About The Barn
Empowering Through Creativity and Community
Mission:
The Barn empowers young people to pursue their interests and passions:
encouraging a sense of community through creativity, music and the arts in a safe and supportive environment.
Diversity and Inclusion:
Our doors are open to everyone!
The Barn is committed to embracing, nurturing and preserving a culture of inclusion and acceptance. Our community thrives from sharing unique experiences, perspectives and knowledge. Together we build each other up and we are better and stronger when we are all connected. There is always room on our stage, and at our events, for you to shine; regardless of race, gender, religion, skill or economic status.
Vision:
To further evolve and identify the ever changing needs of our youth and our community.
We want to continue working collaboratively with local organizations to be a resource and a partner.
When a need is identified we want to be able to provide programs that meet those needs while enriching the experiences of our youth.
We will continue to strive to find resources to keep our promise to never turn away a child due to financial ability and keep our doors open to everyone.
History:
In 1997 a group of youth conscious citizens formed Friends of Madison Youth, Inc., now doing business as, The Barn. The Barn's support and funding came from a wide range of organizations in addition to individuals. In 1999 the Town of Madison agreed to allow the organization to use The Madison Arts Barn and with the generosity of The Wilbur W. Pardee Fund, the Greer Fund for Youth, The Erwin C. Bauer Trust, The Madison Foundation and many individuals they raised over $300,000. The monies raised were used to renovate the Arts Barn including adding a stage, control booth, professional sound and lighting systems, interior walls, cafe and an office space. On May 5th 2000 The Barn opened its doors to the community and has been open ever since. As of 2020 more than 80,000 have participated in our programs and events.
Board of Directors:
Cristal DePietro -President, Cristal DePietro - Vice President, Zachary Hollback - Treasurer - Will Philbrick - Secretary -
Trisha Barba - Board Member, Amanda Stiewing - Board Member - Emily Webster
Board Member - Catherine Barden
Director Emeritus:
Tammy Boris
Staff:
Robyn Klaskin - Executive Director
Robyn Klaskin is proud to be associated with the mission of The Barn. She has worked for more than a decade to provide a safe place for shoreline youth
to explore their talents and build their skills in a supportive environment. Prior to her involvement with the Barn, Robyn served on the
Madison Youth and Family Services Board, with the culminating position of Board President. In 2012 Robyn was recognized for her commitment to Connecticut’s youth
by the CT Youth Service Association. In addition to her love of theater and the arts, Robyn maintains a specialty law practice in town where she offers
mediation and collaborative dispute resolution for family matters.
Robyn is excited to serve as Director of The Barn, leading the efforts in addressing the needs of our youth.
She has raised three daughters in town with her husband, Seth Klaskin, and they are both aware that it is not easy to raise children on the CT Shoreline.
Robyn knows community assets like The Barn are a treasure. She works tirelessly to raise the funds and write grants that enable The Barn
to do its primary work of providing supportive and enriching programming for shoreline youth.
Amy Johnson - Program Coordinator
Amy Johnson, a Madison native, lives with her husband Jason, her children Violet and Mason, and a menagerie of pets.
Since starting out as a parent volunteer at the Haunted House 9 years ago, she has gradually worked her way up to where she is now by using her
versatility, creativity, and ability to work with the different technical aspects of The Barn. Amy started out as a pre-school teacher easily transitioning
into a stay-at-home mom, where she became the head chairperson for the Ryerson Fun Fair several years in a row as well as volunteered
for various programs, schools, and sports organizations. Now settling into her new position as programming coordinator, she hopes to continue to use her
knack for graphic design and artistic abilities to provide the best experience possible for everyone who participates in The Barn’s programs and events.