'Pull Up Your Chair' To Help The New Canaan Library Fundraise

NEW CANAAN, CT — The New Canaan Library has announced "The Chair Project," a fundraising effort that gives donors the opportunity to have their name etched into one of the new library auditorium's chairs.

For a $1,000 tax-deductible donation to the Capital Campaign — which is raising money for New Canaan's new library — community members can have their family name, the name of a loved one, a message and/or a quote laser-cut into the back of a chair in the new Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium.

The chairs were originally designed in 1955, and officials said they'll be customized by Design Within Reach, a part of global modern design collective MillerKnoll, which has a retail business based in Stamford.

A total of 325 chairs were made available, though as of March 24 only 198 are still up for grabs. All inscription requests must be completed before May 20.

To promote the project, the library asked nine well-known New Canaan artists, musicians and authors to pose while seated in the new auditorium chairs. (The photos can be found here.)

"By photographing these great New Canaanites in the actual new auditorium chair, we wanted to visually demonstrate what kinds of people and programs are going to be presented in the new space," said Ellen Sullivan Crovatto, CEO of the Capital Campaign.

The auditorium is part of New Canaan's new library, which is being built around the current one, the New Canaan Advertiser reported.

"The CHAIR PROJECT was conceived in celebration and anticipation of the new programming that is going to be a major highlight of the new building," Crovatto said. "The creation of the Jim and Dede Bartlett Auditorium opens a world of new programming possibilities for our community, from performances and author talks to lectures, films, concerts, and more."

As of March 27, the Capital Campaign has to raise $7.5 million more to meet its fundraising goal of $40 million, officials said.

Reserve a chair here.