The Carriage Barn Arts Center Is Ready to Grow

The Carriage Barn Arts Center is Ready to Grow

Funding Needed for Renovations and Increased Programming

November 15, 2021 – For more than 40 years the support of many has built, sustained, and firmly established the Carriage Barn Arts Center as a destination in New Canaan’s Waveny Park. Artists and collectors, educators and curators, musicians and scholars, and friends and neighbors have come together at the Carriage Barn to share, learn, inspire, celebrate and be part of something special.

Thanks to community support, increased participation, and interest in expanded programming, the Carriage Barn is ready to grow and transform its historic facility, with help from New Canaan residents and community supporters, to:

• Create a multi-purpose room dedicated to educational programs, artist meet-ups and community gatherings
• Install an air conditioning system to allow the Carriage Barn to become a year-round destination
• Enlarge restrooms to be ADA-compliant and
• Expand the lobby to be a more welcoming space.

These crucial and transformative improvements will enable the Carriage Barn to go even further in delivering on its mission to promote the visual and performing arts, and enrich the community through exhibitions, education, and cultural experiences. An investment in the arts means more programs year-round for all. Residents and community members may support these initiatives with a gift on the Carriage Barn Arts Center website – www.carriagebarn.org/donate.

Since 1977, the New Canaan Society for the Arts has been the steward of the historic Carriage Barn in Waveny Park, sustaining maintenance costs associated with the town-owned building. The renovation project underway is funded in part by the Town of New Canaan and supported by contributions from the New Canaan Society for the Arts, New Canaan Community Foundation, and Jeniam Foundation. Additional community support is needed to complete the project.

About The Carriage Barn Arts Center

The Carriage Barn Arts Center promotes the visual and performing arts, and enriches the community through exhibitions, education, and cultural experiences. The Betty Barker Gallery is home to ten premier art exhibitions annually, including four major juried events, as well as curated exhibitions featuring both members and invited artists. The Barn showcases the work of talented high school students annually, and every spring the Barn sponsors “Art in the Windows” which places art in retail shops in New Canaan for the enjoyment of pedestrians and shoppers.