$105K Awarded in Arts Alive Grants Throughout Westchester, Rockland Counties

This year, cultural performances, public art, artistic school programs and more will abound throughout Westchester and Rockland Counties. ArtsWestchester, with the support of the Decentralization Program – a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) – will administer $105,000 in grant funds to the 60 artists and arts groups listed below. These “Arts Alive” grants, awarded in Community, Education and Artist categories*, ensure that the arts thrive in local communities, especially in areas where access may be limited.

*All grants listed below are awarded in the “Community” category unless otherwise noted.

Bedford

HISPANIC FAMILY SERIES – Bedford Playhouse will provide specific programming for the underserved local Hispanic community, including films presented in Spanish and programs designed for children. Applicant: Bedford Playhouse

Greenburgh

CAFÉ A LAS SIETE – Six July events will explore Latin American culture through dance, film, concerts, lecture and cooking. Applicant: Greenburgh Public Library

Harrison

PLAY2LEARN FESTIVAL – Hands-on activities demonstrate how creative play is a learning experience that builds young minds. Applicant: Harrison Public Library Foundation

Mamaroneck

YOUTH A CAPELLA FESTIVAL – High school a cappella groups will learn and perform a song with the Westchester Chordsmen. Applicant: The Westchester Chordsmen

Montrose

WRITING WORKSHOPS – Weekly workshops explore writing techniques and themes. The workshops will culminate in a salon that is open to the public. (Education grant) Applicant: Tessa Rossi, Henrick Hudson Free Library

Mount Kisco

ARTS EDUCATION FOR SPECIAL NEEDS – Three semesters of weekly arts education “Hidden Treasures” workshops will include theater, singing, dance and arts classes for developmentally disabled students. Applicant: CLC Foundation, Inc.

POP-UP GALLERIES – Local artists will display work in pop-up galleries in vacant spaces. Applicant: Village of Mount Kisco, Mount Kisco Arts Council

Mount Vernon IMPROV WORKSHOPS – A series of workshops will teach the art of improv performance, which will culminate in a performance. Applicant: Wartburg Home of the Evangelical Lutheran Church

SPRING 2019 CONCERT SERIES – A series of three jazz concerts will be offered (February, March, April) at the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon. Applicant: PJS Jazz Society

COMIC EXPO – This one-day outdoor event will celebrate comic books, graphic novels, anime, gaming and more through visual arts and performances. Applicant: Mount Vernon Public Library

MIXED MEDIA JOURNALING – A workshop will teach a creative form of journal writing that includes artistic components like drawing and lettering as well as organizational components. Applicant: Mount Vernon Public Library

INTERGENERATIONAL CHORAL WORKSHOPS – Composers/ arrangers will work with community members in an inter-generational workshop that culminates in an informal performance. Applicant: Westchester Children’s Chorus, Inc.

New Rochelle

SECOND GRADE MOSAIC MURAL – Barnard School students will design a mural that is aligned with their curriculum as a parting gift to the school. (Education grant) Applicant: Gina Kingsley

SUMMER ARCHITECTURE ACADEMIES – A pair of summer programs for children will be offered at the New Rochelle Public Library: “Animal Architecture” and “All Around My Community.” Applicant: ArchForKids (f/a New Rochelle Library)

Ossining

CHAIR MASTERS DESIGN STUDIO – A workshop series for teens will challenge students to design and construct cardboard chairs to support their weight. Applicant: ArchForKids (f/a Ossining Library)

PLAY READING PROJECT – Readings will showcase Westchester Collaborative Theater’s workshop process for developing plays. Each will have a weekend run and will also be performed at senior centers. Applicant: Westchester Collaborative Theater

2019 DOCUMENTARY AND DISCUSSIONS – Eleven documentary film screenings and post-screening discussions held at the Ossining Public Library will touch on social, political and environmental topics. Applicant: Ossining Documentary & Discussion Series (f/a Ossining Library)

DANCE FOR PARKINSON’S – A series of dance classes for Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers will take place weekly. Applicant: Andrea Elam (f/a Ossining Library)

