Submitted by Barbara Nair
(January 27, 2023) — The Arts Center Killingworth and Spectrum Art Gallery were recently awarded a $7,800 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant from CT Humanities (CTH). CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grants assist organizations as they recover from the pandemic and maintain and grow their ability to serve their community and the public.
The Arts Center and Spectrum Gallery will employ the grant money in a variety of ways with a keen focus on the growth and development of new and innovative programming. Investment in the latest and most efficient technologies, as well as a planned physical expansion, will allow the organization to increase its ability to service local and state communities.
“We are truly thankful for this gift from CT Humanities,” noted Barbara Nair, Executive Director of the organization. “With this generous grant, we’ll be able to increase our programming and fundraising and implement further technology to provide new and relevant art experiences. We are also looking to increase investment into an additional space that will allow us to design and implement more programs to further serve communities throughout our area on the Shoreline of Connecticut – and increasingly throughout the state.”
The Arts Center/Spectrum Art Gallery is one of the 723 organizations in Connecticut that were awarded CT Cultural Fund support totaling $8.5M from CT Humanities. The CTCFOSG is part of the $30.7M support allocated to arts, humanities, and cultural nonprofits through CTH over the next two years by the CT General Assembly and approved by Governor Ned Lamont.
This CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant is provided to the nonprofit Arts Center Killingworth and Spectrum Art Gallery from CT Humanities, with funding from the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.
Arts Center Killingworth, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2004 offers art classes, workshops, and camps for children, teens, and adults. Volunteer opportunities are provided for those wishing to be more involved in the arts and their communities, while teens can obtain community service hours. The Arts Center also presents two annual outdoor festivals: Summer Arts Festival on the Essex Connecticut Town Green in June; and Autumn Arts Festival on the Madison Connecticut Town Green in October. Named “Best Gallery on the Connecticut Shoreline” for several years running, Spectrum Gallery and Store in Centerbrook opened in 2014 and presents six annual gallery exhibits, showcasing representational and abstract painting, mixed media, sculpture and photography, and many fine artisanal crafts by artists from throughout Connecticut, the Tri-State Area, and New England. For more information visit spectrumartgallery.org.
CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) is the state agency charged with fostering the health of Connecticut’s creative economy. Part of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, the COA is funded by the State of Connecticut and the National Endowment for the Arts.
