Dear friends of Windsor Art Center,

 

What an inspiring and busy year it’s been for Windsor Art Center! Over the past 18 years, our organization has stood as a hub for creativity through our numerous exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural events. With your help, we hope to continue uniting diverse artistic cultures, and inspiring an appreciation for the visual and performing arts for all ages and backgrounds.

 

In 2024, we have achieved significant milestones and made a profound impact on our community. Let’s take a look back at what we’ve accomplished in the past year:

• EXHIBITS: Windsor Art Center presents six exhibits per year, presenting a wide range of artistic talent. Our recent exhibit "Renewal," saw over 90 guests on opening night. 

• LOCAL ARTIST ENGAGEMENT: Our 10th Annual Members Exhibition featured over 50 local artists and showed off the wide range of incredible talent that we have in our community. In addition, local fashion designer Xarea Lockhart helped launch the grand reopening of our Artisan Gift Shop, featuring unique, handmade paintings, jewelry, prints, ceramics, fiber arts, and more from 18 local artisans. Additionally, WAC Studios opened its doors for 4 Open Studio dates, giving the community an opportunity to see the creative process of our 6 studio artists. 

• CLASSES: Windsor Art Center continued to expand class offerings with educational coordinator Michelle Hawran, including the addition of a second instructor Sage Neighbors to meet the demand for more classes. This year alone, WAC offered over 40 classes, and welcomed 215 students into the classroom. Classes spanned an array of topics such as acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting, charcoal drawing, chalk pastel, and stained glass, and ranged from beginners to advanced experience levels.

• SPOKEN WORD: Windsor Art Center partnered with the Human Rights Commission to host a Juneteenth Open Mic Celebration, and was home to a dramatic reading of “Fancy Meeting You Here,” from Journey Writers Inc to shed light on queer black history. 

• LIVE MUSIC & CULTURE: Windsor Art Center partnered with Windsor Historical Society, Euphoria Events, and the Town of Windsor in collaboration with many other sponsors to bring our town the first ever “Connecticut River & Roots Festival.” The festival featured an array of award winning bluegrass, folk, and roots musicians, including Jake Blount, Cedric Watson, and Tang Sauce, to name a few. Along with these performances were music and storytelling from Indigenous artists. The festival welcomed over 2,000 guests of all ages. 

 

Windsor Art Center exhibits and programming draw an audience of 4,500 attendees annually, fostering a vibrant cultural atmosphere in our community. The majority of our programs are free or donation-based. This is only possible with the support from people like you. 

 

Please consider making a donation today and helping us to reach our 2024 appeal goal of $30,000. To make your donation or learn more about our programs, visit our website at www.windsorartcenter.org. 

 

Sincerely,

Neill Sachdev

Board President, Windsor Art Center