Our Team

Richard Wenning, Founder

Richard Wenning is the Founder of the Granite Church. He also serves as Executive Director of BeFoundation, a family foundation devoted to strengthening the education of young people in Connecticut and the vitality of their communities. He co-founded SpreadMusicNow, a music and arts education nonprofit, and serves on the board of directors. BeFoundation owns the Granite Church, and SpreadMusicNow manages the organization and raises money for its operation and programming.

During a career focused on public policy and the improvement of public education, Richard has worked with federal, state, and local agencies and nonprofits as an executive leader and strategy advisor.

Richard holds a Master of Public Administration degree from The American University and was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship. He was a doctoral student in Social Psychology at the University of Maryland prior to joining the Senate Appropriations Committee staff to focus on education and labor policy. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ithaca College.

Richard grew up in Monroe and has lived in Redding for 13 years after returning to Connecticut from Colorado. He views the Granite as a vital community space at the crossroads of Redding, Weston, Wilton, and Ridgefield – and as an important catalyst for the redevelopment of the Gilbert and Bennett Wire Mill next door.

Robert Mars, Creative Director

Robert Mars serves as the Creative Director for the Granite Church and is a board member for SpreadMusicNow. From his studio in Connecticut, Robert Mars creates artwork that celebrates the objects and icons of an America long past in a thoroughly modern manner. His ability to manipulate both the color and wordplay of vintage printed material has earned him reference with the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn, among other masters from the School of Pop.

His early work focuses on the architectural and mechanical forms of the 50’s and 60’s. More recently, however, Mars’ artwork has shifted toward the culture of celebrity, and he is strikingly attuned to the fact that these instantly recognizable personalities continue to resonate not only with contemporary American culture but with a worldwide market. Mars began to delve deeper into American culture by focusing on Folk Art and Contemporary American Quiltmakers. Mars is credited as being the first to incorporate quilt patterns and a folk art sensibility into a pop art aesthetic creating his own genre of folk-laced pop. This past year, Mars has expanded on his body of work with abstract compositions.

A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars often references his decades as a graphic designer in his work. Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum, corporate, and private collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen, and Dallas.

Daryn Reyman-Lock, Ph.D., Historic Preservation Specialist

Daryn Reyman-Lock, Ph.D. serves as the Historic Preservation Specialist for the Granite Church and provides guidance and support for restoration and preservation projects.

With interests in local placemaking and public history, Daryn has worked with municipalities, organizations, and individuals throughout the state to help preserve, protect, restore, and/or rehabilitate historic spaces and buildings to support community initiatives and highlight local history. Although principal of her own consulting firm, Daryn was recently hired as the curator of the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

She holds a Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Nottingham in England and two bachelor’s degrees in Geology and Archaeology from Lehigh University. Daryn is a Connecticut native and enjoys exploring the outdoors with her two children and driving her husband nuts.

Architectural Preservation Studio, DPC

Architectural Preservation Studio is excited to work with BeFoundation to create a community gathering and arts space in the historic Granite Church, part of the Georgetown National Historic District.

Architectural Preservation Studio, DPC is an architectural preservation firm with deep roots in architectural design and dedicated to the preservation of historic structures. APS was established in April 2015 by a team previously working together in the Preservation Department of Wank Adams Slavin Associates, a firm which existed for over 125 years.

Carl Rothbart, Partner, and Rose Scott Long, Sr. Project Manager, have worked together for over 35 years. With a passion for keeping our architectural heritage intact and vital, they produced the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill Feasibility Study for Preservation Connecticut in 2015. They are most inspired when an existing structure with architectural strength and character also has the capacity to provide a useful and unique space in which to experience creative contributions to our lives.

BCS Interactive, Marketing

BCS Interactive provides digital marketing, strategy, and branding support for the Granite Church. Their thought leadership provides an integral voice to the team, and they’re passionate about spreading the Granite Church mission far and wide.

Creative Advisory Committee Members