Arte Inc. has scholarships

NEW HAVEN — Arte Inc. is accepting applications for its annual scholarship awards for Latino students and peoples of any age interested in pursuing the arts. The deadline is Jan. 29.
Scholarships, which range are $400-$700, are awarded in visual and performing arts, and may be used for classes, workshops, lessons, supplies, tuition assistance and other purposes the awards committee deems appropriate.
Among requirements are that applicants be of Hispanic or Latino descent and state residents for at least one year.
For a list of guidelines and applications, which also are available in Spanish, contact Arte at 203-787-2783. Applications must be sent to Arte Inc., 19 Grand Ave., New Haven, 06513.
There will be a reception for honorees at a time and date to be determined, which scholarship recipients are required to attend.

New Haven resident recognized for "outstanding artistic contributions"

New Haven resident Morgen Bromell ’10 was one of 14 Miss Porter’s School students recognized by the Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards program for their outstanding artistic contributions, the school said in a statement.

Morgen, shown, received a silver key award for painting. The silver key is awarded to works worthy of recognition on the regional level, the statement said. Miss Porter's School is in Farmington.
Students who enter the competition are "already a select group, as they must be chosen by an art teacher at their school," the school's statement said.

Each art teacher may select up to four students to enter the competition. Seniors may choose to submit Art Portfolios, which consist of eight entries. Accepted portfolios are called gold portfolios, and are submitted to the National Scholastic Art Competition. Student artwork is judged by professional artists and university art faculty, who select winners of the gold portfolio, gold and silver keys and honorable mention in each of 17 media categories.
Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Jan. 31, and an exhibit of artwork by Scholastic Art Awards winners will be on display at the Silpe Gallery at Hartford Art School in West Hartford until Feb. 5.

The Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards program is an affiliate of The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, and is sponsored by the Connecticut Art Education Association.

Located in the center of Farmington, Conn., Porter’s is a college preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades nine through 12. It was founded in 1843.

For more information visit www.porters.org.

There's still time

To see the January art exhibit

WOODBRIDGE - The Woodbridge Town Library art exhibit for January features Gregory Karas.

The show, displayed in the library meeting room, is dubbed "Local Color: Studio & Plein Aire Paintings."

Oraganizers said Karas, a Connecticut native, paints in several mediums, including oil, acrylic and pastels to depict landscapes and wildlife scenes.

Karas formally trained at Paier College of Art, graduating in 1983, organizers said.

He is a board member of the Valley Arts Council, and is a member of both the CT Plein Aire Painters Society and the Easton Arts Council. He lives with his family in Ansonia.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. All are welcome to visit, organizers said.

This might be your cup of tea

NEW HAVEN - The February selection for the Elm Street Book Group at the New Haven Public Library is "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson.

The book is his account of his mission to promote peace by building schools in Pakistan, organizers said.

The discussion group will meet 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 17, at 133 Elm St.

Copies of "Three Cups of Tea" are now available for checkout.

In a press release, organizers said these words were taken from the cover: "In 1993 Greg Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains after a failed attempt to climb K2. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school. Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but 55 schools--especially for girls--in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit."

For more information, visit http://www.threecupsoftea.com/.

The Elm Street Book Group meets the third Wednesday of each month at the library, and new participants are always welcome. There is no charge, and free parking is available. Readers who register in advance will receive a coupon to pick up a free coffee or tea for the discussion, compliments of Blue State Coffee on Wall St.

Details at http://www.3cups.eventbrite.com/ or call 203-946-8835.

National Organization of Italian American Women to honor three

NEW HAVEN — The National Organization of Italian American Women will honor three women: Lynn R. Fusco, president of the Fusco Corp.; Antoinette Iadarola, president of Lauralton Hall and Dr. Mary E. Tinetti, director of Yale Program on Aging, Yale School of Medicine.
The women will be recognized at an Epiphany celebration 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 31, featuring brunch and a silent auction, at the New Haven Lawn Club.
Tickets are $50. Sponsorships are available. For more details, contact Jo-Ann D’Addio at 203-645-6045 or jdaddio@hotmail.com.

