On Tuesday GO ART! held a ceremony to award funds to recipients of the New York State Council on the Arts' Decentralization Regrant Program.
Below are the Genesee County recipients.
Reach Grants were awarded to:
- Genesee Valley Wind Ensemble (Concert Season 2020 Mr. Mustard Beatles Cover Band Collaboration) -- $4,395
- Genesee Symphony Orchestra ("Destinations") -- $4,650
- Arc of Genesee Orleans (Film Festival and Art Show) -- $4,425
- Holland Purchase Historical Society (Holland Land Office Museum Guest Speaker and Concert Series, Mystery Theater) -- $1,000
- Elba Betterment Committee -- (EBC Music and More) -- $2,265
- Woodward Memorial Library (Summer Arts Camp) -- $1,500
- Genesee Chorale (2020 Series) -- $5,000
- ACORNS (Music in the Park) -- $350
- Gillam Grant Community Center (Cultural Connections) -- $4,993
- Batavia Concert Band (2020 Concert Series) -- $5,000
The lone Spark Grant recipient is:
- Judd Sunshine (Erie Canal Songwriting Project) -- $3,300
Ripple Grants were awarded to:
- David Burke (12 Center St., Batavia, External Mural) -- $2,500
- Bart Dentino ("The Spaces Between the Leaves") -- $2,500
- Mandy Humphrey (Routes 19 & 5 Mural) -- $2,500
- Eric Zwieg ("Slow Moving Grief") -- $2,500
All the awardees were grateful for the funding, which will help provide cultural and artistic programming to benefit the local community. It will also help create new works, and boost arts education for K-12 public school students.
Pauli Miano, a member of the Elba Betterment Committee, is delighted because the grant will allow her community to put on seven concerts in Elba's park this summer. Miano wrote the grant request along with another committee member, Kelly Dudley, who first suggested it.
The Elba concerts will feature area musicians, and there will be food and theme-related activities at each, most of which will be provided by local nonprofits, school groups, and businesses and restaurants.
Miano says all the bands have been booked and some other commitments have been made -- rock paintings ("Rock out with Bobby and the Pedestrians"), wine and cheese with Jimmie Leggs (jazz); and a car cruise. Shows start in June with The Corfu Pembroke Community Band (All- American theme) and run through August.
Top photo, from left: Theresa Kehl, education/decentralization grant coordinator for GO ART!; Jessica Torrey, GO ART! board president; Kelly Dudley and Pauli Miano, both of the Elba Betterment Committee.
