[Wesleyan University]
   

Assistant Director Manny Rivera Joins The Green Street Arts Center

For immediate release: Monday, October 11, 2004

(Middletown, CT)–Ricardo Morris, director of the Green Street Arts Center, has announced the addition of Manny Rivera as the Center's new Assistant Director. Rivera will work closely with public, private and home schools to link Green Street's activities directly to school curricula and to create partnerships with other arts organizations in Middletown and the region. He will also recruit new professional artists to teach at Green Street following the Center's grand opening on January 5, and oversee the Family Workshop Series.

Manuel "Manny" Rivera comes to the Green Street Arts Center from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, where he was the Director of Community Cultural Development and successfully launched two historical city-wide events, "Nuestra Herencia," celebrating Latino Heritage Month 2003 and "Tell All the Children Our Story," in honor of Black History Month 2004. Other experience includes work as the Executive Director of Latino Youth Development in New Haven.

Rivera was born in the Bronx and at age five moved to New Haven with his family. There, he attended public schools, received his undergraduate degree from Southern Connecticut State University and subsequently enrolled in SCSU's graduate program (graduation candidate: May 2005).

The Green Street Arts Center, now in its third year, is the result of a major collaboration between Wesleyan University, the North End Action Team (NEAT), the City of Middletown, Macdonough School, Church of the Holy Trinity, Community Health Center and other community and arts partners. Renovations to the former school at 51 Green Street will be completed in January and a sneak preview weekend of workshops and tours is planned for December 4 and 5. The facility will offer a fully-equipped sound/recording, videography, digital photography, writing and graphic arts lab. It will also feature two visual arts studios, a dance studio and a performance studio with a seating capacity of 100. Green Street is intended to serve as both an anchor to the revitalization of the North End and a unique artistic and educational resource for residents of the neighborhood and the region.

Following its grand opening in January, the Center will offer an expanded schedule of classes and activities at 51 Green St. in Middletown's North End. The Center presently offers "Music Alive!," a class for young children and their caregivers, and a wide variety of free workshops for people of all ages. Participation at Green Street is open to everyone in the region.

To find out more about the GSAC, call 860-685-7871 or write to ncsmith@wesleyan.edu.