In the wake of the Orlando tragedy, I ask myself again a question that I ask myself frequently: “What is there about art that makes us turn to it in times of tragedy?” Governor Cuomo turned to the arts this week when he announced a million dollar art project to honor “all victims of hate, […]
It snowed all the way up to Albany. It poured on the way back home. We went there in spite of the weather, as we had many times in the past. We went to talk about the arts, it’s importance to our Empire State and the […]
What’s in a name? There’s a new upbeat movement afoot in education circles called Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It’s a “wishful thinking” piece of legislation in which the expected outcome is right up there in the program’s name. Near as I can tell, it does not carry the baggage of the program it replaced […]
Counting my blessings is a mental exercise I do during the holidays. I don’t plan it. It just seems to pop into my head along with the strains of “Let It Snow.” This year, perhaps triggered by the loss and restoration of county funds for the arts, I began to count our collective blessings as […]
This week, the Westchester County Board of Legislators took a series of non-partisan actions to keep Westchester thriving, by recognizing the importance of the work of the not for profit sector. Democrats and Republicans worked together to restore vital funding for many organizations which support the safety net and quality of life in this county. […]
Some thirty-five years ago, during New York City’s fiscal crisis, a proposal was made to cut the arts. To save them, the chairman of the city’s arts commission likened this foolish notion to the goose that laid the golden eggs. You remember that story: The goose was shot. Disaster. No more golden eggs. Last week, […]
Image: “Peace for Paris” by Jean Jullien It is no coincidence that, in the aftermath of last week’s terrorist attack on Paris, the response heard round the world was one of an original work of art – an image of peaceful protest and compelling unity in the face of tragedy. It was an artist’s original […]
In many ways, it’s been all about the people – five decades of forward-thinking arts advocates, civic and business leaders, arts patrons, individual artists, volunteers and arts professionals – coming together to create a one-of-a-kind organization: ArtsWestchester. It began as a conversation among volunteers in a living room in 1965. Now it is a nationally recognized private arts council, the […]
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