By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Dorinda Borer has appointed a Blue-Ribbon Panel on Arts, Culture and Tourism to support arts investments in the community, to create a strategy for promoting tourism in West Haven, and to help coordinate the city’s new microgrant arts program.
Borer said the West Haven Microgrants for Arts + Culture program will be facilitated by the Greater New Haven Arts Council to help distribute microgrants for artistic purposes in the community.
The microgrants will total $116,250 and will be issued in increments between $2,500 and $10,000 each, depending on an applicant’s need, the mayor said.
Borer, who chaired the General Assembly’s bipartisan Arts, Culture and Tourism Legislative Caucus when she was a state representative, modeled the new yearlong panel after the speaker of the state House’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on Tourism in 2021.
“This special coalition is made up of individuals who bring different strengths and perspectives to the table,” Borer said. “Their vision and innovation will help drive the future success of the arts, culture and tourism in West Haven.”
“I like the idea of a panel,” the mayor added, “as they have a short one-year life span with a focus on bringing results.
“Statistics have demonstrated that for every dollar you invest in this area, $3 is brought back to the economy. There is a direct link toward bolstering our community.”
The grants, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, will also help strengthen the development of a vibrant and creative city by integrating arts and culture into community life while showcasing West Haven as a cultural destination, Borer said.
The ARPA grant program has been approved by the state Municipal Accountability Review Board.
Borer said the microgrants will be just one component of the panel’s role.
Elinor Slomba, the director of ArtsWestCT, West Haven’s public-facing arts service organization, has been a champion of the microgrant program and will coordinate the program’s application process.
“We are incredibly glad to see this get started,” Slomba said. “We’re starting a new chapter for creatives in West Haven. From all the interest we’ve received so far, we anticipate that a robust and diverse group of artists will submit applications.”
Applications are available online until May 29 at https://artscouncilofgreaternewhaven.submittable.com/submit/293095/west-haven-arpa-grant/collectOrganization.
Funded projects will take place in July and August to support West Haven artists, arts organizations and creative businesses, officials said.
The Arts Council will provide the infrastructure for a professionally managed review process. ArtsWest will help promote the program and provide mentorship to applicants.
Borer’s eight-member panel will decide the grant awards.
The members are city residents Monique Bolt, Ruby Melton, Marilyn Wilkes, Paige Weinstein, Caitlin Maloney, Steven Gourdier, Jeffrey Moreno and Paul Scanlon.
“I am excited and honored to work alongside Mayor Borer as part of the blue-ribbon panel,” said Bolt, a lifelong Westie and former associate vice president of customer service and enrollment events at the University of New Haven. “As a member of the panel, I look forward to collaborating with the other members to examine ways we can stimulate more arts, culture and tourism within the city of West Haven and to assist with making decisions, in partnership with the Greater New Haven Arts Council, regarding microgrant distribution to artists, art organizations and creative businesses within the city.”
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve on the mayor’s blue-ribbon panel and to help create a vibrant and thriving arts and culture ecosystem in West Haven,” said Melton, a longtime advocate of the arts who brings extensive experience from her work on several New Haven regional arts organizations.
“This microgrant program will provide a wonderful opportunity for West Haven-centered artists and organizations to showcase their talents,” she said. “It’s also a way for the city to tap into the beautiful diversity of our artists and creatives and to jump-start creating an inclusive and sustainable arts and culture community. West Haven is at an exciting moment of change.”
Informational sessions about the application process are available during ArtsWest’s office hours from 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The one-on-one sessions can be virtual or in person at 377 Main St., Suite 105, lower level, but must be arranged by emailing artswestct@gmail.com.
Learn more about the Arts Council of Greater New Haven at https://www.newhavenarts.org/.
Learn more about ArtsWestCT at https://www.artswestct.org/.
I am really excited to see this come to fruition. I hope we can start seeing plays & even operas here in West Haven.