about us:
The Cultural Arts Coalition
Celebrate our community with transformative and inspiring arts experiences.
We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to creating and sustaining cultural arts within the Town of Southeast and its surrounding region. We were established as the Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition in August 2010 with the purpose, as detailed in the incorporation papers, “... to promote and raise funds for the development and effective management of affordable, accessible performance space that will provide citizens of the Town of Southeast opportunities to participate in and appreciate cultural arts, including lectures, theater, dance, film, music, visual arts, and inclusive community events.”
Our current endeavors include (1) spearheading the restoration of the Southeast Old Town Hall, a historic landmark within the Village of Brewster and (2) operating the Studio Around the Corner, in which we present our own cultural events and host events by individual artists and other cultural organizations. We currently have a long term lease both in the basement of the Old Town Hall, which includes the Studio, and on the upper main floor, which houses a beautiful theater space, an ideal venue for music concerts, theater productions, dance performances, film screenings, lectures and meetings. When the restoration is complete, we will expand operations to encompass events in the theater as well as the Studio Around the Corner. Together with the Southeast Museum, the middle floor tenant, we aim to create a truly vibrant cultural hub that will certainly foster the revitalization of downtown Brewster, the Town of Southeast, and the surrounding communities.
The Old Town Hall, built in 1896, is an architectural gem listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This “Jewel in the Crown of Brewster” is owned by the Town of Southeast and situated a 67 Main Street in the Village of Brewster, walking distance from the Brewster Metro North Train Station. It currently serves as home for both the Cultural Arts Coalition and the Southeast Museum.
The middle floor houses the Southeast Museum, which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the material artifacts and culture significant to the history of the Town of Southeast and its environs. Established in 1963, the Southeast Museum offers both permanent and changing exhibits on local history and is open to the public with regular visiting hours.
The basement floor, former home of the Southeast Town Court and current storage area for some town records, was used for many years for intermittent town-sponsored meetings and library and museum activities. In 2011, the Town Board approved a resolution to rent portions of the basement premises to TOSCAC after hearing a proposal that the space function as the Coalition’s headquarters and the beginnings of a cultural arts center. In September 2011, the court room area was transformed with minor renovations into the Studio Around the Corner, to be used for various arts- and community-related events, including exhibitions, workshops, receptions, lectures, and concerts for audiences of up to 50 people. The Coalition formally opened the doors to its new headquarters on October 2, 2011, Founders Day, establishing its base of operations. TOSCAC currently is collaborating with existing cultural institutions, inviting those institutions as well as individual artists and community groups to use the studio and another room on the premises to bring art, culture, and visitors to Old Town Hall. This collaboration highlights the existence of the historic theater on the third floor and drives planning and fundraising to get the doors open to allow use of the theater.
The Cultural Arts Coalition, CAC, was formed by an assemblage of Southeast residents interested in developing an accessible and affordable performing arts venue within the the Town of Southeast for local performing arts groups. CAC is an offshoot of the Old Town Hall Task Force, a town-appointed group of citizens chartered to look into the feasibility of having the town renovate the Southeast Old Town Hall. The Task Force recommended that the Town proceed with bringing a $3.8M bond before voters in the November 2010 election. These monies would have been used to renovate the entire building according to sanctioned plans by the firm Franz and Franze Architecture PLLC. Although the bond was voted down by a slim margin, CAC felt that the Old Town Hall remained a great candidate for a performing arts venue and thus a cultural arts hub for the area. In support of our long term goals, we developed an exciting phased plan and, because many of our members love the theater, we choose to describe it in theatrical terms. Here is a synopsis:
The Old Town Hall Restoration --- A Play in Three ACTS
ACT I- The Coalition rents portions of the Old Town Hall basement from the Town of Southeast which allows CAC to establish a base for operations and has transformed the former Southeast Town Court into the “Studio Around the Corner,” a terrific space for a wide range of events and programs. CAC collaborates with existing cultural institutions, inviting those institutions as well as individual artists and community groups to use the studio and another room on the premises to bring art, culture, and visitors to Old Town Hall. This collaboration highlights the existence of the historic theater on the third floor and drives planning and fundraising to get the doors open to allow for the use of the theater.
