HVA and the Artwell Gallery and Community Arts Center in Torrington, Conn. is launching a far-reaching and creatively exciting project called the Housy River Fest. The event celebrates HVA’s 70^th anniversary and Artwell’s 16^th with a loving look at the rivers of the Housatonic Valley.

Rivers have been an inspiration for artists over the centuries. The 149-mile long Housatonic River and its tributaries run through Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut ending at Long Island Sound – long a home for whom the river has served as a muse.

Galleries, museums, artists, environmental organizations, teachers, students, businesses in, or inspired by, the Housatonic River Watershed, are welcome to participate in celebrating HVA’s 70 years of protecting the Housatonic and its tributaries by contributing gallery space, artworks, or educational activities during the year-long fest.

All festival partners will benefit from publicity extending over the large geographic region through which the Housatonic travels, new-found connections with other organizations, and a cause that can invigorate everyone involved for years to come.

Online information concerning the project can be accessed from the “Housy River Fest” group on Facebook, and on Artwell's and HVA’s websites – www.artwellgallery.org and www.hvatoday.org.