
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
NORTH CANAAN — The new federally qualified health center in North Canaan has treated more than 1,000 patients since opening its doors last summer to strong demand in the Northwest Corner. However, operators of that facility, and others like it in Connecticut, said they are facing a “serious financial crisis” because Medicaid reimbursements have failed for decades to cover the actual costs of providing essential services.
In response to the longstanding problem, the not-for-profit Community Health Center Association of Connecticut has filed a Declaratory Ruling Request with the state Department of Social Services regarding that agency’s legal obligations for setting and revising Medicaid reimbursement rates for the state’s federally qualified health centers, also referred to as FQHC’s.
The legal action follows more than 18 months of administrative rate requests and unsuccessful negotiations with DSS, according to a statement issued by the association on March 11, which noted:
“After great effort made by the FQHC’s to work with DSS and reach resolution, the offer made by DSS offers inadequate rate adjustments, failing to address the FQHCs’ financial concerns, and requires them to surrender their due process rights under the law.”
Joanne Borduas, who chairs the association’s board of directors, said DSS’s offer was for “less than reasonable costs and came with unacceptable policy stipulations that we would be made to agree to in order to get the grossly inadequate proposed rate rebasing, which would be paid over a four-year schedule.”
“Our request to DSS was clear,” said Borduas, who also serves as CEO of Community Health and Wellness Center of Greater Torrington which also has centers in North Canaan and Winsted.
“We want DSS to follow the Federal law and compensate us accordingly so we can continue to care for our most vulnerable populations, and we need that to happen now because our 440,000 patients, 264,000 of whom are enrolled in Medicaid across our FQHC network, need us.”
Borduas noted that the decision to move forward comes after years of CHC/ACT and health centers making “good faith efforts” to get this important process changed to comply with federal law.
She said the financial strain on the state’s health centers has reached a point where vital services are at severe risk, including those under the umbrella of Community Health and Wellness Center.
“As of now we continue to operate without additional cuts or layoffs, however, it is difficult to fill vacant positions. It is difficult to recruit in this environment. We need to stay competitive with workforce wages in order to recruit providers, and that is difficult to do.”
She added that “We cannot provide raises for our staff who are extremely valuable, care about our mission and the people we serve and who work hard every day, and we cannot think of expanding services to meet community needs because there is an associated cost.”
In response to Declaratory Ruling Request filed with the state Department of Social services, that agency’s spokesperson, Christine Stuart reported on March 13 that the department acknowledges receipt of the request and “shall be analyzing and responding in due course and in compliance with statutes pertaining to petitions of state agencies for a declaratory ruling.”
In 2024, the Department of Social Services issued a “final report” into the state’s Medicaid program which found the state’s operating methods to be “cost-effective and high-performing, while identifying some areas where further improvements can be made.”
The analysis, which was conducted by Accenture and Manatt at the request of the state, evaluated the current program’s cost efficiency, quality and access, “while also exploring whether other models of operations could be an improvement over the current system, which operates through an administrative services organization model.”
The report found that Connecticut’s program “stands out as a model of cost-efficiency, with per capita spending 14% lower than the average of most northeastern states, and administrative costs significantly lower than managed care states (3.8% vs. 9.4%).”
The DSS “final report” further noted: “It also shows that the state is meeting national benchmarks to provide reliable service delivery while maintaining fiscal responsibility and is performing above the median on approximately 70% of national adult and child quality measures,” and suggests other states “could benefit from reviewing Connecticut’s program as a blueprint to achieve similar results.”
The Community Health Center Association of Connecticut is not convinced.
It maintains that as the state’s health centers begin to “suspend vital services, freeze hiring and deplete their cash reserves,” they have been left with no choice other than to pursue legal remedies. “They are not seeking special treatment, but simply asking DSS to follow the law as written.”
Speaking to her experience as CEO of Community Health and Wellness Center of Greater Torrington, Borduas explained that adjusted rates for medical and mental health were received by the state Department of Social Services for adding the North Canaan Health Center.