ACT II- After issues of fire safety, emergency exits, and necessary repairs are addressed with help from funds raised during Act I, the theater on the third floor will open. The accoutrements are minimal, but the stage allows for live performances of theater, music and dance to the delight of all. Film screenings, lectures, and large meetings are also possibilities. Exhibits adorn the walls. TOSCAC continues to host events and programs in the Studio Around the Corner. Planning and fundraising gear up for a full-scale renovation of the entire building. The community at large gives its blessing.
ACT III- The full-scale restoration of Old Town Hall begins! Contractors perform their magic, bringing the building into the 21st Century. CAC raises funds for theater specific needs --- a sound system, a lighting system, curtains, audience seating, a floor suitable for dance performances, a piano, a fully-equipped ticket booth. Planning continues for operating the theater as well as the entire building in a sustainable, accessible and affordable manner.
FINALE!- The Town of Southeast unveils a fully-restored Old Town Hall. The Southeast Museum grandly reopens on the middle level. The theater reopens, although still a work in progress, ready to accommodate ambitious theatrical productions and musical performances. TOSCAC, along with The Southeast Museum, will manage the day-to-day operations of the entire facility. Old Town Hall truly reaches it potential as a showplace for culture, arts, and our community, becoming a cultural hub for the region!
Cultural Arts Coalition Board of Directors:
Judy Marano - President; Olenna Truskett - Vice President; Robert Zubrycki - Past President;
Margaret Carey, CIO/Public Relations Director; Frank Funigiello; George Krzyzewski
Cultural Arts Coalition Advisory Board:
Joe Beahm, Jake McGuire, Mark Marano, Susan Isley
Committee Volunteers, Past and Present:
Danielle Comer (Art Installation), Dawn Willis (Art Curator), Caroline Daniele, Fabienne Riccoboni (Interns to Curator), Ann Marie Chalmers (Brewster Schools Liaison), Norma P. Mora (Hispanic Community Connection), Sabrina Condon (Accounting/Admin.), Antonia Carey (LGBT/Theatrical Director), Jacqueline Carey (Youth Programs)
We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to creating and sustaining cultural arts within the Town of Southeast and its surrounding region. We were established as the Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition in August 2010 with the purpose, as detailed in the incorporation papers, “... to promote and raise funds for the development and effective management of affordable, accessible performance space that will provide citizens of the Town of Southeast opportunities to participate in and appreciate cultural arts, including lectures, theater, dance, film, music, visual arts, and inclusive community events.”
Our current endeavors include (1) spearheading the restoration of the Southeast Old Town Hall, a historic landmark within the Village of Brewster and (2) operating the Studio Around the Corner, in which we present our own cultural events and host events by individual artists and other cultural organizations. We currently have a long term lease both in the basement of the Old Town Hall, which includes the Studio, and on the upper main floor, which houses a beautiful theater space, an ideal venue for music concerts, theater productions, dance performances, film screenings, lectures and meetings. When the restoration is complete, we will expand operations to encompass events in the theater as well as the Studio Around the Corner. Together with the Southeast Museum, the middle floor tenant, we aim to create a truly vibrant cultural hub that will certainly foster the revitalization of downtown Brewster, the Town of Southeast, and the surrounding communities.
The Old Town Hall, built in 1896, is an architectural gem listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This “Jewel in the Crown of Brewster” is owned by the Town of Southeast and situated a 67 Main Street in the Village of Brewster, walking distance from the Brewster Metro North Train Station. It currently serves as home for both the Cultural Arts Coalition and the Southeast Museum.
The middle floor houses the Southeast Museum, which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the material artifacts and culture significant to the history of the Town of Southeast and its environs. Established in 1963, the Southeast Museum offers both permanent and changing exhibits on local history and is open to the public with regular visiting hours.
The basement floor, former home of the Southeast Town Court and current storage area for some town records, was used for many years for intermittent town-sponsored meetings and library and museum activities. In 2011, the Town Board approved a resolution to rent portions of the basement premises to TOSCAC after hearing a proposal that the space function as the Coalition’s headquarters and the beginnings of a cultural arts center. In September 2011, the court room area was transformed with minor renovations into the Studio Around the Corner, to be used for various arts- and community-related events, including exhibitions, workshops, receptions, lectures, and concerts for audiences of up to 50 people. The Coalition formally opened the doors to its new headquarters on October 2, 2011, Founders Day, establishing its base of operations. TOSCAC currently is collaborating with existing cultural institutions, inviting those institutions as well as individual artists and community groups to use the studio and another room on the premises to bring art, culture, and visitors to Old Town Hall. This collaboration highlights the existence of the historic theater on the third floor and drives planning and fundraising to get the doors open to allow use of the theater.
