NPR's John Dankosky moderates conversation on the arts

Do the arts lift us from our circumstances, make us smarter, more tolerant and better able to navigate our modern world?

Or is public money spent on the arts a waste, an investment in something relevant and beneficial to only a privileged few?

L to R: Rich Hollant, principal of Co:Lab; Maryam Elahi, president of CFECT; John Dankosky, executive editor of NPR's New England News Collaborative; David Jaffe, chair of the Theater Department at Connecticut College; Wendy Bury, executive director of Southeastern CT Cultural Coalition; and Kristina Newman-Scott, director of culture, State of Connecticut.

Join National Public Radio's John Dankosky at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, as he moderates the first in the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut's series of community conversations, "Thriving Communities: Do the Arts Matter?"

This safe, civil conversation about the role of the arts in a thriving community will be held at Connecticut College's Blaustein Humanities Center in the Ernst Common Room.

Dankosky, who is executive editor of NPR's New England News Collaborative and host of “NEXT,” a weekly radio program about New England, will moderate the hour-long conversation, which will be followed by a brief reception. Small foundation grants will be offered to nonprofits and affiliated student groups who want to continue the discussion beyond the event.

Arts organizations supported by the foundation include: Eastern Connecticut Ballet, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Expressiones Cultural Center, the Garde Arts Center, Hygienic Art, the Judy Dworin Performance Project, the Mystic Museum of Art, Salt Marsh Opera, the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition and Writer's Block Ink.

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Editorial writers at The Day underscore the vital role of civil public discourse and endorse our new community conversations series. Read the editorial