The Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut is seeking dozens of creative leaders, businesspeople, and stakeholders to participate in focus groups whose discussions and findings will guide the future of the organization.
“During this time of disruption and reintegration among the work lives of many, we have been granted a moldable opportunity to dig in and look at how it is we do things,” says Executive Director Lisa Scails. “The arts are transforming and can be a powerful and resourceful tool to help communities build back, better. We know that we need a range of perspectives to help us go further with our core values, which are to support the community through the bounty of creative resources.”
The focus groups will be held as Zoom meetings and space is limited:
June 2 – Creative Industries
June 3 – Business Leaders
June 4 – Stakeholders
Individual invitations will go out to leaders within the creative industries and across sectors throughout the region. Scails and members of the Cultural Alliance Board of Directors will facilitate the discussions and share results.
Board member Hal Kurfehs, Vice President of Coldwell Banker Commercial Scalzo Group in Bethel, will lead the discussion with members of the business community.
“Innovation is acclaimed by both the arts and the business communities,” Kurfehs noted. “While creativity and innovation are synonymous, the arts community prefers the word creativity and business prefers innovation. Both refer to out-of-the-box ways of looking at the world and to ingenious interpretations that uplift the spirit and improve lives.”
The Cultural Alliance works to promote, educate, and advocate by:
- Supporting business development with tools and resources through a Professional Development Series directed to creative entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, and creative small businesses.
- Organizing collaborative projects with businesses to harness creative resources to make an impact.
- Promoting creative programming that breathes life into communities, demonstrating the important part that art plays in a thriving community.
- Advocating for the arts to bring resources to the creative community with encouraging local and state leaders to include the arts in decision-making.
“We are testing whether those endeavors have continuing value, and we want to find out how else we can help the region move forward,” Scails said.
Anyone interested in participating in a focus group can send an email to Lisa at
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