The Cultural Arts Coalition, CAC, was formed by an assemblage of Southeast residents interested in developing an accessible and affordable performing arts venue within the the Town of Southeast for local performing arts groups. CAC is an offshoot of the Old Town Hall Task Force, a town-appointed group of citizens chartered to look into the feasibility of having the town renovate the Southeast Old Town Hall. The Task Force recommended that the Town proceed with bringing a $3.8M bond before voters in the November 2010 election. These monies would have been used to renovate the entire building according to sanctioned plans by the firm Franz and Franze Architecture PLLC. Although the bond was voted down by a slim margin, CAC felt that the Old Town Hall remained a great candidate for a performing arts venue and thus a cultural arts hub for the area. In support of our long term goals, we developed an exciting phased plan and, because many of our members love the theater, we choose to describe it in theatrical terms. Here is a synopsis:
The Old Town Hall Restoration --- A Play in Three ACTS
ACT I- The Coalition rents portions of the Old Town Hall basement from the Town of Southeast which allows CAC to establish a base for operations and has transformed the former Southeast Town Court into the “Studio Around the Corner,” a terrific space for a wide range of events and programs. CAC collaborates with existing cultural institutions, inviting those institutions as well as individual artists and community groups to use the studio and another room on the premises to bring art, culture, and visitors to Old Town Hall. This collaboration highlights the existence of the historic theater on the third floor and drives planning and fundraising to get the doors open to allow for the use of the theater.
ACT II- After issues of fire safety, emergency exits, and necessary repairs are addressed with help from funds raised during Act I, the theater on the third floor will open. The accoutrements are minimal, but the stage allows for live performances of theater, music and dance to the delight of all. Film screenings, lectures, and large meetings are also possibilities. Exhibits adorn the walls. TOSCAC continues to host events and programs in the Studio Around the Corner. Planning and fundraising gear up for a full-scale renovation of the entire building. The community at large gives its blessing.
ACT III- The full-scale restoration of Old Town Hall begins! Contractors perform their magic, bringing the building into the 21st Century. CAC raises funds for theater specific needs --- a sound system, a lighting system, curtains, audience seating, a floor suitable for dance performances, a piano, a fully-equipped ticket booth. Planning continues for operating the theater as well as the entire building in a sustainable, accessible and affordable manner.
FINALE!- The Town of Southeast unveils a fully-restored Old Town Hall. The Southeast Museum grandly reopens on the middle level. The theater reopens, although still a work in progress, ready to accommodate ambitious theatrical productions and musical performances. TOSCAC, along with The Southeast Museum, will manage the day-to-day operations of the entire facility. Old Town Hall truly reaches it potential as a showplace for culture, arts, and our community, becoming a cultural hub for the region!
Cultural Arts Coalition Board of Directors:
Judy Marano - President; Olenna Truskett - Vice President; Robert Zubrycki - Past President;
Margaret Carey, CIO/Public Relations Director; Frank Funigiello; George Krzyzewski
Cultural Arts Coalition Advisory Board:
Joe Beahm, Jake McGuire, Mark Marano, Susan Isley
Committee Volunteers, Past and Present:
Danielle Comer (Art Installation), Dawn Willis (Art Curator), Caroline Daniele, Fabienne Riccoboni (Interns to Curator), Ann Marie Chalmers (Brewster Schools Liaison), Norma P. Mora (Hispanic Community Connection), Sabrina Condon (Accounting/Admin.), Antonia Carey (LGBT/Theatrical Director), Jacqueline Carey (Youth Programs)
Who we areA Not-For-Profit Organization celebrating the community with transformative, inspiring arts experiences.
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what we doOperate a cultural center at the Studio Around the Corner and promote and raise funds for the development and effective management of affordable, accessible performance space.
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contact usCultural Arts Coalition
67 Main Street, Suite 101 Brewster, NY 10509 (845) 363-8330 info@CulturalArtsCo.com |
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Copyright 2017 TOSCAC