COLORICIOUS PATCHWORK LAB – Workshops explore Hispanic American culture by translating conversations into mosaics that represent the individuality of each participating family. Applicant: Ossining Public Library

OLEANNA BY DAVID MAMET – A theatrical production of Oleanna at Westchester Collaborative Theatre in will be performed by local artists. Applicant: GoJo Clan Productions

Peekskill

FIRE IN A DARK HOUSE – Five workshop performances of the new play Fire in a Dark House will be presented in conjunction with Women’s History Month. Applicant: Paramount Hudson Valley Arts

2019 OPEN STUDIOS – A weekend-long event showcases the work of local visual artists in different settings, including studios, a “Truck Stop Gallery” and more. Applicant: Peekskill Arts Alliance, Inc.

PRO-AM ENSEMBLE WORKSHOPS AND FESTIVAL – Cross Cultural Connection will hold a series of pro-am workshops that will culminate in a Community Jazz Festival. Applicant: Cross Cultural Connection

FIVE VIOLIN DUO CONCERTS – Black Marble Duo will offer five concerts in Westchester County (Shrub Oak, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon and two in Peekskill). Applicant: Black Marble Duo (f/a Field Library)

Peekskill/ Sleepy Hollow

YO, TAMBIEN – This Flamenco work pays tribute to women’s rights. The creative process will be open to the public with open rehearsals and a performance. (Artist grant) Applicant: Rebecca Thomas

Port Chester

FORESTS & PARKS – Workshops based on Da Vinci’s tree drawing introduce art materials and techniques while exploring the beauty and science behind trees. Applicant: Nowodworski Foundation

Rye

STAY AWHILE – A documentary photography exhibition will reveal the fleeting moments of childhood in different Westchester communities. (Artist grant) Applicant: Sandra Wong Geroux

Somers

QUILTING LECTURE SERIES – A lecture series will present seven presentations by artists whose work relates to quilting, both traditional and modern, as well as fabric arts. Applicant: Northern Star Quilters’ Guild, Inc.

Tarrytown

UNSPOKEN TALES OF THE TARRYTOWNS – Using folkloric rhythms, a narrative will tell stories of today’s inhabitants of Washington Irving’s land. (Artist grant) Applicant: Pablo Mayor

VIVA HISTORIA – A dramatic reading and community performance will celebrate books and literature for all ages this May with community engagement. Applicant: Warner Library

MUSIC AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES – Free weekly performances will be presented at the Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Farmers Market between May 26 and November 16. Applicant: Rivertowns Village Green

COMMUNITY | MODULE – Workshops will emphasize dance as both language and healing. Applicant: Sidra Bell Dance New York

Valhalla

22nd ASIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL – Professional and amateur artists of various nationalities represent countries in Asia through performance, arts and crafts, food vendors and more. Applicant: OCA: Asian Pacific American Advocates

White Plains

THE ARTISTS’ LOFT – Multi-medium workshops support creativity and community as multiple teaching artists lead workshops for different artistic mediums in the same space. Applicant: White Plains Public Library Foundation

SENIOR WRITING WORKSHOP – Through a series of workshops, seniors will document their memoirs. These stories will be bound and published. Applicant: Thomas H. Slater Center, Inc.

2018-19 SEASON

Nine free concerts by local artists will be performed in libraries, nursing homes and community centers in and around Westchester County. Applicant: New Westchester Symphony Orchestra (NewWSO)

Yonkers

.1 0TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON – Little Radicals Theatrics’ 10th season presents Mamma Mia!, a youth production of Fame, and Brigadoon at the Grinton Will Library. Applicant: Little Radical Theatrics, Inc.

