ArtsWestchester Announces Grant Opportunities for Artists and Community Projects

The deadline to apply for Arts Alive Grants is October 4.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (August 30, 2016) – ArtsWestchester invites artists and non-profit organizations to apply for 2017 Arts Alive Grants. Awarded annually, these grants are specifically designed to support community-based artists and emerging arts organizations.

The variety of projects that receive Arts Alive Grants each year illustrates Westchester’s artistic and cultural diversity. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, October 4, 2016. Applications are available, and may be accessed electronically by visiting: artswestchester.culturegrants.org.

“At the core of ArtsWestchester’s mission is making arts accessible to people of all communities, backgrounds, income brackets and age ranges throughout Westchester County. Arts Alive Grants make this possible and engage people who may not have the opportunity to participate in the arts,” explains ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam.

An independent panel comprised of artists, as well as business, civic and cultural leaders will review the applications and make award recommendations to ArtsWestchester’s Board of Trustees.  Funds are available in three categories:

  • Arts Alive Project Grants provide financial support for a range of projects that demonstrate a strong community benefit.
  • Arts Alive Artist Grants provide direct support to artists to create new work related to the community.
  • Arts in Education Grants provide support for partnerships between individual artists or cultural organizations and Westchester public schools (grades K-12).  Projects must focus on the exploration of art and the artist process. Projects that integrate the arts into the curriculum are encouraged, but curriculum integration is not required.

Projects supported this year included writing workshops for students in Greenburgh, affordable live jazz concerts in Mount Vernon, free ethnic arts festivals in White Plains and a series of clay sculptures that highlight the diversity of Westchester’s communities.  Also funded through Arts Alive was a staged reading at Paramount Hudson Valley, based on local playwright Mona Z. Smith’s telling of the true story of Canada Lee, an African American actor who was blacklisted in Hollywood due to his civil rights stance.

ArtsWestchester has scheduled several pre-application workshops throughout Westchester to assist potential applicants with the application process. One-on-one technical assistance is also available by appointment.

Pre-Application Workshops will be held:

  • Tuesday, September 6 at 5:30pm at Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Ave., Ossining
  • Wednesday, September 7 at 6pm at Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street, Peekskill
  • Thursday, September 8 at 5:30pm at New Rochelle Library, 1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle
  • Monday, September 12 at 5:30pm at Irvington Library, 12 South Astor Street, Irvington
  • Tuesday, September 13 at 5:30pm at Yonkers Riverfront Library, One Larkin Center, Yonkers
  • Wednesday, September 14 at 5:30pm at ArtsWestchester, 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains

To RSVP for a workshop, contact Susan Abbott at sabbott@artswestchester.org or 914-428-4220 x304.

For guidelines, or to download an Arts Alive application, visit: artswestchester.org/aw/arts-alive-grants.

Arts Alive Project Grants are made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program (DEC), a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature and administered by ArtsWestchester.

About Mary Alice Franklin

Mary Alice Franklin is ArtsWestchester’s Communications Manager and Editor of ArtsNews. She has a Bachelors in English and Masters in Publishing, and has been published in Paste Magazine, HuffPost, Art Zealous, Art Times, and more.