Date: Fri 29-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Renaissance-Dulina-Coulombe

Full Text:

(feature on Renaissance Center For Music And Art, 8/22/97)

Music And Art Are Being Reborn In Southbury

(with photos)

BY SHANNON HICKS

SOUTHBURY - In a small building at 348 Main Street in Southbury, an artistic

makeover has taken place. In the homey-looking facility that until recently

was home to Beaux Arts, an art gallery and framing business, Nancy Coulombe

and John Dulina have moved the building into a new period of life: The two

have formed a partnership and opened The Renaissance Center for Artistic

Enrichment.

The Renaissance is a term commonly used in European history to denote a

"rebirth" or "revival" of learning or the arts. It alludes to a period of

history between the Middle Ages and the modern period, from around the

mid-14th Century to the early years of the 16th.

The Renaissance Center, say Mrs Coulombe and Mr Dulina, is a place where music

and art will be given life and new meaning. Students of all ages will be

encouraged to develop their own artistic visions.

According to its founders, the goal of The Renaissance Center is to promote

learning for life's pleasure in the belief that enrichment should be an

ongoing process for all. The Center expects to provide opportunities for

children and adults. As a result, believe Mrs Coulombe and Mr Dulina, this

will add to the quality of life for people of all ages and abilities.

"Our idea," Mr Dulina explained, "was to build a community center that was not

only community-supported, but would enhance the community and their needs at

the same time."

"It's amazing sometimes what these kids know," Mrs Coulombe added. "We wanted

to give them a place where they could go and learn more, and do more, that

wasn't a half-hour or 45 minutes for Mom to drive to. This was something that

was clearly going to happen after school, so time is an issue."

Classes and lectures are being scheduled as after-school and weekend events

from school-age children. Adult-oriented classes are being put in for those

who are available during the day, those who have to wait until after work to

attend a class, or for those who wish to take classes on the weekends.

For children, offerings include private music lessons for children of all ages

and abilities. "Music Encounters" is an exploratory hands-on music program for

young children. "Art Encounters" is exploratory hands-on art for youngsters

through kindergarten age. And "Young Artists Club" are age-appropriate

(elementary and middle school) classes in areas such as cartooning, sketching

or acrylic painting, for example.

Adult opportunities include group art lessons, offered in four- to six-week

blocks and covering artistic styles such as sketching, oil painting, acrylic

painting and folk art. Lectures and seminars will be offered in both music and

art history and appreciation. Private lessons are also available in music and

art.

Nancy Coulombe is serving as artistic director of Renaissance. While she will

not be doing any teaching herself, she will be overseeing all artistic

activities at the Center. The holder of degrees in sociology and social work,

Nancy has been a full-time mother for her three children for the last 19

years.

She has been active in Southbury's public schools for 15 years, including a

recent two-year stint as president of the PTO at Gainfield Middle School and

three years of working on the Region 15 (of which the Southbury schools are

part of) Advisory Council. Her children have taken piano lessons from Mr

Dulina for about six years.

"Working in the schools a lot, and with my love of art, I've come to realize

that art and music are very important to our kids' development," Mrs Coulombe

said. "So when John came to me with this idea, I thought it would be a

wonderful thing. I can really see a need for it.

"Coming from a different perspective - a mother's perspective - I could see

that it was an important thing," she continued. A folk art painter herself,

Mrs Coulombe and a friend sell hand painted crocks at local shows and fairs.

Nancy is also a member of the Music Ministry, the adult choir, at Sacred Heart

Church.

"I have an appreciation of art and music," she said.

John Dulina, the Center's music director, has been teaching for nearly twenty

years, the past seven in Southbury. He has studied at South Center Community

College in New Haven (now Gateway), Western Connecticut State University in

Danbury, and The Pontifical Institute of Music in Rome. He has been the

full-time music director at Sacred Heart Church in Southbury for seven years.

