Cultural Alliance of Western CT Honors "Business Supports the Arts" Awards Recipients at 11th Annual Breakfast

 

The networking opportunity of bringing together artists, businessmen, community leaders and dedicated volunteers together makes the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut's Business Supports the Arts Awards Breakfast a much anticipated event.

Mike Bontempo, Vice President of Human Resources at Branson Ultrasonics Corporation, recipient of the Business Supports the Arts Award, puts it succinctly,  "To be the recipient of a prestigious honor in front of a close network of 300 peers is a privilege. Branson has been a long time supporter of the arts in our community, especially investing in Western Connecticut State University's new - and now highly praised - Visual and Performing Arts Center. We look forward to thanking the cultural audience for recognizing us and to continuing to support Art in the Danbury area. The BSA Awards Breakfast provides a welcomed annual forum at which to do that while celebrating our area's arts and culture, and the businesses who recognize the importance of the arts to the region's economies." Additionally, the Arts in the Community Award will recognize Whip Salon, and the Heart of the Arts Award honors Diane Dubreuil.

One of the highlights of the Business Supports the Arts Awards Breakfast is a program of speakers and live entertainments that reflect the uniqueness of arts and businesses working together in Greater Danbury. Representing the performance arts will be The Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance, Garrett Rose will provide music, and the visual arts will be highlighted by the works of artist Katie Elkins. Also on the program, remarks by Mayor of the City of Danbury, Mark Boughton, and a pop up art exhibit of works by students of the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School. The coveted table centerpieces are being created by artist Ken Rist of the Brookfield Craft Center. You can imagine the select raffle items you may go home with.

THE ASHURST ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCE

The Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance is directed by former lead dancers of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, Christina & Craig Ashurst. They teach Irish Dancing to students from 3-years-old through adult in Danbury, Newtown and Southbury, Connecticut. Recently voted "Best Dance Studio for Kids in Connecticut" by Mommy Poppins, the Academy was also voted "Best New Business" by the Newtown Chamber of Commerce and Newtown Rotary. Since opening in 2016, the Ashurst Irish Dancers have already achieved success at the New England Regional Championships.

GARRETT ROSE

Garrett Rose is a musician living in Danbury, CT, and Boston, MA. He is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music with a dual major in Contemporary Writing and Production and Professional Music, as well as a minor in Writing for Television and New Media. This knowledge enables him to create professional compositions, productions, and arrangements for ensembles, along with educated engineering choices and an overall experience performance approach. Garrett currently works as an intern at the nonprofit recording studio, The Record Co. in Boston, MA. Garrett plays acoustic guitar, saxophone, and sings backing vocal parts in his band, Standby. 

KATIE ELKINS

Born and raised in Newtown, Katie Elkins is a 2017 graduate of both Newtown High School and ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) in New Haven. ECA is a half-time inter-district honors magnet high school for the arts, including visual, dance, theater, literary and music arts. For all four years of high school, Katie attended NHS in the morning, then bused to ECA in New Haven for afternoon visual arts instruction. In 2016, Katie won a Gold Key award in Photography at the Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards. In August 2017, Katie began the Arts Foundation Program at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts.

The 11th BSA breakfast is scheduled to take place on Thursday, October 12th, from 7:30am to 9:00am at The Amber Room Colonnade, 1 Stacey Road, in Danbury. Tickets are $35 per individual, $375 for a table of eight, or $550 for a table of eight and inclusion in the Business Supports the Arts program. For more information and tickets, go to http://bit.ly/2wSMp5Q Proceeds support services and programs provided by the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut throughout the year. For information about the work of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut and sponsorship opportunities, visit their office/gallery at 287 Main Street, Danbury, call (203) 798 0760, or go to artswesternct.org

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Submitted by New Fairfield, CT

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