|
|
 2014 Year in Review (and a look ahead to 2015)
For CNY Arts, 2014 began and ended with milestones that will shape the future of our agency.
We began the year by completing our yearlong, six-county regional cultural assessment and plan, ENGAGE CNY. After fielding 7222 public opinion survey responses, 525 surveys from artists, and 157 organizational surveys, and meeting with 902 artists, administrators, and educators, and community, business, religious, and government leaders through focus groups, summits, and one-on-one sessions, we emerged with a plan that truly captures the priorities and strengths of our community.
ENGAGE CNY will help guide the decisions of our agency, and can be used as a roadmap for the entire cultural community in Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego counties for the next ten years. We are already taking the first steps down that road. With a $100,000 Market New York grant from Empire State Development (through the CNY Regional Economic Development Council), and a $40,000 award from the National Endowment for the Arts, we will continue to refine and promote our collaborative marketing system. With financial support from the John Ben Snow Foundation, CNY Arts is coordinating an Arts in Higher Education Consortium, bringing together the arts departments and arts presenters from the region's 18 higher education institutions to pursue shared goals which benefit each other and the community. And with the support of the County Administrator Philip Church and the County of Oswego, and Mayor Robert Palmieri, the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Rust to Green Initiative, we now have satellite office space in Oswego and Utica to better work with our partners and constituents.
We closed the year with the world premiere of Dasher's Magical Gift, the culmination of months of creative and logistical hard work. When we were informed in early 2014 that the creators of our 35 year-long production, The Adventures of Rudolph, were retiring the show, we quickly realized that an affordable, family-friendly holiday arts production was too important for our region's young children to lose. Months of writing, choreography, recording, and rehearsing; months of set, costume, and lighting design and construction; and months of advertising and fundraising followed, but that work paid off over four days in December when we helped introduce over 5000 children (plus their families and teachers) to the magic of live theater, classical music, and ballet. By creating Dasher's Magical Gift, we now have a CNY holiday tradition which can last another 35 years.
Between those milestones, we managed to distribute more in arts and technical assistance grants from the County of Onondaga and the New York State Council on the Arts than any time in our history. We drove a significant increase in web traffic to gotocnyarts.org. With the support of the IDEAS Funding Partners, we continued our IDEAS Education program, including a workshop with nationally-recognized non-profit marketing consultant Nancy Schwartz. And we continued, with great success, our long-running programs On My Own Time and the Michael Harms Theater Festival.
We greatly appreciate all who offered their support in 2014, and we look forward to promoting, supporting, and celebrating the arts in Central New York in 2015.
Steve Butler
Executive Director
CNY Arts
|
 CNY Arts Board Transitions |
|
As CNY Arts enters 2015, the Board would like to acknowledge several milestones and changes to the Board of Directors. First, the Board would like to gratefully acknowledge the leadership of outgoing Board President, Catherine Gerard. Catherine oversaw the Board during some very exciting transitions at CNY Arts including the increase of its service region from three to six counties, the creation of the collaborative marketing system, and the ENGAGE process. Catherine now steps into the role of Board President Emeritus where she will work with the new President, George Nardone and Vice President, Eunice Williams. Thank you, Catherine, for all your hard work on behalf of the arts, culture, and heritage community.
The Board would also share that Matt Dwyer has rotated off of the CNY Arts Board. Matt previously served on the board of Partners for Arts Education and has been a strong advocate for arts education support. He served in a leadership role in the development of our two websites, cnyarts.org and gotocnyarts.org (the regional social marketing system), and was a co-Chair of the ENGAGE CNY Leadership Advisory Council. Matt will remain active as part of the collaborative marketing committee. The CNY Arts staff and board gratefully thank him for his service and excellent work on behalf of arts, culture, and children.
CNY Arts would like to welcome Fritz Messere to the Board of Directors. Fritz is the Dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts at SUNY Oswego, and his knowledge and experience will be a great benefit to our agency and the arts and culture community. Prior to coming on the Board, Fritz served on the ENGAGE Leadership Advisory Council and has been active in the Arts in Higer Ed Consortium. The Board is eager to work more closely with Fritz and all the new board members on the exciting plans for 2015.
|
| Supporting the Arts in Our Communities |
 Throughout 2014, 125 arts groups and individual artists completed over 617 concerts, performances, exhibits, festivals, showcases, and more, with the assistance of CNY Arts regrants. The Decentralization Program, made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), administered in Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego counties saw applications increase by over 30%, making our panel's job to allocate the $159,950 exceptionally challenging. The 94 funded programs and projects in 2014 were all outstanding and served roughly 210,000 individuals.  Decentralization regrants support exceptional and accessible projects that promote and increase arts, cultural, history, and heritage activities for the benefit of local communities. Funds are distributed by panels composed of artists and leaders from the communities the projects will serve.  The County of Onondaga provided $1,037,994 in funding for three grant programs: Four organizations were awarded $125,000 in Economic Development grants, which allow organizations the opportunity to stimulate large-scale projects to spur tourism and economic development, drawing an estimated 81,000 individuals. 13 organizations were awarded $41,202 Project Support grants for arts and cultural projects benefiting the County. General Operating Support continued to sustain Onondaga County's legacy arts organizations.