Prenatal program offered

The Nurturing Families Network, a program by the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut, will offer a free prenatal program beginning Feb. 6 at the Ora Mason Branch Library, 260 Benham Hill Road, West Haven
Organizers say the program will offer an experience to learn about your child’s development in their earliest stages. It will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays through April 10.
For more information, call Ashley Lowe, Nurturing Families Network parenting group coordinator at 203-859-6060 or e-mail alowe@vnascc.org
The Nurturing Families Network receives major funding from by The Children’s Trust Fund and the support of individuals and corporations.
The Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut is at 1 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven and at http://www.vnascc.org/

Illustration is courteay of Nurturing Families Network

Yoga for seniors

NEW HAVEN — Free yoga classes are being held at the following senior centers:
- Atwater Senior Center, 26 Atwater St., 9:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays.
- East Shore Senior Center, 411 Townsend Ave., 9-10 a.m. Wednesdays.
- Dixwell Senior Center, 255 Goffe St., 9-10 a.m. Thursdays.
For more details, call Debby Kahan at 203-387-2820.

Now showing: Greater New Haven Peace Council double feature

NEW HAVEN — The Greater New Haven Peace Council will sponsor a double feature film showing from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St.
The film "Rethink Afghanistan" questions the current military policy there, and will be followed by a commentary and discussion with Afghan vet, Christopher Grohs, organizers said. The film "Billboard from Bethlehem" deals with how both Palestinians and Israelis can work together in harmony, as illustrated by their joint production of a billboard, organizers said.
Light refreshments will be provided at the event. For more information, call Henry at 203-389-9547, or e-mail grnhpeacecouncil@sbcglobal.net.

Nonprofit outlook for 2010

Series is free but registration is required

NEW HAVEN - The New Haven Public Library is the site for an event dubbed a "January Subway Supper Seminar" during which regional nonprofits and community organizations are invited to hear a 2010 Funding Forecast for Greater New Haven.
The event will run 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the library at 133 Elm St.
Organizers said representatives from Casey Family Services, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, United Way for Greater New Haven, NewAlliance Foundation, Webster Bank, and the city of New Haven will be there hand for the discussion, organizers said in a statement.
The seminars bring regional nonprofit professionals and board members together on a monthly basis to network and gather expertise from a variety of talented presenters, the statement said, It is funded by a grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation and Subway Restaurants.
Previous seminars have examined social media, board development, professional writing skills, management issues, PSAs and video marketing, and other issues, the statement said. Nonprofit staff and board members are invited to gather at 4:30 p.m. for sandwiches, to be followed by a brief overview from each representative about funding priorities and grant cycles in the coming year, concluding with a general Q & A until about 6:30 p.m., the statement said.
The series of seminars is free and free parking is available. Space is limited and registration is required in advance at www.funding2010.eventbrite.com.
For more information call the library at 203-946-7431.

Is there a poem in you waiting to come out?

Or maybe you have already written one or many poems. If, so it might be fun to submit it to the library's poetry contest.



The 2nd Annual New Haven Free Public Library Poetry Contest is accepting entries and there are prizes waiting to be won!


City residents are invited to submit poetry inspired by the theme “New Haven + puzzle,” which may be explored as a personal, civic or geographic subject, organizers said in a statement.


Contest guidelines are:

• One poem per person


• New Haven residents only


• Poems must be submitted in 12 point type, double spaced, on one side of 8 ½ x ll page max


• Entry must include separate page with poet’s name, address, age category of child, teen (ages 13-17) and adult, phone number and/or email
  Submission deadline is March 15

Submissions can be dropped off at any New Haven Free Public Library branch or e-mailed to nhfplevents@gmail.com


the 2010 NHFPL Poetry Contest judges include librarians Bill Armstrong and Sunnie Sette; New Haven Cultural Affairs Director Barbara Lamb; poet Claire Zoghb; cultural historian Frank Mitchell; Shola Cole, Greater New Haven Arts Council; Alderwoman Rachel Shapiro, and Jean Webb, International Festival of Arts and Ideas.


Judges will select one winning poem in each age category.


Finalists and winners will be invited to read the poem at a reception sponsored by Starbucks at 2 p.m. April 17, at the Main Library, 133 Elm St.


The Patrons of The New Haven Free Public Library will present a cash prize of $100 to each winner and selected poems will be published in The New Haven Register and displayed at the Main Library.


For more information, please call the library at 203-946-8835 or visit www.cityofnewhaven.com/library.





In the photo: Librarians Sunnie Sette and Bill Armstrong