This is the seventh in a series of posts on the awards granted by the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC). The Path through History received short shrift in the awards process, but there were history-related awards nonetheless.
These awards tended to be issued by the New York States Council on the Arts and the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) in accordance with policies created before Path through History was launched. In this post, we focus on the awards for another type of tourism: Art Tourism.
The presence of the word “tourism” in many of these awards is indicative of the success of the REDC in identifying the appropriate term to be used in application submissions. Some of the references also include the word “cultural” which conceivably could include historic sites.
The award to Olana/Thomas Cole is the only one of the arts grants specifically to an historic site, in this case the homes across the Hudson River from each other of the two leading Hudson River School artists. Certainly a program involving visits to these two sites, along with a visit to sites where Cole painted (such as the Catskill Mountain House), would make for a wonderful Path through History.
The Sleepy Hollow award also provides an opportunity for an immersion experience into the history of the community at a variety of locations. While some of these awards are for events on contemporary art which have nothing necessarily to do with New York State, we should keep in mind the importance of the art and culture to New York and American history.
Capital Tier: Albany, Schenectady, and Troy Counties
Applicant: Proctors Theatre
Project Title: We Are Broadway Promotional Campaign
Description: Proctors will conduct the multi-platform”We Are Broadway” campaign for its
presentation of Touring Broadway theatre shows, growing the theatre and arts center as a tourism destination across multiple regions and states in the northeast. These marketing activities showcase the attractions of Schenectady and the Capital Region with an economic impact of over $45 million per year. The marketing campaign consists of television, radio and print advertisements as well as social media, direct mail, and other strategies to engage new patrons.
Amount: $150,000
Capital Tier: Columbia County
Applicant: The Olana Partnership
Project Title: River Crossing Creative Marketing
Description: Olana and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site are partnering to launch a
joint exhibition of contemporary art, entitled “River Crossing”. The project’s primary goal is to attract new visitors to the region through a comprehensive multi-media marketing plan, and the creation of a documentary film.
Amount: $200,000
Central Tier: Multiple Counties
Applicant: CNY Arts, Inc.
Project Title: Arts Economic Development
Description: CNY Arts will promote arts and cultural events in the region through print,
broadcast, web, billboard and public relations. Packaging arts and culture through a coordinated, collaborative campaign supports both the tourism and cultural sectors: attracting cultural tourism dollars, increasing tax revenues, and retaining talent in the region.
Amount: $100,000
Central Tier: Oneida County
Applicant: Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
Project Title: Monet to Matisse
Description: Through an exhibition of 55 major paintings by the leaders of French Impressionism such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, as well as by America’s most noted Impressionist painters Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent, the Munson-Williams- Proctor Arts Institute seeks funding to engage audiences, unite regional arts organizations and small businesses, and advance cultural tourism. Monet to Matisse (May 16 to November 15, 2015), from the collection of the Dixon Gallery and Garden, Memphis Tennessee, is a rare opportunity to bring to the region artworks by renowned artists that cannot be viewed in New York State outside of New York City.
Amount: $20,000
Finger Lakes: Monroe County
Applicant: Rochester Arts Festival
Project Title: Rochester Fringe Festival 2015
Description: The Rochester Arts Festival will use the funds to support and promote the “2015 Rochester Fringe Festival”. This event will be held for 10 days, from September 17-26, with over 360 performances at 28 venues in Downtown Rochester and is estimated to bring in $1,000,000+ to the Rochester economy.
Amount: $104,712
Mid-Hudson: Ulster County
Applicant: Phoenicia Festival of the Voice Foundation
Project Title: Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice Expansion Project
Description: The Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice (FofV) proposes a transformative expansion project that includes acquiring a building to act as a hub for work in the community, including arts education programs; further developing the already rigorous marketing plan to attract a wider regional, national, and international audience; and hiring a Director of Development to focus on increasing revenue to ensure the long-term health and success of the organization
Amount: $65,000
Mid-Hudson: Ulster and Delaware Counties
Applicant: Belleayre Conservatory, Inc.
Project Title: Belleayre Music Festival
Description: In order to build awareness and increase sales for this event, the Belleayre
Conservatory, Inc. will use the funds to specifically target the NYC market. This will include an expansion of a direct mail campaign, posters for specific events in NYC locations, handbills distributed, focused social media marketing, radio and print in NYC outlets.
Amount: $30,000
Mid-Hudson: Westchester
Applicant: Village of Sleepy Hollow
Project Title: Market Sleepy Hollow Multicultural Arts Celebration
Description: The Village of Sleepy Hollow will market an innovative arts program focused on increasing tourism to the Sleepy Hollow area and the overall region. This multiphase project will introduce residents and visitors to new art forms in non-traditional venues/underserved neighborhoods, and promote a special event- 5 performance festival in a circus tent on Memorial Day weekend.
Amount: $45,000
Long Island: Nassau and Suffolk Counties
Applicant: Long Island Arts Alliance
Project Title: Arts Alive LI
Description: The Long Island Arts Alliance will support the promotion of Arts Alive LI,
a regional initiative promoting Long Island as a vibrant and diverse cultural destination. The project includes an events calendar at ArtsAliveLI.org, a poster contest, and an annual Arts Month celebration in October showcasing Long Island’s diverse attractions.
Amount: $150,000
Long Island: Nassau County
Applicant: Town of North Hempstead
Project Title: Gold Coast Film Festival
Description: The Town of North Hempstead will use this funding to promote and build
awareness for the Gold Coast International Film Festival, which was founded with the purpose of establishing a home on Long Island to showcase exceptional filmmakers. The seven day festival attracts visitors, members of the business and film communities, public officials, and academics to Long Island.
Amount: $75,000
Western Tier: Erie
Applicant: Burchfield Penney Art Center
Project Title: Traveling Exhibitions Program
Description: The Burchfield Penney Art Center will use the funding to support the
development and dissemination of marketing materials related to its new traveling exhibitions program to market Western New York arts and artists to national and international audiences. The overall impact on the Buffalo community is to solidify Western New York as a world-class destination for arts and culture audiences, supporting the WNYREDC goals of increasing tourism.
Amount: $36,000
Western Tier: Niagara County
Applicant: Niagara Community College
Project Title: Culinary Institute Marketing and Community Education
Description Niagara County Community College will use Tourism Marketing funding for its
Niagara Falls Culinary Institute Project. Funds will be used to market a special event, an annual life-size Gingerbread House construction, as well as the community education classes in an effort to attract tourists into the region. Additionally, funding will be used to design and purchase interactive “Niagriculture” signage
Amount: $99,030
