Featured Story: ConnCAT Celebrates 10 Years, Looks to The Future
By Lucy Gellman, Arts Council Greater New Haven
Proud mom Kim Johnson and Dior “Mr. ConnCAT” Hobson. Lucy Gellman Photos.
Dior Hobson walked into the Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology (ConnCAT) as a baby-faced fifth grader, looking for a place to grow his artistic skills. He walked out with a family.
Hobson—or “Mr. ConnCAT,” as he is often affectionately known—told that story Sunday night, as over 300 ConnCAT staff, board members, students, and supporters packed the ballroom at the Omni Hotel downtown to celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary.
A veteran of ConnCAT’s arts-centered after-school programs, the 20-year-old Hobson was one of half a dozen young New Heavener’s who spoke up or performed at the gala, testifying to ConnCAT’s decade-long impact on the city’s youth.
The gala took place at a moment of transformative growth for the organization, who’s subsidiary ConnCORP this year is expanding to the city’s Dixwell neighborhood as it continues to serve students at its 4 Science Park home. Continue Reading….