Creative Cooperative City

A Vision for Bridging Innovation, Community, and Culture in New London, CT

Client
Hygienic Art
Role
Executive Director
Services
Creative Direction, Strategic Partnerships, Grant Writing, Program Development, Digital Pivoting, Business Development

Challenge

In January 2020, I stepped into the role of Executive Director at Hygienic Art, a beloved but financially fragile arts institution in New London, CT. Like many legacy arts organizations, it faced challenges of declining relevance, limited funding, and growing disconnects between its programming and the rapidly evolving needs of the surrounding community.

New London is a city of contrasts—home to a diverse and emerging artist population, but also defined by systemic challenges like underemployment, addiction, and economic disenfranchisement. Meanwhile, its largest employer, General Dynamics Electric Boat, was struggling with workforce retention. My question became:

How could an arts organization help solve a real business and community problem?

Concept & Vision

Before my first official day as Executive Director of Hygienic Art, I met with the Executive Director of Thames River Innovation Place (TRIP), a regional initiative aimed at fostering economic vitality through innovation. She encouraged me to apply for a grant aligned with TRIP’s Blue Economy priorities.

In my first week as Executive Director, I submitted a proposal for Creative Cooperative City—a cross-sector lecture and engagement series to explore how creativity could fuel innovation, build stronger local connections, and reimagine the future of work. The pitch connected Hygienic Art’s cultural mission to the region’s economic development goals, effectively repositioning the gallery as a creative engine in the local innovation ecosystem.

Program Structure

Creative Cooperative City was developed as a six-part digital lecture series, designed to:
  • Highlight creative professionals working across biotech, defense, digital media, and education
  • Address critical themes including bias in tech, leadership through play, hyperlocal community-building, and post-pandemic work models
  • Feature a mix of national voices and local changemakers
  • Deliver accessible, high-quality content through a dedicated website, with plans for hybrid screenings at the Hygienic Art Park
Lecture Topics Included:
  • Reshaping: The Future of Work
  • Hyperlocal: New London Creative Community
  • Traversing Landscapes: Biotech & Bias
  • Producing Pathways: Leadership in Creative Tech
  • New Approach: The Importance of Play
  • Moving Through Space: Digital & the New Workplace
Featured Speakers:
  • Krystal Persaud - Product design executive using toy and game design principles to highlight important issues, LittleBits & Grouphug Solar , Visit Website‍
  • Nadav Assor - Sound and video artist creating embodied, critically layered experiences, MIT Fellow, Associate Professor of Expanded Media at Connecticut College, Visit Website‍
  • Kolton Harris -Creative leader, educator, facilitator and multi-disciplinary artist currently serving as a program manager at CT Office of the Arts, Visit LinkedIn Profile‍
  • Jonathan Bobrow - Artist, designer, programmer, technologist, Co-Founder of Move38, Visit Website‍
  • Celia Pearce - Game designer, artist, author, curator, teacher, and researcher specializing in multiplayer gaming and virtual worlds, independent, art, and alternative game genres, Associate Professor of Game Design at Northeastern University, Visit Website
  • Sydney Skybetter - Choreographer, writer and consultant on human computer interfaces, choreorobotics, robotic expressiveness, ethics pertaining to body-centered technologies and change management, Visit Website‍
  • Diane Barcelo - Artist and art educator examining language as a bridge and a barrier to communication, Visit LinkedIn Profile‍
  • Austin Glassner - Research Engineer for Autonomous Systems, Electric Boat, Visit LinkedIn Profile‍
  • Nicole Young - Self-taught designer and developer, and advocate for diversification of the tech industry, Visit Youtube Channel‍
  • LaJune McMillian - Multidisciplinary Artist, and Educator creating art that integrates performance, extended reality, and physical computing, Visit Website‍
  • David Dorfman - Founder of David Dorfman Dance, company-in-Residence at Connecticut College, Visit Website‍
  • Alicia Coleman - Brand Creative, Sesame Workshop, Visit Website‍
  • Alexandra Darby - Co-producer, Founder of The Hybrid Studio, Visit Website‍
  • Bess Gaby - Executive Director, Hygienic Art, Learn More About Hygienic Art

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Funding & Strategic Partnerships

My grant proposal was selected to advance, with a $20,000 award from TRIP contingent on securing matching funds. I approached this challenge strategically—recognizing that Electric Boat’s retention challenges were, in part, due to a lack of cultural and creative connection to the local community.

I initiated dialogue with the Electric Boat Management Association (EBMA)—a professional development network inside General Dynamics—and made a case for supporting our program as a benefit to both their employees and the city. EBMA responded with $5,000—the first financial contribution Electric Boat had ever made to a local nonprofit.

I then secured the remainder through additional funders including:

  • Electric Boat Management Association
  • Chelsea Groton Foundation
  • CT NEXT (Office of Innovation)
  • Women in Defense – New England Chapter
  • New Perspectives on Learning
  • City of New London, CT
  • Liberty Bank
  • Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce
  • Individual Contributions

This campaign not only unlocked the full TRIP grant but established new funding streams and sponsor relationships for Hygienic Art moving forward.

Outcomes & Reflection

Despite limited audience reach, participant and sponsor feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Creative Cooperative City:

  • Elevated Hygienic Art’s role in regional economic development conversations
  • Bridged cultural gaps between artists and industry professionals
  • Strengthened community bonds through shared creative exploration
  • Proved the viability of arts organizations as agents of change and innovation

What I Brought to the Table

✔ Creative Direction & Visionary Framing
✔ Grant Writing & Budget Management
✔ Stakeholder Engagement & Fundraising Strategy
✔ Production Oversight (Digital pivot + content curation)
✔ Resilience and Strategic Adaptability in Crisis

Creative Cooperative City – Impact Summary

Funding Secured:

  • $20,000 grant from Thames River Innovation Place (TRIP)
  • $20,000 match raised through additional sponsors and community support

Program Outputs:

  • 7 marketing efforts executed
  • 5 entrepreneurial events hosted
  • 222+ total event attendees
  • 3 mentoring sessions delivered, totaling 4.5 hours

Economic Outcomes:

  • 3 jobs supported through Innovation Place (IP) programming
  • 14 new jobs created by participating or adjacent companies
  • 5 jobs retained through support activities

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Lessons Learned

  1. Cross-sector creativity builds community trust: By centering the voices of artists, technologists, and community leaders, the series revealed how shared narratives inspire buy-in across industries.
  2. Digital-first strategy ensured flexibility: The shift to pre-recorded digital lectures allowed for wide access and helped maintain engagement despite pandemic restrictions.
  3. Metrics tell part of the story—momentum tells the rest: While we hit key deliverables, what mattered most was catalyzing longer-term dialogue across biotech, arts, and civic spaces.

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If I could do this project again...

My next step would be to create in-person screenings and panels to support digital engagement: Combining live gatherings with digital media to extend the program’s impact beyond the screen.

Interested in working together? Get in touch today.

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