How Norwich’s ARPA funds have been spent by the Cultural Coalition on the arts

NORWICH — Supporting the arts through the American Rescue Plan Act is having an impact in the city.

Out of the first $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds given to the Cultural Coalition in Sept. 2021, $363,159 has been designated for grants, along with $35,000 for public art for the Norwich roundabout, and $15,000 to fund the maintenance of public art, according to the presentation.

“We found that we would go over in grants, and under in areas, because there is more need,” Wendy Bury, executive director of the Cultural Coalition, said.

The report does not include information on the second allocation of $500,000 from January, but Bury said that $250,000 of that money will be used with the Cultural Coalition to support artistic elements in Norwich Community Development Corporation projects, and the remaining $250,000 will be returned to the city, because there was "a higher and broader need for the money in the community," Bury said.

Where the money is going

Between the two rounds of ARPA, from the 2021 money, and the IMPACT grant there was $587,020 requested, and $308,159 was awarded so far. The ARPA Grants were limited to $11,000 at most, and the IMPACT grants had a maximum of $25,000. Thirty-one  grants have been awarded so far, the presentation states.

Some of the grant projects from ARPA Round 1 which received the funds last year, included $10,000 for funding for the Jubilee Park mural, and $10,000 for the Norwich Arts Center and Blooming into Greatness.

The presentation states some of the impact of the round one of ARPA grants. Another program that received in round one was the Best Production Co., which got $11,000 from ARPA and $25,000 from the IMPACT grant, to hold a bilingual Spanish and English high school student play at the Chestnut Street Playhouse. The program was an "amazing and meaningful arts education project that is inclusive and open to the community," stated Celeste Arrieta, of the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut.

Samson Tonton, a local artist, also received $7,000 to hold youth art classes. He stated in the presentation that he ran a total of 12 art classes at Otis Library and in local churches, plus a few more in Norwich middle schools.

"I am telling you it was incredible, and they want more with me," he said in the presentation.

Some of the grant projects for round two, which have been announced, but are yet to receive the money, include $10,000 for Lavanya Shubhaka to create a mural for the Otis Library, and expanding some local creative businesses, the presentation states.

The some of the things the IMPACT grant went to included $20,000 for the Greenville Playground and storm drains in Greeneville, and $25,000 to support the Rose Arts Festival, the presentation states.

Norwich’s Ad-Hoc Public Art Committee was created because the city lacks guidelines. The committee, which includes community members and local leaders, has had at least four meetings so far. The values statement, currently a draft, has been designed to balance the needs of preserving history and pursuing modern art. The statement includes encouraging artistic freedom, art to serve as art and vehicles for social change, and for art to be long lasting and family friendly.

Will a cultural district come to Norwich?

While the committee runs under the auspices of the Cultural Coalition right now, it will need to be handed off to the city, and made a part of another entity, perhaps a cultural district, Bury said.

The Southeast Cultural Coalition and the City of Norwich co-hosted three events in the fall in winter to assess whether the city wants to establish a cultural district.

“There is enough interested and enough people at the table,” Bury said.

The Norwich City Council was introduced to the cultural district idea back in March 2022, as it’s a State of Connecticut designation. Municipalities can create one or more of these districts. If these districts meets the state’s requirements, including having cultural assets and walkability, the state will help with marketing, The Bulletin reported in March 2022.

Norwich’s district should have one large one, as opposed to smaller districts, as the latter can be hard to manage. The district would spread to include Norwichtown, downtown, and Greenville, according community feedback shown in the presentation.

The next step in determining where the district is, would be to inventory important artistic and cultural assets on a map, with the community doing the heavy lifting, and create a resolution to establish the district. Once the committee is formed, it would then start pursuing state recognition, Bury said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich allocated $1 million ARPA funds for the arts