So, Just Who Are the Battell Stoeckel Associates, Anyway?

By Cecily Mermann

The popular string program at Botelle Elementary School is made possible with funds from Battell Stoeckel Associates.

The Battell Stoeckel Associates are having an identity crisis. All too often, they find themselves confused with the Battell Stoeckel Estate. One Associate was once asked, “why did you let those buildings get so shabby?” The answer is that the Associates are not responsible for painting Whitehouse or the upkeep of the Music Shed. That is the Estate’s job (and the Whitehouse is has been repainted). So what exactly do the Associates do? Most recently, they have helped fund the summer Community Drawing Classes, the string program at Botelle School and the children’s spring production of “Peter Pan.” In short, they focus on supporting the arts in Norfolk. It was not always so. The Battell Stoeckel Associates was founded in 1989 by a group of Norfolk citizens interested in forging a closer relationship between the town and the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Foundation. The organizing group included Cay Fields, Barbara Lawrence, Hella Street and Joe Veronesi, Jr., among others. Their mission statement set goals for enhancing public awareness of events on the estate and the Chamber Music Festival, and supporting the estate as “a center for music and the Arts”. Thus, the Associates started out relating only to summer events on the estate. By 2002, they decided to promote more year-round cultural pursuits for townspeople, particularly children. Their first project provided seed money for buying instruments so that Botelle could start a string program. The next winter they sponsored a “Messiah Sing-in” at Christmas, led by Yale’s well-known choral director, Fenno Heath. The event has continued under the leadership of Norfolk’s own Charles Fidlar. There followed the Drama Workshops at Botelle, which led to the productions of “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Hobbit,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and this year’s “Peter Pan.” Future plans include providing art events for teen-agers and a possible cultural exchange with talented children from the inner city. In 2004, the Battell Stoeckel Associates formed a stronger year-round relationship with Yale in Norfolk, thanks to the cooperative efforts of Paul Hawkshaw, the new director of the Yale Summer School of Music, and Sam Messer, head of the Summer Art School.The Associates took on financial support for the Community Drawing classes, the Children’s Art Camp and the Photography Workshop, all open to Norfolkians. Hawkshaw and the Associates have also partnered to bring various professional music groups from Yale who perform for the children and run workshops at Botelle during the winter months. Surprisingly, many music goers are unaware that it is the Associates who sponsor the popular Young Artists Recitals during the Chamber Music Festival. They are free and open to the public on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. Despite their support for these varied events that have nothing to do with the Battell Stoeckel Estate, the Associates have decided that it is time to change their name. Starting with the town’s 250th anniversary celebration on August 1, they will be known as the Battell Arts Foundation, reflecting their interest in supporting all the arts throughout the year, yet maintaining their old tie with the estate and the Battell legacy. So the next time anyone has a question about tickets for the Festival or whether the wall will be replaced, do not call the Battell Stoeckel Associates. Call 542-5758 and ask about joining the Battell Arts Foundation. 2