The Urban Artists Initiative (UAI), a program of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism in partnership with The Institute for Community Research, is pleased to present UAI's annual Literary Reading and Performance Showcase on Sunday, April 10, from 2:00pm - 5:00pm at  the Stamford Center for the Arts, 307 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT. The event is being held in conjunction with the art exhibition, Statewide: Artists Expanding the Cultural Landscape. 

Literary winners (along with their UAI city) are three outstanding poets - Anna Veccia (Norwalk), 1st place; Marinela Medrano-Marra (Norwalk), 2nd place; and Donna Owens (New Britain), 3rd place. Honorable mention goes to Iyaba Ibo-Mandingo (Stamford).

First-prize performance winners in the categories of Theater, Dance and Music are Repertory Theater of New Britain (New Britain), Unity Dance Ensemble (Waterbury), and Nick Mathis (Hartford), respectively. All winners will perform at the event.

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to present some of the most talented artists in the State," said Colleen L. Coleman, UAI Interim Program Director and Artistic Director. "The contributions made by these artists has enriched and enlivened the cultural life of Connecticut. The artists who have taken part in UAI training have become well-recognized in Connecticut and throughout the region, and the Literary Reading, and Showcase Performance is a vehicle for them to present their outstanding talents," she added.

The evening's guest performer will be Stamford's own Robbie Jenkins, performing material from his soon-to-be-released debut CD, Because It Feels Right. Jenkins will be featured in an intimate setting, performing selected songs at the piano. There will also be a surprise guest duet performance concluding the set.

Since 1987, Robbie Jenkins has performed as a background vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with various major recording artists (Surface, P.M. Dawn, Jimmie Vaughan and others), and made fifteen television appearances (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and others). Jenkins is also a respected music educator, author and lecturer.

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Please R.S.V.P. before April 6. For more information about the event or the UAI program, contact Colleen Coleman, UAI Interim Director at 860-278-2044 ext. 310 / email colleen.coleman@icrweb.org or Jerilyn Nagel, New Britain Site Coordinator and Program Associate at 860-278-2044 ext. 302 / Jerilyn.nagel@icrweb.org .

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The Urban Artists Initiative is a program of the Connecticut Commission on the Culture and Tourism in partnership with The Institute for Community Research. The program was designed to address the unique needs of emerging artists and organizations that produce or present cultural events. lose to 300 artists and arts organizations from ten Connecticut cities have been completed the Urban Artists Initiative's three-year professional development training, which also includes grants, mentors, and presentation opportunities. The Urban Artists Initiative is funded by CCATCHF and the National Endowment for the Arts, and has received additional grant support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and the Waterbury Foundation.

The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism is a state agency, which supports artistic excellence and fosters cultural development through the arts and works to increase public understanding of, participation in, and support of the arts in Connecticut. The Institute for Community Research is an independent non-profit research organization with expertise in fieldwork, training and program administration in multicultural urban and nontraditional settings. The ICR promotes dialogue about the diversity of cultures, community issues and art forms found in Connecticut and New England.