Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County Announces Arts & Culture Empowerment Awardees
CBS News Anchor Dana Tyler offers Keynote at June 5 Awards Breakfast
The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (CAFC) proudly announces the recipients of the fourth annual Arts & Culture Empowerment (ACE) Awards, a celebration of individuals, organizations, and businesses in Fairfield County who have made significant contributions to the Fairfield County community through arts and culture, or who have enriched the arts and culture sector through volunteerism or patronage.
The ACE Awards Breakfast will be held on Wednesday, June 5 from 7:30 – 9:00 am at the Shore and Country Club in Norwalk, featuring Dana Tyler, Emmy-award winning CBS2 NYC News Anchor, as this year’s keynote speaker. ACE Award Breakfast tickets are now on sale at https://cafc2019aceawardsbreakfast.eventbrite.com
“We’re delighted to host this year’s ACE Awards and honor these arts and cultural champions from across our region who have enhanced our community through their passion for the arts, dedication to education, and sharing of their many talents,” said CAFC Executive Director Angela Whitford.
The 2019 ACE Awards recipients:
ACE Artist Award – Jane Dávila, a fiber and mixed-media artist who incorporates many printmaking techniques in her work. She teaches printmaking, surface design, and art business workshops extensively across the U.S. as well as internationally. For the last 15 years, Jane has mentored artists, in groups, in workshops, and one-on-one, to empower them to monetize their art careers, to create and manage their digital and online presences, and to efficiently and easily handle marketing and promoting tasks. Jane works from a studio at the NEST Arts Factory in Bridgeport CT, where she is also the Managing Director.
ACE Citizen Award - Nick Visconti was a philanthropist and restauranteur in Westport when he was invited by its founder to serve on the board of the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center Foundation. After Drew’s passing Nick resurrected the foundation and, along with artist/photographer Miggs Burroughs and Nick’s sister Louise Fusco, continues to serve on the board of the foundation which has provided financial support to Project Return, Homes with Hope, Homes for the Brave, CLASP Homes, Artists Collective of Westport, Westport Permanent Art Collection, Downtown Merchants Association and various art scholarships. Last year, with Nick’s leadership, the foundation expanded its focus to new audiences, funding art programs for homeless women and their children, homeless veterans and special needs children.
ACE Educator Award - Gina Scarpa is the Director of Education at Center Stage. She is the founder of the Center Stage Education Center, which serves over 115 students from across Fairfield County and beyond each semester. She oversees all classes, camp programs and staff both at Center Stage and at area schools. Gina prides herself on creating a positive and supportive atmosphere where kids use musical theater to gain confidence. A graduate of Post University with a degree in Marketing, Gina is also an accomplished voiceover artist with an extensive background in radio broadcasting.
ACE Nonprofit Award – Founded in 2011, INTEMPO provides high-quality music education to children predominantly from immigrant or first-generation backgrounds and from communities underrepresented in the arts, helping them build critical emotional, cognitive, and behavioral skills, and empowering them to leverage these skills to achieve life success. INTEMPO has been recognized by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC), the Sphinx Organization, and the State of Connecticut Office of the Arts. Founder and Executive Director Angelica Durrell is an Ecuadorian-born violinist, educator and social entrepreneur. In 2017, she became the first Latina commissioner of the City of Stamford’s Arts and Culture Commission. She is also an artist ambassador for SpreadMusicNow.
CAFC is grateful to the generous ACE Award event sponsors, Studio2pt0, LLC; Cohen & Wolf, Hobbs Inc.; Spinnaker Real Estate Partners; MX Media crossing and Fairfield County Bank and appreciates their dedication to the vibrant arts and culture community in Fairfield County. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Angela Whitford for more information at angela@culturalalliancefc.org