YONKERS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ARTIST SERIES – “Arts Speak” is a series of presentations by Yonkers-based artists and cultural directors who speak about their work and interact with audiences. Applicant: Yonkers Arts

WHISPERS IN THE GROVE – This public art installation is inspired by tree communication through underground networks of roots called “mycorrhiza.” Applicant: Gooseberry Studio (f/a Nowodworski)

SENIORS ON THE MOVE – Singing and dancing will be performed by senior talent from Westchester County. Applicant: Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services

PORTRAITS OF HEROES AND ICONS AS A HANDMADE PAPER QUILT – Riverside High School students incorporate papermaking, computer graphics and research of historical figures to create permanent quilts for the school’s atrium. (Education grant) Applicant: Dene Ross, Yonkers Riverfront Library

ADULT DRAWING PROGRAM AT US+U CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY – This eight-week program will cover line drawing, shade and color in Downtown Yonkers. (Education grant) Applicant: Lindsey Francis, Urban Studios Unbound

ROCKLAND

Airmont

HISTORIC LANDMARK AND MODERN SCULPTURES – Large abstract sculptures will be created and exhibited at a historic Nyack beach house on the shores of the Hudson River. (Artist grant) Applicant: Peter Strasser

Chestnut Ridge

THREEFOLD MUSIC SERIES – A classical recital and chamber music series will offer internationally renowned artists. Applicant: Threefold Educational Foundation and School

Haverstraw

RIVERWIDE ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL – This one-day festival of art, music, crafts and arts education will take place in the Village of Haverstraw. Applicant: Haverstraw RiverArts Fund

Nyack

CARNEGIE CONCERT SERIES – Four concerts will feature original songs interspersed with small vignettes about musician Toby Tobias’ life in Johannesburg and Jerusalem. Applicant: Nyack Library

2019 READING SERIES – Three literary readings with award-winning authors will take place at The Carson McCuller House and 95 1/2 Main Gallery in Nyack. Applicant: River River Writers Circle

TRANS JOY FILM SERIES – Six film screenings will focus on the joy and power of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. Applicant: Rockland County Pride Center

DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR – Drag performers will read books for children aged 3-8, which focus on acceptance, being oneself, gender and LGBTQ families. Applicant: Rockland County Pride Center

ARIEL STORYBOARDING – This grant supports story development and storyboarding for the computer-animated film Ariel, which is based on a Jewish folk tale. (Artist grant) Applicant: Conor MacCallan- Finkelman

TOLSTOY’S THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH – A theatrical interpretation and reimagining of Tolstoy’s piece will be presented at Garner Arts Center. (Artist grant) Applicant: Craig Smith

Pearl River

40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT – Members of the Rockland Symphony will perform Haydn’s Symphony No. 96 and Mozart’s Coronation Mass K. 317. Applicant: Rockland Camerata

DANCES FOR A SPRING DAY – This new dance drama, choreographed by Debra Weiss, is set to live percussion and poetry. Applicant: West Third Street Dance Corp. / Debra Weiss Dance Company Piermont

ART-IN-THE-PARK 2019 – This annual open-air art festival, which will feature Rockland artists, will be held on the shores of the Hudson River in Piermont. Applicant: Piermont Straus Foundation, Inc.

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS – Two concerts will be offered: one that features jazz and swing music; another with works of Ray Charles. Applicant: Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library

ART AS SACRED ACTIVISM – One-on-one interviews with community members who are in some way connected and affected by the path of war have inspired socially conscious rock songs. Applicant: Fereshta Ramsey

Suffern

CHEZA NGOMA NA NGOMA – African dancing and jembe drumming instruction will be open to the public. Applicant: Chiku Awali African Dance, Arts & Culture, Inc.

Tappan

PLACE OF ORIGIN – This sound installation at Hopper House will weave together personal oral histories of individuals from immigrant communities. (Artist grant) Applicant: John Morton

Upper Nyack

MUSICAL THEATER FOR LIFE – Musical theater classes for members of ARC with intellectual and developmental disabilities will result in an open-to-the-public performance. (Education grant) Applicant: Jeffrey Friedberg

Valley Cottage

MEMOIRS IN A BOTTLE – This arts project pairs South Orangeburg students with senior citizens, thereby creating an “artistic bottle” that depicts the seniors’ lives. (Education grant) Applicant: Arlene Sorensen

A version of this article first appeared in the February issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.