ArtsWestchester Awarded $75,000 Grant to Fund New Exhibition on the History of the Erie Canal and the New York State Brick Industry

Regional Economic Development Council Grant Will Also Provide Funding to Other Art Projects Throughout Westchester County

ArtsWestchester, the state’s largest, private nonprofit arts council, is the recipient of a $75,000 grant to fund a contemporary visual arts project that celebrates and illuminates the shared history of the brick industry in the Hudson Valley and its relevance to the bicentennial of the Erie Canal.

This funding is part of $755 million in grants awarded through Round VII of Governor Andrew M.  Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Initiative. ArtsWestchester joins 113 other private and public sector projects that will be receiving nearly $84.8 million in funds as part of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council.

The grant awarded to ArtsWestchester will fund a 2018 exhibition, called “Brick by Brick: The Erie Canal and the Building Boom.” The funds will allow ArtsWestchester to mount the exhibition and commission artists to create work inspired by the once significant Hudson Valley brick industry, which according to some historians, was comparable in magnitude and impact to IBM and the nascent biotech companies of today. The exhibit will open in the fall of 2018.

“ArtsWestchester’s exhibition is an exciting story about the economic development of New York State as it fueled industry from Buffalo to New York City along a super water highway  — the Hudson River,” explained Janet Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester. “Brick was manufactured in towns along the river as new building codes demanded more fire-resistant materials.”

A recent study by Americans for the Arts concluded that the nonprofit arts and culture sector is a significant industry in Westchester County. The research indicates that the sector generates $172.3 million in total economic activity. It also delivers $25.8 million in local and state government revenue and also supports 5,179 full-time equivalent jobs.

In addition to the grant awarded to ArtsWestchester, the other following county arts projects will also receive funding under the REDC grants:

Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains
Grant: $500,000
This grant will fund a piano technology lab, recording studio, percussion studio, and new studios for jazz ensembles and music therapy.

Westchester Children’s Museum in Rye
Grant: $824,000
Funding from this grant will expand the museum’s exhibit and operational space in Rye Playland’s National Historic Landmark North Bathhouse.

The Glenwood Power Plant in Yonkers
Grant: $1,000,000
A developer will embark on preserving and redeveloping this iconic turn of the century structure into a cultural destination and performance space for members of the Yonkers community.

Village of Sleepy Hollow on the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers
Grant: $195,000
This grant will help enhance the installation and landscaping of the village’s Headless Horseman Statue and public amenities.

The Picture House Regional Film Center
Grant: $27,000
This education grant will assist more students to learn through film.

ArtsWestchester is located at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains. For more information, visit artswestchester.org.