NWCT Arts Council: Arts Connected

Matica Circus duo from Harwinton, Connecticut performing at NWCT ARTS Connected event in May
Jennifer Almquist
Matica Circus duo from Harwinton, Connecticut performing at NWCT ARTS Connected event in May
The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council (NWCT Arts) recently held Arts Connected, their first fundraiser, at the Spring Hill Vineyard in Washington, Connecticut. The evening celebration, a combination of Fellini movie, carnival, and Renaissance Fair, featured an aerialist from Matica Circus in Harwinton, and a flame and flow performer out in the courtyard under the stars. Momix, based in Washington Connecticut, under the artistic direction of founders Moses Pendleton and Cynthia Quinn, also performed. Two dancers wore Jeff Koons-style inflated red dog suits, and Momix dancer Jared Bogart wafted through the space wearing an immense, two-stories tall silk fan. Persian calligraphic painter Alibaba Awrang created a community work of art, while Ameen Mokdad, a violinist from Iraq, made music with Hartford’s Cuatro Puntos Ensemble. A young musician, Adelaide Punkin, performed an original song from the balcony of the vast space, while a giant puppet from Sova Dance and Puppet waltzed through the festivities. DJ Arvolyn Hill from Kent spun the tunes, an African drum circle set the rhythm, and there was abundant food and drink for the gathered crowd.
NWCT Arts is one of 8 regional Arts Councils designated by the Connecticut Office of the Arts, a branch of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). The mission of NWCT Arts is to “elevate the role of the arts to build community and economic vitality.” The NWCT Arts was founded by Amy Wynn in June of 2003 in collaboration with the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation and the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.
Brian Boye, Litchfield County resident, Vice President at Nike Communications, NWCT Arts board member emphasized “Our goal with Arts Connected was to highlight the rich tapestry of artists that live and work in our community. We are blessed with such a diverse range of talent, from world-class dance ensembles like Momix to incredible visual artists like Stace Dillard who work solo in studios across our 25 towns. I am thrilled that we were able to feature more than 80 local artists in a variety of formats throughout the event. Our art gallery featured more than 60 artists and we had live performances from musicians, calligraphers, DJs, drummers, photographers, dancers, aerialists, and singers. It was such a joy to witness the community coming together to celebrate all this talent.”
Steph Burr began her time as Executive Director of NWCT Arts in the heart of the Covid pandemic. A fierce advocate for artists, Burr had to immediately shift gears to create the NWCT Artist Emergency Relief Fund to aid local creatives through the hardship caused by COVID-19. NWCT Arts raised funds to support artists in financial distress. 51 artists from 13 towns in the region applied for help; arts educators, performing artists, musicians, commercial artists, fine artists, and artisans who depend on craft fairs and farmer’s markets to sell their wares. 73% of the applicants were not receiving unemployment and 31% of those applying were housing insecure. Burr is also an artist who lives in Torrington.
For 20 years, the Arts Council has been advocating for artists and the creative process in our region. They empower, facilitate, network, collaborate, and secure funding for local arts initiatives. Burr knows it is still hard for new arts organizations, and artists, to achieve lift-off. Funding for the arts has been cut back by the State to pre-pandemic levels with no adjustment for inflation. Burr would like to see greater advocacy from more established artists and organizations to help emerging artists get on their feet.
Board member Boye said, “We want to raise the profile of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, which typically works behind the scenes to ensure that artists and arts organizations can continue to thrive in our 25 towns. We’ve learned over the past few years that the arts are a major economic driver here. When we have a thriving arts community, people will visit our towns, shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants and stay in our inns. In 2022, the non-profit arts and culture industry generated more than $30 million in economic activity in our community. But there are a lot of challenges artists face to live and work here. Our mission is to ensure that there’s a network of support for them. We know that access to their work brings joy to us individually, but it also positions our region as a cultural destination that has a positive economic effect that benefits everyone.”
NWCT serves the towns of Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Burlington, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village/Canaan, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury/Lakeville, Sharon, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester/Winsted.
Sunday Fisher, chair of the board of directors, lives in Sherman and is an operational strategist after decades working in the retail world. “Northwest Connecticut is truly a special place, renowned as a sanctuary where artists have historically come to create and find inspiration. It’s my hope that our region be recognized as a vibrant hub for all forms of art. At the Council, we are deeply committed to honoring our rich history as stewards of this artistic legacy while also forging paths that ensure the arts not only survive but thrive. Balancing these roles is essential to fostering an environment where the arts can flourish and enrich our community for generations to come.”
