The Cultural Resources Council has announced its Community Arts Grants for 2012.
Seventy-one not-for-profit organizations and nine regional artists will share $120,000 in awards for community-based cultural projects in Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties.
“This is the largest number of grants ever awarded by the CRC,” said Stephen Butler, Executive Director of the CRC. “Our service has expanded from three to six counties, allowing us to support important local projects throughout Central New York—from neighborhood festivals to exhibitions, performances, and educational programs.
“While the locations vary from rural villages to urban centers, all of these projects help sustain the vitality of our communities, and make them attractive places to live or work.
Community Arts Grants are awarded with funds from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. The program is designed to reflect the priorities of communities and neighborhoods across the state by relying on local decision-making.
This year, the CRC carried out the program with the help of five different review panels composed of 35 qualified volunteers from all six counties. The panels reviewed applications for funding that had been solicited during the summer and fall from organizations and individual artists throughout the region.
Among the projects supported by Community Arts Grants are (click here for a complete list of grant recipients):
Cortland County
Lime Hollow Nature Center, Cortland, “Music In the Woods” ($1,000)
A June event with local musicians and ensembles performing in the outdoor setting of nature trails at the popular environmental education and recreation center.
Grace Episcopal Church, Cortland, “The Arts at Grace Series” ($3,000)
The eighth season of a performance series that presents classical, jazz, American and crossover musicians, aiming to provide access to the arts for the entire community.
Peck Memorial Library, Marathon, “All Over the World” ($1,100)
Enhancement of a summer reading program for children with participation by visiting artists Barry Marshall and Dr. Jeri Burns, storytellers and musicians.
Herkimer County
Mohawk Valley Choral Society, Little Falls ($2,000)
A performance of “Mass of the Children” by English composer, John Rutter, involving children’s choir, adult choir, soprano and baritone soloists, and orchestra
Friends of Old Forge Library, “Poetry and Illustration Instruction” ($1,000)
Program during National Library Week to encourage residents of all ages to create their own story by producing written and visual art.
Khoros Performing Arts Company for Kids, “Khoros Youth Artist Festival” ($2,000)
For a summer festival that allows hearing and non-hearing youth to share their creative talents in the performing and visual arts.
Madison County
Village of Hamilton, “Arts on the Green” ($2,700)
Summer performance series at the bandstand on the Hamilton village green, designed to provide quality live arts events for southern Madison County residents of all ages.
Smithfield Community Association, “Oneida Influences” ($1,500)
Performance by Joanne Shenandoah with narration by scholar and author Norman K. Denn, relating the key relationship between Chief Sken and the father of Gerrit Smith.
Oneida Public Library, “Dream Big: The Arts in Motion” ($1,500)
A team-taught six-session art and literary workshop for young people and a community event called the Dream Big Arts Festival, featuring exhibits, dance and music.
Oneida County
The Other Side of Utica, “Talkin’ ‘Bout Jazz Concert Series” ($3,500)
Jazz series featuring seminal works for larger ensembles—quintet, sextet and small big band— aiming to deepen audience appreciation of the music’s rich history.
Leatherstocking Ballet, Utica, “Cinderella” ($4,500)
For a dance production involving children of Utica’s Burmese refugee community and disadvantaged inner-city families, in partnership with the Refugee Center and schools.
Rome Community Theater, “Town of Lee Bicentennial Celebration” ($700)
Three introductory acting workshops, each followed by an improvised performance by workshop participants. The weekend will also include an evening of one-act plays.
Onondaga County
Syracuse Shakespeare Festival, “Shakespeare on the Grass,” ($1,638)
An experimental full-length production of Henry IV, Part 1 that moves the play from the stage of Thornden Park Amphitheatre to an area directly adjacent to the audience.
Town of Pompey, “Second Annual American Music Festival” ($1,137)
A weekend festival held at Kellish Farm, showcasing regional instrumentalists from a wide variety of cultural and musical backgrounds.
Sudanese American-Bor Community National Assoc., Syracuse “Festival” ($2,638)
A festival of Sudanese-American music and dance, previously hosted in Massachusetts and Michigan, drawing a widely dispersed community from around the United States.
Oswego County
Cleveland Historical Society, “Children’s Glassworks Theatre” ($1,250)
A children’s theater program producing two plays per year in the former St. James Church Building, now operated by the local historical society.
Pulaski Congregational Church, “LaVeck Memorial Concert Series” ($2,500)
A locally developed concert series bringing exceptional classical music performances to northern Oswego County.
Salmon River Fine Arts Center, Pulaski, “Drawing Families into Art” ($2,400)
A series of art classes offering the community an opportunity to study traditional techniques for producing handcrafted works of art.
PHOTO CAPTION: Jazz saxaphonist Ralph Lalama performs at The Other Side of Utica, recipient of a 2012 Community Arts Grant from the Cultural Resources Council.
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Rich Patchett, “Looking Up”,
A holiday tradition in Central New York, The Adventures of Rudolph is a narrated ballet for the whole family presented by the Cultural Resources Council, directed by Deborah Boughton, and performed by students from Dance Centre North.
