Arts groups get pandemic grants
GREENWICH — Six arts groups based in Greenwich are among the many nonprofits receiving grants from the state to help deal with the financial devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The state issued $9 million in grants to 154 nonprofits as part of the COVID Relief Fund for the Arts.
Locally, grants will go to the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, the Greenwich Arts Council, the Greenwich Art Society, the Open Arts Alliance, Backcountry Jazz and the Stamford Young Arts Philharmonic, which is based in Old Greenwich.
“Connecticut’s arts community provides an incredible amount of good for our state and supports thousands of jobs,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement Monday. “Like nearly every segment of our communities, many of nonprofit arts organizations are struggling to recover from its impact. These grants will provide some needed support so that these groups can continue providing the services in our state that on which many depend.”
BackCountry Jazz, also known as BackCounty Concerts, received $31,400. Launched by Greenwich musician Bennie Wallace, it puts together music programs for underserved youth, particularly in Bridgeport, by giving out scholarships and instruments and holding workshops and master classes.
The grant will be a “huge boost,” said Wallace, who plays the saxophone. The pandemic has not only devastated the live music industry, leaving musicians without gigs to play and unable to pay their rent, he said. Many schools are not offering music, and children cannot play the music they love while they are on remote learning.
“We are keeping our education programs active,” Wallace said. “This helps us keep serving the kids and the teachers.”
BackCountry Jazz plans to put together a concert soon that can be shown to Bridgeport students, he said, and the grant will also help with online performances.
The Greenwich Art Society received a grant of $11,500. An offshoot of the legendary Cos Cob Art Colony, it has been in existence since 1912. The group holds exhibitions all over town and teaches art to students.
The Art Society is located in the Greenwich Senior Center, which is also home to the Greenwich Arts Council. That nonprofit, which received $14,000, is dedicated to increasing access to the arts in town. It puts together the annual Art to the Avenue exhibition, which was canceled this year, and offers studio space and programs throughout the year.
The pandemic has also forced the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra to call off its regular schedule of concerts. It received $19,300 in funding to help keep it afloat.
“This grant will help support our program and our musicians,” said former first selectman Peter Tesei, the new president of the symphony. “Our musicians have continued to perform little vignettes that people can find on our website.”
The state awarded a grant of $9,700 to the Open Arts Alliance, a Greenwich-based theater company
“Connecticut’s arts community provides an incredible amount of good for our state and supports thousands of jobs. Like nearly every segment of our communities, many of nonprofit arts organizations are struggling to recover from its impact. These grants will provide some needed support so that these groups can continue providing the services in our state that on which many depend.” Gov. Ned Lamont
made up of students and teaching artists who “facilitate social service outreach for senior citizens with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.”
And $6,600 was given to the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic, a nonprofit that teaches young musicians across Fairfield and Westchester counties, under the guidance of professionals.
Administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the program supports nonprofit arts groups that curtailed operations during the pandemic. Many arts groups have a limited ability to reopen or pivoted in how they deliver services because of COVID restrictions.
All of the organizations that qualified received a base grant of $5,000. Groups that raised funds were given supplemental matches from the state of up to 50 percent of income that was contributed between March 10 and Nov. 1.
“The year 2020 has presented unprecedented challenges to Connecticut’s arts organizations and they have risen to the occasion in every possible way,” said Liz Shapiro, the DECD’s director of arts, preservation and museums.
“While we are thrilled to offer this support, it is important to understand that this funding, while certainly helpful, does not solve these organizations’ financial challenges,” she said. “I strongly encourage residents and donors to do everything they can to support these organizations in the months ahead.”
The money came to the state through the federal CARES Act, which was passed in the spring by Congress.