He has been concertizing since he was 12 years old, he says. He lectures

around the region on music history and appreciation, and he founded and

continues to conduct the Southbury Interfaith Chorale. Additionally, he

founded and continues to serve as concert coordinator for the Southbury

Cultural Concert Series.

"This is what I have been working for my entire life," Mr Dulina said

recently. "It's like a dream come true."

Building From The Inside Out

Personnel will be drawn from local professional artists, musicians and

teachers. The Center's staff will be private contractors, hired by Renaissance

on a part-time basis. Already, the Center has found a number of local artisans

who have signed on to be teachers.

"We've been coming in contact with some great music and art teachers," Mrs

Coulombe said, "and they have been coming up with some fantastic, way-out

ideas for the kids. We're very thrilled about this."

To date, the art faculty includes Lisa Hubenthal, who will offer an "Art

Encounters" course for preschool and kindergarten age children; Phyllis Boger,

with day-time beginning and intermediate watercolor classes for adults; Betsy

Rogers-Knox, evening watercolor classes for adults; and Nancy Cassidy,

sketching and drawing classes.

Music courses, which are less age-restricted (the Center anticipates students

will probably be of school age, but will welcome anyone who wants to learn to

play an instrument), are also forming. Teachers include Mr Dulina, who will

continue piano courses; Christina Heise will also be instructing on piano;

Sabrina Berger will teach strings classes; Mark Koontz, saxophone and

clarinet; and Vincent Marini, guitar. Another class is also forming, for flute

instruction.

"I have to admit, the first six months that The Center is open is going to be

a bit of a trial and error kind of thing," Mr Dulina feels. "We're very much

cognizant of the fact that we want to give the community what the community

needs. We're hoping that during the first six months to a year, the community

will respond and will tell us what they want.

"For instance, if we have a number of people tell us they want to take a

specific watercolor course, we'll be happy to do that. Or if there seems to be

an instrument that we currently are not teaching and there seems to be a need

for, we're happy to invite an instructor who is qualified to teach that."

Nancy and John had initially hoped to have The Renaissance Center up and

running full-time by August 1. Unfortunately, converting the building at 348

Main Street from an art gallery and framing business into a full-time

studio/educational setting took a lot more work than the Center's two partners

anticipated. Because of this, the original opening date had to be bumped by a

month.

The building that houses The Renaissance Center has three floors: basement,

main floor, second floor. Downstairs is where three music rooms will be

located. The main floor, which was formerly the art gallery's main showing

space, with lots of dividing walls, has been changed into one large studio

room. Art tables and windows dominate the room, which is where art projects

and pieces of art will be hung. The offices will be situated on the second

floor.

As of this week, the Center's schedule of offerings was firm and available for

interested students. Mr Dulina continues to offer his piano classes at Sacred

Heart (the Center's piano have not yet arrived), but by the end of the month

he should be comfortably ensconced at the Center.

Someone is always available to answer the phone now. John and Nancy have hired

a secretary, or one of the partners answers the phone themselves, offering

suggestions or taking addresses for people who are looking for the Renaissance

schedule.

"I'm here organizing stuff, getting furniture together," Mrs Coulombe said

Wednesday afternoon. "The building looks really good. The piano should be here

next week, all our art teachers should be in place, and the music teachers are

set and ready to go."

A formal open house/reception where the public will be welcomed into The

Renaissance Center is in the works. Prospective students will be able to walk

through the building, checking out the studio/teaching spaces and meeting

members of the faculty. A firm date has not been set down, Nancy Coulombe said

this week, but it is anticipated the formal opening will happen around the

middle of September.

"We really wanted to be in by the first of August, but we were a little

optimistic," Mrs Coulombe said this week. "Because of all the construction,

that was the hard part of it. We weren't anticipating it taking it that long.

"But now we're in here and we're back on track. The classes are starting to

fill up. We have literature and the schedule is available. We're taking phone

calls and reservations/applications for classes, so things are moving along.

"We anticipate success here."

To contact The Renaissance Center For Artistic Enrichment, call 267-7672.