You asked for the following information on the state's Commission on the Arts:

· The commission members, the official who appointed them, and the members' affiliation or occupation

· A list of the grant awards the commission made for the past two years and the amount of each grant

SUMMARY

The governor and legislative leaders appoint 21 members of the commission's board of directors and the law makes the president of the Connecticut Advocates for the Arts and any member of the National Council on the Arts who lives in Connecticut members as well. The names of current board members are listed below. They are private citizens with knowledge or experience in the arts, as the law requires. In particular, some work with arts organizations in the state, such as the Clockwork Repertory Theater, Goodspeed Opera House, Hartford Stage Company, Mattatuck Museum, and Wadsworth Atheneum.

The commission awards competitive grants in eight categories after professional peer panels review applications from individuals and organizations, depending on the program. In FY 2002, the commission distributed $ 2. 8 million to 590 recipients; in FY 2001, $ 2. 97 million went to 596 grantees. The details of the programs and the names of every grantee appear in the attachments (the 2002 edition is available online). Information about the commission and its grant programs is at its website http: //www. ctarts. org/

MEMBERS

State law specifies the appointing authority, terms, and requirements for members of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts (CGS Sec. 10-369). In addition to members who serve by virtue of their position on the Connecticut Advocates for the Arts and the National Council on the Arts, the governor and legislative leaders appoint 21 members. The governor's appointees serve four-year terms and the legislative appointees serve two-year terms. Members are limited to serving no more than two full consecutive terms or no more than eight consecutive years, whichever is longer. All members must be private citizens who are "widely known for their knowledge, competence, or experience in connection with the performing or visual arts. "

Table 1 shows the breakdown for appointments and Table 2 lists the current members, their hometown, and affiliation or occupation.

Table 1: Members of the Arts Commission and Their Appointing Authorities

Table 2: Current Board Members and Their Affiliation

GRANT AWARDS

Through the commission's competitive grant programs, individuals and organizations received 590 awards totaling $ 2,817,259 in FY 2002 and 596 awards totaling $ 2,972,370 in FY 2001. The details of grant awards appear in the commission's reports at Report of Grant Awards, Fiscal Year 2002 and Report of Grant Awards, Fiscal Year 2001. Table 3 shows the number and amount in each program for each fiscal year.

Table 3: Grant Programs and Awards for FY 2002 and FY 2001

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