Artists Next Door: a new column

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven is pleased to announce the start of a new monthly column, Artists Next Door, premiering this month in ARTS! Each issue, the column will profile a regional artist, selected from a variety of artistic disciplines. This special initiative is made possible with support from Citizens Bank, an Arts Council Corporate Senior Partner.

The idea for the monthly profile column stemmed from the success of the award winning book " Artists Next Door." Edited by Cheever Tyler, the book celebrates the multitude of talented artists in New Haven- and through this new column, the Arts Council and Citizens Bank hope to further showcase the richness and diversity of the regional arts community.

The Arts Council welcomes suggestions of artists from any discipline, to be considered for a monthly profile. To submit a name for consideration, pleasebriefly describe the artist and his oher work and explain why the individual should be celebrated in ARTS! All submissions can be sent to Karsenault.ac@cshore.com.

Revealed/Concealed: Contemporary Mask Makers

An exhibit showcasing a variety of masks that reflect contemporary culture and values while paying tribute to tradition. Participating artists include: Bianca kaye Anderson, Suzanne Benton, Brad conant, Bob Gregson, Enoc Lion LaViera, Pedro J. LaViera, and Pacer.

The picture above is of Enoc Laviera next to one of his masks. Enoc is also featured in the september issue of the ARTS! publication.

This exhibit will take place at 70 Audubon street, 2nd floor from september 15 to October 31.

Arts Council bids farewell to Betty Monz

Elizabeth Monz stepped down as the executive director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven at the end of July. In an effort to both spend more time with family and to persue additional professional interests, Monz will begin work as a major gift officer for Choate Rosemary Hall effective September 7, 2006. Development and marketing director Barbara Feldman, who will not be a candidate for the position, will serve as acting director until the search committee fills the position in the fall.

" It has been such a pleasure to lead this organization for the past four years," Monz said. " I am honored to have had the support, input and most importantly the friendship of our staff, the dedicated board and members of this wonderful arts community."

Betty Monz joined the Arts Council of Greater New Haven in the fall of 2000 as the head of the Regional Cultural Plan. In this position, she led New haven's revitalization through the arts and incorporated the goals of the Regional Cultural Plan into the Arts Council's strategy. In September of 2002, Monz replaced current Alderwomen Frances T. "Bitsie" Clark as the Arts Council's executive director.

" The Arts Council is extremely grateful to Betty Monz for her years of dedicated leadership," said Arts Council Board President Pat Sweet. " During her tenure, Betty has applied extraodinary vision and talent to this organization and has truly embodied the Arts Council mission fo expanding the arts and enriching the region.

"We are extremely fortunate to have had two amazing executive directors, and we look forward to finding the next person to carry on the tradition."

Photo credit : Harold Shapiro

A New Song For New Haven

On July 27th, Leadership Greater New Haven, Image New Haven Team and Market New Haven launched "New Day In New Haven", original song and video at Firehouse 12. The project was created by eight recent graduates of the Leadership Center, a program of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. The mission is to celebrate the spirit and energy of the city as well as the culture, arts and the history New Haven has to offer. The Image New Haven Team consists of Todd Nicotra of Olympia Properties, Stephanie Barnes of Youth at Work, Jose Monteiro of the Arts Council, Sherese Ward of Bank of America, Roye Anastasio-Bourke of Casey Family Services, Carol Bajoros of the Regional Water Authority, and Bernadette Hollodak of the Yale New Haven Hospital. For more information on the Leadership program please visit http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/06/post_231.php. You can view the video and hear the New Day In New Haven song at www.infonewhaven.com/newday.

ARTISTS' HOUSING SYMPOSIUM: The Arts Council Needs YOUR Help!

On March 5, 2007, the Arts Council will be holding a symposium on affordable artists' housing in the Greater New Haven Region. We will be inviting a dynamic variety of speakers from both the art and real estate development industries. Our hope is that both area artists and local developers will attend and engage in constructive dialogue to begin tackling this important issue.

In anticipation of the symposium, we're trying to gather as much information as possible about the current housing status and needs of area artists. We have compiled an online survey and ask that all area artists (visual, performing, and multimedia) give us five to seven minutes of your time to tell us a bit about where you live and work, how you pay for the spaces, and what amenities you'd like them to have.

You can access the survey by visiting http://www.artscouncilgnh.org/survey

Your answers will be of great use to us as we go about planning the event and making progress in developing new affordable spaces. If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact us at (203) 772-2788.