Corning, NY - March 29, 2011 - Corning's Gaffer District is pleased to support a number of community programs through its storefront display program.

In a downtown where vacant storefronts are few and far between, even the small handful of unoccupied spaces greet visitors and passersby with bold and captivating displays provided by organizations from the surrounding community.

In recent months, displays have been setup at 45 E. Market Street, 79 W. Market Street and 113 W. Market Street to showcase a variety of information:

45 E. Market St. (formerly Treu Office Supply) -

The Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes

In this window, the six posters mirror the Community Foundation's primary areas: Grants, Scholarships, Fund Holders/Donors, and Initiatives (Fund for Women).  There are two additional posters to round out the group that are just "about" the Community Foundation.  In addition to driving community awareness of the organization, the display highlights the foundation's mission to provide grants and scholarships in support of the entire community (Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates counties).   The Community Foundation grants approximately $1.4 million dollars a year in grants and scholarships - much of which stays here locally.  The foundation holds $37 million in assets and is one of more than 700 Community Foundations across the nation. 

79. W. Market St. (formerly Lost Angel) -

The Alternative School for Math and Science

This window showcases samples of water bottle sculptures designed and constructed by students at The Alternative School for Math and Science in Corning.  As part of an annual team building project, students made a number of sculptures from recycled materials as a launch to their Community Service Days.  The school, located on First Street, provides an educational environment dedicated to stimulating intellectual curiosity and inspiring personal excellence for children in grades six through eight.  Their innovative, broad-based curriculum, atmosphere of trust and respect, and commitment to life-long learning enable the positive development of the whole child.

113 W. Market St. (formerly Malone Home Builders) -

Rockwell Museum of Western Art

This window features a number of full-color posters to illustrate the exhibits and programs at The Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning.  The Rockwell Museum houses the largest
and finest collection of western art in the eastern United States. The collection contains masterworks by the great nineteenth and early twentieth-century painters and sculptors, including Remington, Russell, Bierstadt, Couse, Dallin, Moran, Catlin, Miller, and many more, most collected by Robert and Hertha Rockwell, for whom the museum is named. In 2000, the museum initiated a deliberate effort to bring perspective to this collection by the acquisition of recent works by Native American and other emerging western artists, as well as some additional older works. New acquisitions include works by Andy Warhol, Kay WalkingStick, Clyde Aspevig, Deborah Butterfield, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Today, the museum boasts a collection of American western art that is among the finest in the United States.

For additional information or high-resolution images, please contact Mike Melaro at (607) 937-6292 x108 or email mike@gafferdistrict.com.