Senator Honig Celebrates State Funding for Warner Theatre and Four Other District Arts Groups

HARTFORD — Senator Paul Honig (D-Harwinton) today celebrated the award of more than $35,000 in Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund grants to five arts organizations in the 8th Senate District.

The grants, administered by the Connecticut Office of the Arts and managed by the Office of the State Treasurer, provide unrestricted general operating support that organizations can direct toward programming, administrative costs, capital projects, equipment, or building their own endowments.

The following district organizations received awards:

• Northwest CT Association for the Arts (Warner Theatre), Torrington: $30,932
• Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Torrington: $1,632
• Northwest CT Arts Council, Torrington: $966
• Fermata Arts Foundation, Avon: $953
• New England Ballet Theatre of Connecticut, Avon: $580

“Arts organizations do something that’s hard to put a dollar figure on,” Senator Honig said. “They give people a reason to gather, a way to make sense of things, and something to be proud of in their community. The Warner Theatre has been doing that for Torrington for generations, and the Nutmeg Conservatory, the Arts Council, Fermata, and New England Ballet are doing it across northwest Connecticut every day. I’m glad the state found a way to recognize that.”

The Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund was established by the Connecticut General Assembly to support the long-term stability of Connecticut’s arts sector. Grant amounts are calculated based on each organization’s private donor contributions, rewarding arts groups that have built strong community fundraising.

Senator Paul Honig represents the 8th Senate District covering Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Norfolk, New Hartford, and Simsbury, and portions of Granby, Harwinton, and Torrington and serves as Senate Chair of the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee.