Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut Presents Regional Award Recognitions

2012 Honorees: Fairfield County Bank; Ventura, Riberio & Smith, and Alison Greeley, Chair, Ridgefield Arts Council

(Danbury, Conn. – November 17, 2012) –  The Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, formally the Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance, presented three awards on Friday, November 9, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Danbury during the Cultural Alliance’s Sixth Annual Business Supports the Arts Awards Breakfast.  The event is a signature fundraiser and an opportunity to recognize the extraordinary contributions made toward arts and culture in the region. Sponsored by Union Savings Bank, the breakfast was well received by 250 people and an eclectic mix of attendees representing civic leaders, business and the arts community.

Caribbean music, a theatre performance, and an art exhibit were provided for guests to enjoy. Mayor Boughton welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of arts, history, and culture to our communities.  Dan Goble, Dean of Western Connecticut State University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, gave an update on the development of the new facility. Steven Wolff, board member and chair of the Arts Committee of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, spoke about the Economic Impact study in Fairfield County.  The main speaker, Kip (Christopher) Bergstrom, Deputy Commissioner, DECD Office of the Arts, advocated that the Arts are no longer at the “kiddie table”, but at the adult table of economic development.

“Business leaders and creative professionals share a common interest in doing their part to build strong communities,” says Lew Wallace, President of the Cultural Alliance. “It is a privilege to honor Fairfield County Bank, Ventura, Riberio & Smith and Alison Greeley for their outstanding contributions and for being leaders in the creative economy.”

2012 award presentations:

BSA Award, the Cultural Alliance’s highest award, was presented to Fairfield County Bank in recognition of their philanthropic commitment to arts and culture in the Greater Danbury area.  Fairfield County Bank donates more than $250,000,000 annually to hundreds of local organizations, with about 20% of total giving going directly to Arts related groups.  Their employees donate thousands of hours of their own time each year to scores of local organizations including arts and culture.  As President of the Fairfield County Bank, Dan Berta leads the call as he serves on the Ridgefield Symphony’s Foundation Board.  And this year, he participated in the Ridgefield Symphony’s Dancing with the Stars event, personally contributing over $15,000 for their organization.

Arts in the Community Award presented to Ventura, Ribeiro, & Smith for their outstanding commitment to supporting art and culture, particularly in Danbury.  The Firm has always been arts minded and has an ongoing commitment to making the arts accessible for his clients and greater Danbury residents alike.  For instance, making space for artists of all cultures to display their work on law firm walls was of the utmost importance when designing and constructing the firm’s current office building on Main Street. They hired a photographer to spend a year photographing the people and diverse cultures of Danbury, had collages created from these images, and these are proudly displayed in the lobby area.  The firm allocated a third of its total media buy at Comcast to City Center, contracted with a Danbury firm to create a commercial to highlight there are lots of good things happening downtown Danbury, shared their Hearst Media advertising buy with CityCenter, and placed two full-page ads full of quotes of wisdom in celebration and in support of the October visit of His Holiness the Dahli Lama to Danbury.

Heart of Art Award presented to Alison Greely, Chair, Ridgefield Arts Council. She is a woman with great energy and vision and she freely gives it while raising a family to her own town of Ridgefield.  Alison Greely is an advocate for creating a community where one can enjoy arts and culture without ever having to leave town to do it.  Tirelessly, as chairwoman and even well before this tenure, she has worked to successfully re-energize the Ridgefield Arts Council.  Alison was the driving force behind Ridgefield’s 9/11 Memorial, she played a lead role in organizing and executing Ridgefield’s Art Walk, an event that is a true expression of the creative economy, as more than 50 artists were installed in businesses throughout the downtown area. In conjunction, the Ridgefield Arts Council, under Alison’s leadership, sponsors the annual Cultural Festival in Ballard Park.  Aligning with the Ridgefield Library and the Aldrich Museum, she was instrumental with executing an exciting first ever cross-disciplinary conference exploring creativity through imagination and innovation. 

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