“Medical rates per our 2024 cost per Medicaid patient leaves a $122.48 gap between reimbursement and cost per patient. This difference,” she noted, “is what we lose for every patient enrolled in Medicaid that we care for.”
Behavior health is better compensated, said Borduas, but dental, which was offered at Community Health and Wellness Center’s Torrington and Winsted locations, is compensated $137.15 below 2024 costs and as a result, “CHWC has had to unfortunately suspend our dental services having incurred $350,000 in losses for restorative care in 2024.”
That included services like dentures, bridges, crowns and root canals, and an analysis of full services is in process and will likely yield greater losses, said Borduas. “The low Medicaid reimbursement that applies to 60% of our patients, the large gaps in payments are simply not sustainable.”
Connecticut’s federally qualified health centers provide critical medical, dental and behavioral healthcare to more than 440,000 of the state’s neediest and most marginalized residents.
On average, 60% of patients at the statewide centers have Medicaid coverage, where their care cannot be denied, according to the association.
“The FQHC’s need a rate-setting process that makes sense and follows the law, to ensure that all Connecticut residents, regardless of their income or background, can continue to access the care they need,” added Borduas.
Shawn K. Frick, CEO of the Community Health Care Association of Connecticut, noted that “The Connecticut legislature has been consistently supportive of our work, but our attempts to address this issue through the legislative process have been consistently opposed by the administration.”
LJMN Media, publisher of The Lakeville Journal (first published in 1897) and The Millerton News (first published in 1932), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization.
We seek to help readers make more informed decisions through comprehensive news coverage of communities in Northwest Connecticut and Eastern Dutchess County in New York.
We currently have the following positions open.
The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News seek an Audience Development Editor to expand and engage our readership across digital platforms. In this role, you will select stories for wider distribution, craft and write engaging promotions, and leverage social media and other digital channels to help inform and educate our communities and broaden our reach.
Working closely with editorial and business teams, you will analyze audience data to refine strategy, identify and execute new growth opportunities, and continually enhance best practices for attracting and retaining readers. If you thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and have a strong interest in connecting communities through local journalism, please email your resume and cover letter to James Clark, publisher@lakevillejournal.com.
The Millerton News is seeking a news reporter to cover Harlem Valley towns, including Millerton/North East, Amenia, Millbrook/Washington and Pine Plains and school districts.
Are you interested in your local news scene? Here is a chance to report on community news, business news, the environment, government, police and all the issues that affect the lives of Millerton News readers.
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North Canaan Town Hall
NORTH CANAAN — “If you’re not coming to work, why would you get paid?”
Selectman Craig Whiting asked his fellow selectmen this pointed question during a special meeting of the Board on March 12 discussing Town Clerk Jean Jacquier, who has been absent from work for more than a month. She was not present at the meeting.
“There’s been no reasoning, no explanation, no anything as to why you’re not here,” said Whiting.
Jacquier has worked in Town Hall since 1993 and was first elected town clerk in 2017. Conflict arose in 2023 when several complaints of misconduct were lodged against Jacquier.
First Selectman Brian Ohler filed the complaints to the Attorney General’s office, which included, among others, improper security of the vault, posting candidate campaign material in Town Hall and untimely stamping documents. The subsequent investigation found misconduct on the part of Jacquier in each of these three areas but took no punitive action.
Jacquier filed suit against the Town of North Canaan to recoup $15,000 in legal fees accrued during the investigation. The town motioned to strike the case, which was granted by Hon. Walter Menjivar at Torrington Superior Court on Jan. 28, 2025.
Ohler said Jacquier stopped coming to work after that ruling and has not been in contact since Feb. 4. During her absence, she continued to receive pay checks.
Assistant Town Clerk Marilisa Camardi had been filling in part time but was away the first week of March. To keep the office open, Executive Assistant Paul Mattingly was appointed assistant town clerk by the Board of Selectmen at its March 3 meeting. The two will work together until the next election or until Jacquier returns.
“It’s an essential function of the town to have that office open,” said Whiting.
