Planning for our first annual outdoor Newtown Arts Festival, September 15 & 16, 2012, is well under way. Find out more about this exciting event and join us as a vendor, demonstrator, volunteer or attendee. Contact Donna Mangiafico djmangiafico@aol.com for more information.
The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission is pleased to announce that Newtown resident Tracy Van Buskirk is the chosen winner for the 2012 Newtown Arts Festival art contest for her “Life in Newtown” themed entry entitled Ram Pasture. Van Buskirk wanted to capture the town’s serenity and pleasure. With her block print of Ram Pasture, she captured this tranquil mood and more! Her Asian-style rendition of this early burg landmark with its soft pastels reminds viewers of many beautiful days walking or playing by the pasture’s pond or feeding the ducks. Continue reading
I would like to clarify any misunderstandings about the proposal to change the way the State funds arts organizations.
Let me be clear, the proposed budget does not eliminate funding for arts organizations.
Our goals in making these changes are simple – we want to create a system that demands accountability standards and sets performance benchmarks for organizations that receive state money. The current system of simply allocating an earmark does not do that. It does not ask the organization to disclose how that money is being spent, how much the funding provided by the state contributes to the entirety of that organization’s budget or how many people take part in a given exhibit or event. Continue reading
The beginning of a new year is a good time to take stock and assess where your organization is and where it may be going. Why not carve out some time and revisit your organization’s two principle documents of governance: the mission statement and the budget. It is the marriage of these documents that guide your organization, and periodic analysis of how they are functioning in relation to one another is critical for your organization’s health. Continue reading
The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission congratulate NMS eighth-graders for their bone-chilling scarecrow display this year. During the last week of October, passersby on Queen Street, Newtown were treated to the imaginative student creations in the Annual Scarecrow Competition. From creepy traditional to TV/movie characters to teen-fantasies-come-true (“Who Killed Hanna Montana”), there was something for everyone in this tableau. The annual event is a fundraiser, charging voters $1 per vote to raise money for the favorite charities of the top 3 winning teams. Over $1,000 was raised and donated to local charities Canine Advocates, FAITH Food Pantry and World Wildlife Fund.
"Blue Fish, Blue Fish, What Do You Scare?"
First place winner went to the enormous fish created by Hannah Fitzgerald and Jesse Sailer out of several hundred donated CD’s. Continue reading