“The arts are a powerful economic engine for our region and are very worthy of expanded investment,” said Burr. “Our nonprofit arts organizations connect our communities and help define our culture. They also attract substantial revenue to the local economy and support many jobs and small businesses. It is no easy feat to do both.” NWCT Arts is working closely with the Connecticut Department of Tourism as the arts are responsible for increased tourism in the region.
Our state representative Maria Horn agrees with Burr. “Arts and culture are a defining part of the Northwest Corner for those who live here and those who visit the region. Communities like ours that support arts and culture not only enhance their quality of life— they also invest in their economic well-being. We know this because we’ve studied it.”
Cinderfella is a fire and flow performer from Naugatuck, Connecticut. He performed at NWCT ARTS Connected, a celebration of the arts at Spring Hill Vineyards in Washington, Connecticut. Jennifer Almquist
Stephen Gass, former President of sesamestreet.org, and vice board chair said, “When I was asked to join the board of the NWCT Arts Council, I said “OK” with one condition: the organization embraces the idea that our area’s sustainability does not rely solely on caring for our environment. Rather, given the countless ways the arts can feed our collective souls, fuel curiosity, create shared experiences, and critically serve as economic drivers, we champion the idea that the arts are essential to our well-being. Just as environmental sustainability requires that we think beyond a town’s borders, the NWCT Arts Council’s 25-town purview provides the “big picture” perspective that helps ensure a rich, far-reaching, and fertile arts and culture landscape for us all.”
Executive Director Burr, whose dream for NWCT Arts is to provide equity in the arts, reiterated their underlying credo, “As an arts organization, we work to put the voices that are most unheard at the forefront to empower the movement toward creative justice. The arts are a human right and bring us together to celebrate cultural diversity. Everyone deserves access to art and culture, to be included, and to feel a sense of belonging. We are dedicated to serving the needs of everyone regardless of race, age, physical or mental ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status.”
NWCT Arts recognizes the positive impact the arts have on our mental health. Access to arts and culture is a universal human right, meeting both a social and psychological need. Jackie Armstrong, an educator at MOMA, said “Art can harness the healing power within each of us and help bring us into community with one another. When in front of an artwork, we are connected to the artist and to others who have experienced it. And connection, to us and others, is at the core of art and healing.”
Board chair Fisher continued, “As we reflect on the success of our first annual fundraiser, we’re filled with optimism about the future of the arts in Northwest Connecticut. This event has crucially boosted our ability to provide artists with the everyday tools they need to flourish. Our aim is to elevate the arts across the towns we serve, emphasizing not only their role in fostering community connections but also their significant impact as an economic driver. Looking ahead, we envision a partnership where municipalities seamlessly invest in arts and culture, ensuring every resident has access to these enriching experiences. Our first annual event marks a pivotal step towards making that dream a reality.”
Burr summed it up, “Our plan is grounded in the belief that the arts have the power to transform lives and communities and that by supporting artists and the creative process, we can create a more vibrant and prosperous region. I am so grateful for the support of our board, staff, and stakeholders. I am confident that together we can achieve our vision of a region where artists can thrive, and everyone can experience the arts.”
How can people help the NWCT Arts Council? They currently have eighty paid members. Information on how to join or support them and listings of future arts events can be found by going to www.artsnwct.org
LAKEVILLE — Nearly a month after closing the public hearing on the proposed Wake Robin Inn redevelopment, the Planning and Zoning Commission began its deliberations last week over the course of two special meetings devoted solely to the controversial project.
Over four hours of discussion helped the Commission to establish its position at this stage in the process, about a month before its statutory window to render a decision expires on Nov. 13.
By the end of the Oct. 9 meeting, the commission’s five voting members were split in their inclination towards approval or denial, with Secretary Martin Whalen and Regular Member Bob Riva indicating a favorable view, Vice Chair Cathy Shyer and Chair Michael Klemens leaning towards denial, and Regular Member Allen Cockerline expressing reluctance to suggest a vote before further conversation.
“We have more questions that have not been answered,” Klemens said.
“I think we’d all agree to that,” replied Cockerline.
The fundamental nature of those questions is: is the project still too big? And how does the Commission quantify “too big?”
