Connecticut Arts Hero Awards

Past Recipients

Highlighted below are the previous recipients of this award, listed by year.

2019 Connecticut Arts Heroes:

  • Andrea Aron of Madison.  Andrea is an artist and an arts advocate who has dedicated her life to learning the arts and passing her knowledge onto the next generation. She advocates for the arts to be on the top of the priority list in Connecticut and is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has an equal change and ability to experience the arts.
  • Rebecca Atkins of Norwich.  Becca uses the arts to change people's lives. Through Artreach's music/comedy/performances, she promotes recovery, increases resiliency and enhances the quality of life for so many. She is true inspiration who uses the power of the arts as a healing tool.
  • Chris Belden of Ridgefield.  Chris' compassion for those that are often ignored in society shines through with the dedication he brings to the inmate at Garner Correctional Center during his weekly volunteer creative-writing sessions. He believes all people deserve the right to express themselves, he allows that freedom to the inmates.
  • Bill Dougal of Lebanon.  Bill provides laughter, creativity and smiles from ear-to-ear to children at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC). His talent for creating a caricature at lightning speed has children in awe and helps them forget why they are in the hospital for a little while; and that means the to world to the children and the parents.
  • Jason Farquharson of Hartford.  Jason believes in his hometown of Hartford and in the beauty of the people who reside in its different neighborhoods. His Hartford Paint the City project focuses on the people and Jason celebrates them through his magnificent murals. He wants to change the way people think about Hartford by changing the way they see Hartford.
  • Judith McElhone of Torrington.  Judy is a force! She has created a hub for visual art in NW CT and has created opportunities for artists in every stage of their career. She is self-less, kind, generous with her time and talent and has been a force in making the careers of young artists come alive for decades.
  • Luciana McClure of Hamden.  Lucy is an inspiring leader, a selfless advocate and a fierce motivator of social change through artistic expression and activism. She is the founding organizer of the Nasty Women Movement and leads Nasty Women Connecticut. She unites communities, amplifies the voices of minorities and raises resources for countless organizations throughout Connecticut.
  • Rene Soto of Norwalk.  Rene uses arts to heal, unify and inspire other artists. He has made the Rene Soto Gallery a home for artists to express themselves and share their work. It has become a welcoming home for local and international artists, poets, dancers and more.
  • Chase Taylor of Waterbury.  Chase is a passionate young artist and author of engaging children's books that encourage a love of learning and imaginative play. He has championed the hurdles of his Autism diagnosis and is an inspirational role model to many; proving that having a disability does not mean a person is incapable of achieving big goals and dreams.

2018 Connecticut Arts Heroes 

  • Kim Stroud of Madison. Kim is a dancer, dance teacher and the director of the arts at CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
  • Shanna Melton of Bridgeport. Shanna is a poet, curator and leader of the Writer's Group based in the City Light's Art Gallery in Bridgeport.
  • Calida Jones of Hartford. Calida is a violinist, a violin teacher and the artistic director of Bravo Waterbury! at the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra.
  • Dr. Jose Gonzalez of Quaker Hill. Jose is a poet, writer and professor of English at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
  • Mark Aldrich of Newtown. Mark is the founder of THE GARNER PLAYERS, a playwriting and performance program at Garner Correctional Institute. He produces plays written and performed by inmates through the Theatre Arts & Opportunities Foundation and volunteers at the Alternatives to Violence Project at McDougall, Cheshire and Garner Correctional Institutions.
  • Leslie Elias of West Cornwall. Leslie is co-founder and artistic director of the Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children's Theatre, as well as a published playwright, director, actress, storyteller and teaching artist.
  • Elizabeth Morgan of Middletown. Elizabeth is a youth advocate and a former board member of Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown, where she also served as the volunteer executive director. 
  • Mohamad Hafez of New Haven. Mohamed is a Syrian-born artist, architect and co-founder of UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage, a multimedia installation that seeks to humanize the word "refugee."
  • Kerri Quirk of Willimantic, with her escort Tom Menard. Kerri is a visual artist and a person with autism who is deaf. Kerri's art is her voice.

2017 Connecticut Arts Heroes

  • Adam Atkins of Winsted. Adam has taught music at The Gilbert School in Winsted for over 20 years. He is an educator who is highly dedicated to his students' success and devotes significant time when the school day ends to support his students.
  • Bruce John of Willimantic. Bruce is the founder of the Breadbox Folk Theatre, a music and open mic venue whose concerts have raised over $40,000 to feed individuals and families in need throughout the Windham region and provides funds to offset the cost of heating the No Freeze shelter in Willimantic.
  • Suzanne Kachmar of Bridgeport. Suzanne, a self-proclaimed "Bridgeport Art Lifer,” is a pioneer and leader in the Bridgeport arts community. She created the Bridgeport Art Trail, a four-day celebration of all things creative, cultural and arts-related in Bridgeport.
  • Lynnette Letsky Piombo of Waterbury. Lynnette is a long-time volunteer in the Waterbury arts community, advocating for and participating in a diverse set of arts-related projects, programs and organizations.
  • Wendy Black-Nasta is the founder of Artists for World Peace, a group of artists and activists who promote peace and support some of the world's greatest challenges.
  • Dayna Snell of New Britain. Dayna is the executive director and co-founder of Queen Anne Nzinga Center in New Britain where she promotes positive youth development among children of all races and abilities.
  • Allison Stockel of Ridgefield. Allison is an active community participant and supporter of the arts who volunteers her time and expertise to The Ridgefield Playhouse as the executive director. She also supports the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, Ability Beyond Disability and the Keeler Tavern Museum.
  • Joy Supples of Groton. Joy is an art instructor at the Ella T. Grasso Technical High School in Groton where she has taught studio art since 2005. Joy is the founder of the Connecticut Submarine Trail which raises the profile of the region's military heritage.
  • Aaron Jafferis of New Haven. Aaron writes and teaches poetry, spoken word and hip hop to middle and high school students in the City of New Haven, where he organizes two citywide poetry jams and runs The Word program, which engages hip hop artists to work as teaching artists in the New Haven public school system.

2016 Connecticut Arts Hero

The first Arts Hero Award was presented in 2016 to the Connecticut Office of the Art’s grant administrator, Lourdes "Lu" Rivera, who has worked in the state's arts office, through its many name changes and merges, for over 25 years. In 2018, she celebrated her 30-year anniversary with the arts office.