Generosity is one of our longest-standing American traditions. For 250 years, every generation has passed something down to the next.

Main Street Community Foundation (MSCF), one of the leading grant makers in the Central Connecticut region that benefits the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, and Wolcott, is home to the Louise Lauretano DeMars Love of Art Fund. This unique fund was established through a bequest from Louise Lauretano DeMars.

Louise was a well-known leader in the Bristol community; she had a personality that was larger than life, was passionate and talented in the arts, and was a beloved mentor. Louise’s contributions to the museum industry, as well as the arts and culture community, were many and varied. Most notable in the greater Bristol community was her 28-year tenure as the Executive Director of The Carousel Museum which established the museum as a national tourist destination.

Upon her passing in 2023, Louise left a bequest in her will to continue her legacy through a fund at Main Street Community Foundation. The Louise Lauretano DeMars Love of Art Fund was established to further her passion while inspiring future artists by granting stipends to Bristol-based artists, giving them the opportunity to pursue their artistic creativity more freely while honing and refining their skills.

Due to the creative nature of the fund, MSCF established an advisory committee of local residents with expert knowledge in the arts. This committee lends their expertise to inform the process and recommendations for grants distributed from the fund.

Since 2024, the Louise Lauretano DeMars Love of Art Fund has held two grant cycles and has awarded a total of $23,025 to five local artists. In the inaugural grant cycle, Marlo Marrero and Nigel Wynter, were awarded stipends of $5,000 each. Marrero is a trained artist in multiple mediums and co-owns Creative Jam Art Co. in Bristol. She used this grant to improve her water marbling technique through participation in workshops. Wynter is an established artist who is dedicated to fine art and illustration. His primary media are watercolor, acrylics, and oils created in a realistic style. Wynter used the awarded funds to study with and be mentored by like-minded professionals through the Created to Thrive Mentoring program. Not only was there a reception celebrating these two artists and the fund, Marrero and Wynter also worked together to put on a joint art exhibition that featured both of their works.

In 2025, three artists were awarded grants to further their artistic growth. Lisa Corson, a mixed-media fiber artist, was awarded a grant of $2,025 to support her artistic expansion into pottery by attending workshops. Tina Fusco is an acrylic painter who was awarded $1,000 to purchase supplies as she transitions her business to be inventory-based. Lastly, Josh Therriault is a filmmaker from Bristol who shoots and produces short narrative films, stop motion animations, documentaries and music videos. He was awarded a $10,000 grant to support film festival submission costs and marketing materials of his first feature-length documentary film, In Hines Sight, about a Waterbury-based artist named Francis Hines whose work was found in a dumpster and reclaimed.

MSCF is proud to continue the legacy of Louise Lauretano DeMars through the stewardship of her generous bequest and thoughtful insight into what artists need to thrive. Because of the generosity of one woman, artists in her local community will continue to develop and grow their artistic pursuits more freely far into the future.