By Kathy Collins
For the past seven years, the Winthrop Arts Festival and other art related activities in the idyllic area known as Winthrop have been underwritten by Winthrop founders, John and Kay Sullivan. Now, thanks to their daughter, Katharine Sullivan-Dawes and Winthrop Town Artist, Bryant Martinez, Winthrop Arts is an official nationally recognized non-profit arts organization.
As a non-profit, Winthrop Arts, Inc. will work to expand the reach of its programming by building upon the success of the Winthrop Art Festival and the burgeoning Arts Factory, an after school program for kids.
Sullivan-Dawes, along with Martinez, had a vision. They wanted Winthrop Arts to be a place to develop and foster both new artists and patrons of the arts, while providing high quality artistic programming to the greater Brandon community.
The public is invited to be a part of Winthrop Arts by attending the Winthrop Arts Community Launch Event set to take place on Saturday, January 23 beginning at 5 p.m. at the Barn Theatre located at 11349 Bloomingdale Ave. in Riverview. You can see and hear how Winthrop Arts plans to make Winthrop the destination for the arts.
The Winthrop Arts Community Launch Event promises to be an event that everyone, adults and children alike, will want to attend. Sullivan-Dawes said, “We are so excited to have New York City based director, Travis Greisler onboard to help us create this unique event which we think will be unlike anything seen before us in the area. We hope the launch will showcase what we believe Winthrop Arts can become as it expands over the coming years.”
Greisler added, “I’m thrilled, as a director, to have the opportunity to collaborate with Winthrop Arts for the Community Launch Event which we expect to be a one-of-a-kind evening. Being a part of an arts organization at its inception is just the icing on the cake.”
Kay Sullivan, president of the Winthrop Arts Board of Visionaries said, “Please join us for the unveiling of Winthrop Arts, Inc. and experience the power of community art to move, to inspire, to change and to enrich lives.”
Visit www.winthroparts.org.
