Save the Date: State Parks Centennial Is A Year Away

One can't help but think of the great outdoors, encouraged by a warmer-than-usual and earlier-than-usual burst of springtime.  Hence the recognition that the Centennial celebration of Connecticut's state parks is only a year away - with plans to mark the anniversary already on the horizon. The State will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of State Parks beginning in September, 2013.  Connecticut has 107 State Parks all across the state, "each with its own character and personality," according to the advance publicity for the celebration.  The occasion has been on the mind of state government since a year ago.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is asking state residents, in effect, to save the date - or rather, the year.  More info on Connecticut's state parks is available on the DEEP website.

State's City Canvas Awards Will Bring New Art to 7 Cities

Coming to a city near you:  City Canvas, a one-time initiative bringing mural-based public art into downtown spaces throughout Connecticut.  It's happening in seven cities, with the financial support of the state's Office of the Arts, part of the newly enhanced Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) into which the former Commission on Culture and Tourism was merged.  Twelve cities applied, and seven were awarded funds for submitted projects.  The rundown: Bridgeport / Bridgeport Arts & Cultural Council: Moving image light projections on a prominent downtown building. $158,000. Hartford / Real Arts Ways:  interactive, water activated, public art piece highlighting Hartford’s history. $125,000. New Britain / New Britain Museum of American Art: new mural at the New Britain/Hartford busway terminal. $98,050. New London / Hygienic Art: Three murals extending the New London Wall to Wall Mural Walk along with trompe l’oeil parking garage adornments. $145,062. Stamford / Stamford Cultural Development Corporation:Illumination and animation of transportation center for Metro North/Amtrak passengers and travelers on I-95. $150.000. Torrington / Northwest CT Association for the Arts: Unifying artwork on the façade of the new Children’s Museum. $165,000 Waterbury / Arts & Culture Collaborative, Waterbury Region: large-scale mosaic with extensive community involvement / $108,744.48

DECD, in keeping with its recently unveiled Creative Placemaking arts strategy, says the City Canvas program is designed to enhance public spaces through the visual arts and to connect the urban regions of Connecticut.  The art installations in the 7 cities are expected to get underway this spring, as municipalities and their respective partnership arts organizations collaborate in each of the local initiatives.

Connecticut Convention Center Numbers Strong

Attendance at Connecticut Convention Center events  rose by 50 percent in 2011, compared with the previous year — setting a record for the facility, which opened overlooking the Connecticut River in Hartford to much fanfare in 2005. More than 333,570 visitors attended events at the convention center last year, according to the Capital City Economic Development Authority.  Records also were set for total revenue, up 29 percent compared with 2010, and hotel room nights increased 24 percent over the same period.

What's coming up?  The Connecticut Music Educators Conference and the New England Square & Round Dance Convention, both in April, and the Connecticut Conference on Tourism in May, among dozens of events booked for the coming months.  Numerous events are booked years in advance at the facility, some as far out as 2015.

No word on whether  the increase has anything to do with the change in colors highlighted on the convention center website, with the new blue-and-teal logo supplanting the original orange-and-red toned  scheme.