Restart the Arts Update
Thank You to Our State Lawmakers for Securing $1 Million For Our Restart the Arts Grants Program. Read more about the Restart the Arts program.
“The pandemic has put Westchester arts on life support. We need to pump State money into Westchester arts so they continue to inspire and drive the economy of our community.” – Assemblymember Thomas J. Abinanti
“I strongly support ArtsWestchester’s ‘Restart the Arts’ initiative. Investments in the arts have an enormous economic multiplying effect, creating jobs and lifting communities.” – Senator Peter Harckham
“Arts organizations that this initiative funds benefit our communities in two ways: they lift us in good and bad times, and at the same time they have a significant economic benefit by creating jobs.” – Assemblymember Nader J. Sayegh
“The Westchester arts community has been hit especially hard by social distancing and lockdown measures that were needed to keep us safe. That is why I, along with my Senate colleagues, fought hard for $1 million for ArtsWestchester to ensure that our local arts community will emerge from this pandemic with the resources needed to come back stronger than ever. I hope to join you all safely in a theatre or gallery soon.” – Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
“I am delighted that, together with my colleagues in the Westchester delegation, we were able to secure for ArtsWestchester a separate $1 million line item in the 2021-22 NYS budget. The appropriation is highly merited. ArtsWestchester, the leading arts council in the state, is not only keeping the arts alive in Westchester, but is now poised to bring them back stronger than ever. The arts are critical to the lifeblood of Westchester, providing thousands of jobs and, perhaps most importantly, richness to the wonderful tapestry of life.” – Assemblymember Chris Burdick
“Art shapes our everyday lives, even beyond the creation of aesthetic beauty. It’s an outlet for our ideas and imagination. Now more than ever, we need to foster the innovation and creative thinking that comes from art.”
– Assemblymember Amy Paulin
“I am so pleased that we were able to provide significant funding for ArtsWestchester’s ‘Restart The Arts’ program. This investment will allow our artists to return to their work, and audiences to once again experience the joy and beauty of live performances and programming.” – Senator Shelley Mayer
“The arts are critically important to the cultural and economic health of New York. In Rockland & Westchester, the arts are central to our identity as thriving, vibrant communities. I was proud to fight for, and win, funding for the ‘Restart the Arts’ initiative in the budget this year. We must get artists and performers back to work and revitalize theaters, museums and galleries. Restarting the arts is how we restart New York!” – Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick
A version of this article first appeared in the May issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.