October Member Spotlight

cover art: Fall on Candlewood Lake by Alma Alfaham

Alice Schuette | October 1st, 2022

Our members at the Cultural Alliance make us who we are. They create a vibrant community of artists and culturally minded people. This is the best of Western Connecticut, and we’re honored to have them as our allies who inspire and enhance their communities. Follow this blog monthly as we shine a spotlight on our members and learn more about who they are and what they offer.

Connecticut Choral SocietyView Profile

Connecticut Choral SocietyThe Connecticut Choral Society is an organization of people united in their love of music and their joy in sharing that love with the greater communities to which they belong. Their gifts of music give both listener and performer alike strength in difficult times, help to remind us to treat others with compassion and respect, and remind us all that peace is possible—both for the moments when we are immersed in the beauty of music and as a way to help us find the common ground that yields lasting benefits.

The Connecticut Choral Society enters this season with renewed purpose to once again have their voices united in music, strength, compassion, and peace and to share the magic that happens when they come together with their community.  The 22-23 season, OUR VOICES UNITED, offers a diverse program for singers and audiences alike.

Alma AlfahamView Profile

Refuge

Refuge: by Alma Alfaham. Photo is from Alma Alfaham’s website.

Growing up with a family that is appreciative and affectionate towards art, Alma Alfaham has lived in many different cities since childhood including Kuwait City, in Kuwait, Amman and Aqaba in Jordan and lastly Athens, Greece. She has been exposed to a variety of rich cultures and traditions for as long as she can remember.  Attending French, English and American schools, allowed her to enrich her sophistication and education.

The beauty and peace Alma experiences in Danbury, CT, where she currently lives, motivate her and increase her creativity.

Her love towards Greece, art, poetry, and music, coupled with a degree in Architectural Engineering, inspired her concept for unique, colorful and abstract paintings.

She enhanced her ability and familiarization by enrolling in professional art and jewelry design courses. In her work, she experimented with different techniques, utensils, and layers using oil on canvas and collage.

“I see beauty in everything and worship love…creating love and beauty, is art.” Alma says, “Painting reflects the creativity in me and sets my spirit free.”

ASAP! View Profile

Photo Credit: From ASAP! FB page.

Founded in 1999, ASAP! is a social profit institution recognized for its high-quality, portable, immersive learning experiences. What began as a small after school arts program has evolved into a wide-ranging education organization whose arts-infused programming is brought into schools and community spaces around Connecticut. Through curriculum-aligned in-school projects, collaborative summer programs, and weekend and after school workshops, ASAP! delivers safe spaces for exploration, collaboration, and discovery vital to a journey of joyful learning. We believe that learning which happens through art practices and their inherent social and emotional, observational, and self-reflective capacities can be more authentic, deep, and exciting for students. When we honor young people’s imaginations, invite them to create, encourage them to take risks, and trust their resourcefulness, they will become the empowered, resilient, and compassionate adults the world really needs.

Terrance Tougas – View Profile

Photo Credit: From Terrance Tougas website – MineHill Woodworks.

Terrance holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, and had a 30+ year career in the sciences before “retiring” in 2016 to devote himself to pursuing his long time interests in both photography and woodworking. Terrance relishes the ordinary aspects of day to day life. He produces a variety of handmade wood items including toys, jewelry, household items and furniture. He holds the view that creativety, inquitsitiveness and analysis are equally improtant to both the scientist and the artist, explaining…”the word analysis denotes the deconstruction of an entity into its essential elements to understand its nature or function. This is a primary driver for me as I explore through artistic expressions the elements of the world around me.”

To find out more about the CAWCT community and our members, visit our Directory.

All profile information is taken from CAWCT member directory and/or the members website page.

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