This marked the second time the Commission has sat down to weigh the merits of an expansion proposal for the Inn. The applicant, Aradev LLC, had withdrawn a previous application in December 2024 after four of the five voting members indicated they would likely deny it. Since Aradev resubmitted a revised application this spring in response to feedback from P&Z and Salisbury residents, many neighbors have remained vocal in their continued opposition to the project, both during the public hearing and through community organizing.
Last week several commissioners expressed their gratification with Aradev’s responsiveness to the feedback and the thoroughness of the revised application, though the overall size of the development remained controversial. Cockerline praised the new proposal’s stormwater management plan in particular, which he described as “beyond anything I could’ve imagined.”
He also said it would note a marked improvement to the Inn’s current condition which he characterized as “functionally obsolete.” It should have been renovated 20 years ago,” he said on several occasions over the two meetings.
Klemens said that the application is “much better designed this go around, but still large.”
Shyer took a harder stance, one that echoed the sentiments conveyed in many a neighbor’s testimony during the public hearing. “The bottom line is, this is a big development,” she said. “It’s as big as the last one.” While the new plans have downsized the room count and building footprint from 2024’s application among other alterations, many residents have claimed that the currently proposed expansion is, in terms of impact, nearly identical.
Klemens closed in on a sentence in the town’s zoning regulation 803.3 that addresses impact on neighboring properties in the case of a special permit application as fundamental to the Commission’s deliberation. The clause states that the development may not “cause undue concentration of population or structures,” which Klemens said that, while a tricky thing to define, is the crux of the matter: “I think that’s been the heart of the whole thing. It’s the size; it’s the increase.”
Shyer suggested traffic as a potentially quantifiable metric by which the Commission could determine if the redevelopment is proportionally inappropriate for the location. Before the next meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., the Land Use Office will seek data on how ingress/egress by Inn guests and restaurant goers will affect, by percentage, the number of cars at busy Lakeville intersections.
P&Z’s attorney Charles Andres was asked to seek out case law where “undue concentration” has been used as a basis for special permit denial. He said that the language, having appeared in the first national zoning enabling laws in the 1920s, is antiquated and has been phased out of many regulation books. He agreed that examples of its use in the special permit context will be helpful in pinning down such a vague concept.
The roof of the Grove was damaged by the tree, the event tent was punctured, a chef was injured and the Jubilee Luncheon was canceled Sunday, Oct. 12.
LAKEVILLE — The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News Jubilee Luncheon fundraiser at the Grove Sunday, Oct. 12 was canceled after a very large section of a tree fell on the caterer’s tent at about 10 a.m.
Most of the catering staff heard the tree breaking up and got out of the tent in time, but the chef was hit by the falling limbs and sustained non-critical injuries.
A portion of the Grove’s roof sustained damage and branches came through the tent.
The Lakeville Hose Company responded to the scene. The chef was transported to Sharon Hospital by the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service.
“While we’re deeply disappointed to cancel our annual fundraising event, our first concern is for our caterer’s chef, who was injured in the incident and is now recovering at home,” said James Clark, Publisher. “We’re grateful there were no more serious injuries, and we deeply appreciate the understanding and support of our honoree, underwriters, and guests.”
The incident occurred during preparation for the event, which would have centered around the presentation of the Estabrook Community Leadership Award to Bunny Williams.
Food that The Marketplace had prepared for the event was donated to People’s Pantry in Great Barrington.
Emergency responders block Amenia Union Road in Sharon Saturday, Oct. 11, while responding to the vehicle crash.
Updated Oct. 13, 9:25 a.m.:
SHARON — Shea Cassidy-Teti, 17, of Salisbury, died Saturday, Oct. 11, in a tragic car crash on Amenia Union Road in Sharon.
Connecticut State Police reported Charles Teti, 62, was driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee northbound on Amenia Union Road when, for an unknown reason, the vehicle crossed the southbound lane and exited the roadway where it struck a tree and home. Airbags deployed.
Teti and front seat passenger Aidan Cassidy, 63, sustained serious injuries. Teti was airlifted to Hartford Hospital and Cassidy was transported by ambulance to Sharon Hospital for treatment.
Shea Cassidy-Teti was in the back seat and sustained fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead on scene.
Cassidy-Teti was a senior at Kent School. He played on the football and tennis teams.
The residence that was struck is located at 35 Amenia Union Road.
The case remains under open investigation. Witnesses are asked to contact Trooper Lukas Gryniuk at Troop B 860-626-1821.
The residence at 35 Amenia Union Road sustained damage to the front of the structure, which can be seen from the street through the trees. Oct. 13.Photo by Ruth Epstein
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.