Last week, Jacquier told The Lakeville Journal her recent absence is due to harassment and antagonism in Town Hall, which is taking a toll on her health.
Jacquier’s attorney, Jeffrey Mirman, communicated with the selectmen to request the meeting regarding her salary be open to the public as opposed to executive session. The selectmen complied.
Selectman Jesse Bunce said he has been in contact with Jacquier and he presented a letter from her to his fellow selectmen during the March 12 meeting. Ohler stated he could not verify the source of the letter, but he would forward it to the town attorney. The letter was not read into the record.
Ohler made a motion to suspend Jacquier’s salary until she returns to work. Whiting seconded. The motion passed 2-0 with Bunce abstaining.
“Every picture begins with just a collection of good shapes,” said painter and illustrator Dan Howe, standing amid his paintings and drawings at the Kearcher-Monsell Gallery at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. The exhibit, which opened on Friday, March 7, and runs through April 10, spans decades and influences, from magazine illustration to portrait commissions to imagined worlds pulled from childhood nostalgia. The works — some luminous and grand, others intimate and quiet — show an artist whose technique is steeped in history, but whose sensibility is wholly his own.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, and trained at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Howe’s artistic foundation was built on rigorous, old-school principles. “Back then, art school was like boot camp,” he recalled. “You took figure drawing five days a week, three hours a day. They tried to weed people out, but it was good training.” That discipline led him to study under Tom Lovell, a renowned illustrator from the golden age of magazine art. “Lovell always said, ‘No amount of detail can save a picture that’s commonplace in design.’”
Training led to work. Early on, while still a graduate assistant at Syracuse University, Howe began painting portraits — chancellors, deans, and, later, an endless roster of chairmen and medical executives. It paid well, but Howe found that the job of a portraitist, even a highly skilled one, is ultimately limited. “They’re just the same thing, you know, just a guy in a suit. Later, maybe it was a girl in a suit,” said Howe.
Between commissions, he painted for himself. This show is a gathering of those moments — studies of his wife and daughters, mythic scenes painted for libraries, and Star Wars covers from his time living near Dark Horse Comics in Oregon.A large painting, originally commissioned for a library, shows a girl in an attic opening a trunk, imagination spilling into the room. The library remodeled and sent the painting back. Now it anchors a wall in the show.
Dan Howe’s work reflects the Brandywine School’s devotion to craftsmanship, narrative depth, and a luminous, almost nostalgic realism. Like Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth before him, Howe builds scenes using light and composition to evoke mood and meaning. His meticulous brushwork and layering techniques nod to the tradition of classical illustration, yet his work diverges in its contemporary stillness. Of Norman Rockwell, Howe said, “He’s of my era, and our styles are similar. Of course Rockwell is Rockwell. I’ve got a little more painterly, Sargent-esque stuff running through mine.” The influence is there, not as mimicry, but as a quiet echo, refined through his own aesthetic language. “I’m an anachronism,” he said, without regret. His influences form a lineage of illustrators whose work once filled the pages of The Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s. They understood, as Howe does, that a painting must be more than accurate.“Mood is everything,” said Howe, drawing a comparison between two paintings in the show — a couple by a fire — to an old Star Wars concept painting. “Same color scheme. Different world. Mood is everything.”
Teaching remains a passion for Howe. When he and his family moved to the east coast from Chicago, Howe taught a series at the Norman Rockwell Museum called “Painting Like Rockwell,” something he hopes to revive. “I like beginners,” he said. “They don’t have bad habits yet.”
Howe also runs a summer figure drawing workshop at HVRHS with an old-school approach. “You’ve just walked into a time machine — this is art school, 1965. Three hours of drawing in the morning, three in the afternoon. No cell phones.” His methods may be antiquated but the results are living proof that some things are worth preserving. “Maybe this stuff is so old it’s new again,” he mused.
As he hung his pieces for this show, Howe said teachers stopped by, connecting his images to their own memories. “That’s a success,” he said. “If a picture makes someone feel something, then it’s done its job.”