gentleness and sincerity
that hid just below the silken ascot and quick wit. His generosity and
belief in the arts continues now that he is gone. Michael Reilly created
a $250,000 annuity for the Greenwich Arts Council. We are eternally grateful
to him for his support and trust.
Top of Page
The Greenwich Arts
Council Plays Host
To The Construction of Tibetan Sand Mandala
The
Greenwich Arts Council played host to a group of 10 Tibetan monks from
the Drepung Gomang Monastery in Southern India. During their stay in the
area, the monks created a sand mandala, or sand painting, in the second
floor meeting room of the Arts Center. The sand mandala is an ancient
Tibetan art form of unbelievable delicacy using colored sands to create
intricate patterns and shapes. The mandala was built over a four-day period
and culminated with the deconstruction of the design and disbursement
of the sand, symbolizing the impermanence of all that exists. The closing
ceremony included a procession down Greenwich Avenue to the waterfront
at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park where the remaining sand was poured into
the Sound.
The
building of a sand mandala is a slow, deliberate and contemplative process.
The general public was invited to sit and watch the monks as they worked.
The monks also scheduled some smaller events –prayers, discussions, and
blessings in private homes, as well as cultural performances that featured
Tibetan dancing, costumes and music at Wainwright House in Rye, NY. A
full schedule of all related events was made available at the Greenwich
Arts Council office and at Wainwright House.
Refer
to the Press
Release for more information.
Top of Page
Friendly Connections, a program
of Family Centers of Greenwich, enables a group of seniors to meet over
the phone to discuss an exciting and diverse range of topics including
current events, world travel, art, history and health issues, to name
a few. Each month GAC Executive Director, Paul Master-Karnik, hosts a
conference call with as many as 20 seniors discussing the current exhibit
in The Bendheim Gallery.
Top of Page
From left to right: Sean Caulfield; Alice Kraus; Jennifer Droblyen; Frank Juliano; Francesca Rosenberg
The Greenwich Arts Council recently hosted a panel discussion on how art can help people with Alzheimer’s. Sean Caulfield, Community Outreach Coordinator of Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, explained, “People with Alzheimer’s do not loose their memories; they loose access to their memories. We need to find ways to access these memories.”
Jennifer Droblyen, Manager of Outreach Education at the Bruce, stressed, “By showing art and engaging a range of senses, we can draw out their memories and create meaningful dialogue.” “But reacting to art does not necessarily require memory,” added Francesca Rosenberg, Director of Community Programs, MoMA, “Like a rhythm, people can respond even if they do not know the song.” Francesca recalled one participant started dancing and talking about his single life when told that a painting was called Broadway Boogie Woogie.
“Treatment of those with Alzheimer’s needs to include how we treat one another,” as Alice Kraus, Bruce Museum docent, explained why she volunteered. “I’m giving something to people I can’t give to my mother. I can give back indirectly by creating a safe place where those with Alzheimer’s can feel like complete people.”
The Art of
Remembering was part of the Greenwich Art Council's continued commitment
to people living with Alzheimer's. Each month clients from Greenwich
Adult Day Care come from lunch at the Senior Center followed by a personal
tour and brief discussion of the current exhibit in The Bendheim Gallery.
Top of Page
The
Greenwich Arts Council and the Avon Theatre in Stamford are happy to
announce the formation of a reciprocal membership agreement. As a member
of the Arts Council, you will receive $5 off when you join the Avon.
Avon Theatre members will receive the same benefit when they join the
Greenwich Arts Council. Other partnership events are in the works for
the near future including a film/lecture series.
