Nine area lawmakers are supporting a bill that would provide annual state funding to the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, the Danbury-based organization that promotes art, history and culture in 10 communities in northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield counties.
The bill would expand the state’s current arts grants to include a $79,000 appropriation to the Cultural Alliance making it, along with the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance, the fifth arts service organizations to received direct state funding every year.
The bill was proposed by Rep. David Arconti, Jr. of Danbury and supported by a bipartisan group that includes Sen. Michael McLachlan of Danbury, and Representatives Mitch Bolinsky of Newtown, Cecelia Buck-Taylor of New Milford, Dan Carter of Redding, Janice Giegler of Danbury, Bob Godfrey of Danbury, Debra Lee Hovey of Newtown and David Scribner of Brookfield.
Cultural Alliance president Lew Wallace thanked the legislators for their support and noted that organization “is in a strong growth phase and deserves similar support given to other regional arts organizations around the state.
“I applaud our legislators for working to bring our tax dollars back to our region to benefit our local economy,” he said.
The Cultural Alliance serves Danbury, Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, and Sherman, providing services and resources to more than 450 organizations related to arts, culture and history and hundreds of artists in all disciplines, as well as countless small, commercial businesses engaging in creative graphic design, architecture, and photography.