CNY Arts is excitedly anticipating the upcoming projects and programs of 2015. The Decentralization Program received 135 excellent applications for 2015 and decisions will be official in February. The Onondaga County Regrants programs are in full swing and we look forward to the creative projects for the year ahead! |
|
CNY Arts
421 Montgomery Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-435-2155
CNY Arts is supported by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency,
with support from the
and
the IDEAS Collaborative
|
|
Special Thanks
The following individuals and organizations helped support CNY Arts in 2014
The 2014 IDEAS Funders:
Central New York Community Foundation
Cultural Resources Trust
Gifford Foundation
John Ben Snow Foundation
Reisman Foundation
Peter Dunn, Dirk Sonneborn, Heidi Holtz, Nora Spillane, Jonathan Snow, John Eberle, Bob Falter, Meg O'Connell, Olive Sephuma, and all of the foundation staff that have provided valuable insight.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, Deputy County Executive Bill Fisher, Chairman Ryan McMahon, and the Onondaga County Legislature.
NYSCA Executive Director Lisa Robb, SLP Program Diredctor Leanne Wells, REDC Program Director Susan Peirez, and Program Officer Arian Blanco.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, Rob Simpson, Kent Syverud, and the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council.
David Holder and the Syracuse Convention and Visitor's Bureau
Marilyn Higgins, Linda Dickerson Hartsock and the Connective Corridor
United Way
Dasher's Magical Gift's Legacy Sponsors:
Bond, Schoeneck, and King, the CNY Community Foundation, and
the Gifford Foundation.
The Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation for their support of Dasher Scholarships, and all the supporters, patrons, and individuals who helped Dasher fly.
And all of our donors, sponsors, volunteers, advisers, and partners too numerous to mention. Thank you all so much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Collaborative Marketing Through gotocnyarts.org |
 2014 was a year of tremendous growth for gotocnyarts.org, CNY Arts' collaborative marketing program. Through the Regional Economic Development Council, NYSCA awarded $74,000 to support program infrastructure and outreach, and the Empire State Development Corporation awarded $100,000 for direct advertising of arts, cultural, history, and heritage events throughout the region.
We increased visits to gotocnyarts.org by 86% in 2014, supported by- 1,333,755 online impressions
- 110 print ads
- 13 billboards
- 1,449 radio spots
- 240 television spots
- 3 special event sponsorships
In addition to the traffic on gotocnyarts.org, 2200 people read the "Go To" events blog where we provided in-depth event information. And 4730 people visited the CNY Arts Directory to learn more about the 373 arts organizations and 201 regional artists who have provided profiles.
CNY Arts has many exciting plans for 2015. With support from a second $100,000 grant from Empire State Development (through REDC), and with a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, we will continue to leverage advertising dollars and strengthen our relationships with media organizations to promote the region's arts, cultural, and heritage offerings. We have continued our partnership with the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau, and now distribute arts event information to Auburn Arts as well. We look forward to streamlining event submission by feeding multiple community calendars from gotocnyarts.org by working with other regional tourism bureaus. Later in 2015, events submitted to gotocnyarts.org will also appear on kiosks along the Connective Corridor in Syracuse. Finally, we have plans to greatly enhance the user experience of gotocnyarts.org that will continue to highlight our region as an arts and cultural destination.
|
|
|
|
| The World Premiere of Dasher's Magical Gift |
 CNY Arts brought together a team of some of the finest nationally-recognized local talent to produce a brand new holiday ballet, Dasher's Magical Gift, for 2014. We were excited and energized to take on the challenge of producing a high quality, affordable, arts-education program, and filling the niche left behind by our 35-year long holiday tradition, The Adventures of Rudolph. While the weather was not entirely cooperative, thouands of students and teachers from schools and community groups attended Dasher's Magical Gift's educational performances. And on Saturday, December 13, 1500 children and family members gave a standing ovation for the World Public Premiere. Dasher's Magical Gift was directed and choreographed by Larry Crabtree, written by Matt Chiorini, and performed by dancers from Dance Centre North with costume design by Lindsey Quay Sikes, additional costumes by Catherine Kingsley, and lighting design by John Czajkowski.
Special thanks go out to our legacy sponsors for their support: Bond, Schoeneck, and King, the Central New York Community Foundation, and the Gifford Foundation. We would also like to thank the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation for their part in sending over 450 students to attend the performances. Dasher will return December 9-12, 2015, and promises to soar even higher! Click for more information. |
| Continuing Theater Education with The Michael Harms Theater Festival |
 | |
The cast of Chicago, directed by Viginia Fennessy, performed by Nottingham High School.
|
CNY Arts brought together 150 students and adults from five high schools and two community theater groups from New York's Central and Southern Tier regions at Cayuga Community College in Auburn, NY for the 2014
Michael Harms Theater Festival on Saturday, April 12. This annual celebration of youths in theater is a combination of musical and dramatic theater performances, feedback, and professionally-led workshops for both young performers and behind the scenes artists and crew.
