At 8 a.m. on a very snowy morning, fifty business leaders gathered at the Ritz Carlton Hotel to hear Robert Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts talk about the value of partnering with the arts. The morning was dedicated to helping ArtsWestchester (ArtsW) develop 50 new business partnerships for it’s 50th anniversary year […]
Every year, when the final figure for the NEA budget is announced, (this year $146 million) the nation’s arts community breathes a collective sigh of relief. It’s certainly not because the agency’s funds are hardy enough to trickle down to all the various localities in the country. It’s more because although its budget is modest, […]
Conferences are great tools for encouragement, inspiration and in some cases confirmation. The Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) conference this week in Philadelphia did not disappoint. Foremost in the encouragement category was the wave of support for individual artists and the creative ways in which funds are being directed to them both as masters of […]
Like Ed Koch, I frequently ask the question, “How’re we doing?” Mine is not a personal question, not quite a global one, but more or less a national one. My yardstick is more moral than monetary. I tend to fall back on President Kennedy’s standard that, “This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.” […]
It was a rainy day in Albany, but the mood was upbeat as a group of arts advocates made their way to legislative offices. The mission was a $4 million lift for the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). A contingent from Westchester, including Dominick Balletta from the Jacob Burns Film Center; Eileen […]
“Music is better than medicine.” That’s what 11 year old Alma told Westchester legislators. Alma went to Albany with Sister Beth Dowd and ten other youngsters of Songcatchers on Valentine’s Day to deliver some love songs and to ask for a boost in arts funding. Songcatchers is an organization that works out of St. Gabriel’s […]
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