By Jackie Lightfield
Norwalk has always offered an exciting mix of entertainment options, whether its concerts in our parks or art openings at the many galleries that make Norwalk their home.
Norwalk is home to more than 100 restaurants enticing palates with tastes from around the world, many in the historic South Norwalk district.
Norwalk is home to a stellar aquarium, the Maritime Aquarium; a renowned symphony orchestra, The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra; and enticing theatrical productions at The Crystal Theater.
Our cultural heritage is on display at the Mill Hill Historic compound and the Norwalk Museum.
Major festivals and special events are hosted throughout the year, including the SoNo Arts Celebration, the Norwalk Jazz Festival at Veteran’s Park and the many concerts held on our greens at our parks.
Designers of every stripe — home, fashion or graphic — call Norwalk their entrepreneurial home.
The film industry has made Norwalk their home through the studios at the Connecticut Film Center in the heart of SoNo.
As many residents already know, exploring the many neighborhoods of Norwalk reveal the hidden cultural treasures. Our newly published Art Walk Map focuses on the free and public art you can find throughout Norwalk.
Our Art Walk Map would not have been possible without the support of our Mayor, Richard Moccia; Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture, Michael Moccaie, and Common Council President Fred Bondi.
We owe much gratitude the generous support of our sponsors:
The Norwalk Redevelopment Authority
The Norwalk Parking Authority
The Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
Cristofer Realty
Norwalk Community College
Norwalk Transit District
The Center for Contemporary Prints
The Golden Hill Association
Wilson Avenue Loft Artists
Jefferson Properties
POKO Development
Rowayton Arts Center
Post Road Dinner
Spinnaker Development Group
Seligson Properties
22 Haviland Street Gallery
The Flow of Art Gallery
Fat Cat Pie Co.
Stew Leonard’s
Aitoro
Recently, the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) produced a report called “The Creative Economy: A New Definition.” This report outlines an economic analysis of the New England creative economy, one in which Governor M. Jodi Rell has said, “Simply put, I see plenty of room for job growth in our state’s arts industry and I want to do everything I can to stimulate and expand it.”
Some of the findings of the NEFA report:
• Cultural enterprises and cultural workers play an important role in New England’s economy, with a greater relative endowment of cultural workers and 12.8% higher cultural enterprise employment that the US as a whole. These firms and professionals complement many of the region’s other strengths; a strong tourism base, concentrations in higher education, high technology, medial care, finance and insurance.
• Connecticut is one of three New England states (CT, MA, RI) that rank in the top 10 in the country for the number of artists as a percentage of their workforce.
• As in the U.S., the unemployment rate of cultural workers in New England is almost two percentage points below the overall rate.
To view the full report, visits www.nefa.org/pubs.
The artistic and cultural community is alive and well in Norwalk, and we hope to bring you more news and information in the near future.
I invite you to join with us to create a vibrant commission by volunteering your time and insight to our many committees. Please come to a committee meeting, published on our calendar at www.norwalkarts.org.
I would also like to extend a special thanks to The Hour for devoting a section of the newspaper to the arts in Norwalk.