- The Award of Excellence-High School was presented to Nottingham High School for their production of Chicago, directed by Virginia Fennessy
- The Award of Excellence-Community Theater was presented to Oswego Children's Theater for their production of Alky, directed by Lyndsie Lee Jones
- The Technical Achievement Award was presented The Media Unit for their production of Changes, directed by Walt Shepperd and student director Mya Eisenberg
Special thanks to Bob Frame and his team from Cayuga Community College; to the Michael F. Harms Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Redhouse Arts Center for their contributions of student scholarships; to the workshop leaders and adjudicators; and to all who participated.
A full list of participating groups and awards can be found here. The 2015 Festival is scheduled for March 28.
|
| Celebrating the Arts with On My Own Time |
 | |
Sisters by
Deborah Florentino-Dlugolecki,
Liverpool Art Center
|
CNY Arts welcomed over 200 artists and their family members, friends, and colleagues, to the 2014 On My Own Time final exhibit reception at Everson Museum of Art on October 10. 74 pieces were chosen to be part of the exhibit from a total of 464 works displayed this past spring and summer at regional work sites. 199 amateur artists entered their works this year.
As always, a team of local arts professionals selected a variety of media to be represented, such as oil and acrylic painting, charcoal drawing, ceramics, wood work, jewelry, metal work, photography, glasswork, sculpture, mixed media, and textiles.
The 2014 On My Own Time participating organizations are: Boxcar Press, City of Syracuse, Community Folk Art Center, County of Onondaga, Crouse Hospital, Entergy Nuclear, L. & J. G. Stickley, Inc., Liverpool Art Center, Lockheed Martin, Northland Communications, O'Brien & Gere, Onondaga Community College, SUNY Oswego, Syracuse City School District, Syracuse University, United Radio, and Upstate Medical University.
On My Own Time 2014 was presented by CNY Arts in cooperation with Everson Museum of Art, lead media sponsor WRVO Public Media, Gold level sponsor Upstate Medical University and Silver level sponsors Onondaga Community College and the Syracuse City School District.
On My Own Time 2015 will launch in March. If your company is interested in participating, or you want more information, visit www.cnyarts.org or e-mail omot@cnyarts.org.
|
|
Opportunities and Resources for Artists and Organizations
(email communications@cnyarts.org to submit)
|
Opportunities
Onondaga Environmental Institute
Deadline: February 17, 4pm.
Please read the full RFP For details
The goal of this project is to create artistic "maps" that depict important features of local places through images and words. The primary reference material for this creative process will be input provided by community members. Maps will focus on capturing the spirit and priorities of community members rather than precise geography. One map will be created for each of four geographic focus areas within Onondaga County: the upper Ley Creek watershed, the east shore of Onondaga Lake, the South Side of the City of Syracuse, and the Tully Valley.
Each artist will be compensated $450 for a 2 ft x 3 ft artwork that is able to be framed/mounted and hung. In addition, each artist will be compensated $25 per hour for attending community meetings (see "Project Scope") with the intent of incorporating community input into the finished piece. Total compensation per artist per focus area is not to exceed $625
Artists with reviewable portfolios residing in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, or Oswego counties are eligible. Must be available for spring/summer 2015
The Salt District of the Near West Side
Jobs/Volunteers/Grants
Syracuse First can always use volunteers. Call for more information (315.396.6418)
|
Deadline: April 1, 2015
The Light Work Grants in Photography program was established in 1975 to support photographers in Central New York. The $2,000 grants are awarded to encourage the creation of new work. The work of the grant recipients is exhibited at Light Work and reproduced in Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual.
*NOTE: If you received a grant in 2010 or earlier you are eligible to re-apply this year. Full-time students are NOT eligible to apply.
Applicants must reside in the following counties to apply: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Tioga, or Tompkins.
Request for Qualifications Deadline: February 28
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park seeks inquiries from potential applicants for two Artist-in-Residence positions to work on the Entrance Station component of a comprehensive Gateway Project. Interested individuals and/or groups can apply for a stone wall residency OR sculptural figure residency. Artists will be responsible for the design, fabrication and installation of entrance-drive infrastructure that increases public visibility, better welcomes visitors, and reinforces the Art Park's role as a community-oriented art and nature venue. Residencies will be between 4-6 weeks in duration and run during the Art Park's 2015 summer season (April-November). Click here for the full RFQ
Resources
Giffordslist.org - A resource sharing website, administered by the Rosamond Gifford Foundation, for Central New York nonprofits and businesses. Oswego Arts Collaborative - a local service and advocacy organization whose mission is to be a catalyst for the economic development and sustainability of visual and performing arts, is compiling a list of artists and arts organizations interested in strengthening the cultural life of Oswego County. All artists, groups and residents interested in receiving regular information about the Collaborative and its initiatives or in taking part in the mission of the Collaborative are asked to email artsinoswego@gmail.com. |
For a comprehensive listing of artist workshops and classes in your area,
|
|
|
|
|
|
