The Urban Artists Initiative (UAI), a program of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism in partnership with The Institute for Community Research, announces its upcoming exhibition, Statewide: Artists Exploring the Cultural Landscape. The exhibit, which represents primarily new works of Connecticut UAI artists, opens Sunday, March 6 from 2 to 5 p.m. and runs through April 19, 2005 at the Stamford Center for the Arts' Rich Forum, Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Galley, 307 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT. The event is free and open to the public.

The exhibit will be jurored by Valerie Cooper, President of Picture That, LLC, a company that promotes diverse cultural awareness through the arts, and Robbin Zeller, Director and Curator at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport. Cash prizes will be awarded to three artists at the opening reception.

 "This is an opportunity for the public to view the works of artists who contribute to Connecticut's cultural resources," says Maryland Grier, UAI Program Director. "These artists are committed to building the arts in their respective towns and cities through partnerships with cultural institutions, schools, community-based organizations, and by creating their own businesses, galleries and studios."

The Statewide exhibition is a celebration of visual artists who have participated in the Urban Artists Initiative program, which includes over 285 artists and arts organizations from ten Connecticut cities and towns including New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Norwalk, Stamford, Bristol, New Britain, Norwich and New London. UAI is the only existing national demonstration program funded in 1991 by the National Endowment for the Arts to serve emerging artists and organizations. The program provides in each city, three years of training, mentorships, school/community-based residencies, and exhibit, performance and literary opportunities to its participants.

 As part of the Statewide event, Stamford Center for the Arts will also host a literary reading, and music, dance and theatre performances by UAI artists on Sunday, April 10 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Rich Forum, Leonhardt Studio & Promenade. The event is free and advance registration is required. For more information about the Statewide exhibit or to register for the literary reading and showcase performances, contact Colleen Coleman, UAI Program Coordinator and Artistic Director, at The Institute for Community Research at 860-278-2044, ext. 310

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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.