Arts Grant Recipients Announced

The Essex County Arts Council (ECAC) is pleased to announce the 2023 Cultural Assistance Program (CAP) Grant recipients. Grants in the amount of $37,500 to support specific projects have been awarded to over 50 organizations providing cultural arts experiences for Essex County residents. The CAP Grant is funded by Essex County and private donors.

Grant recipients are evaluated for their artistic merit and impact upon the community. “These arts and cultural organizations are the driving force that allow the arts to flourish in Essex County towns,” stated Susan Hughes, CAP Grant Administrator. “They offer a variety of art forms which collectively create the atmosphere in which we choose to live.” A complete list of CAP Grantees and their projects can be found HERE.

This year’s awardees have requested funding for projects in theatre, dance, music, exhibitions, lecture series, library programs and festivals. From the professional productions of the Depot Theatre to the revival of outdoor concerts in many towns, the breadth of talent and creativity offered throughout the area funded by CAP grants is extraordinary.

We will take a closer look at many of the CAP Grant recipients over the next weeks and share the good things happening in the Essex County arts and cultural community!

Auditions Coming!

Saturday & Sunday, May 6, 7, at 2 to 4 pm, Willsborough Visitors Center, Main Street (next to the Diner), Willsboro.

Essex Theatre Company is holding auditions for the dramatic comedy Be Here Now by Deborah Zoe Laufer. ETC is looking for 3 F (two 40s-60s, one 20) and 1 M (40s-60s) for a July production (July 6, 7, 9, 14, 15) at the Masonic Lodge, Essex, NY.

All are welcome to come and read from the script provided. No experience needed. If cast, a small stipend will be offered. For more information email info@essextheatre.org.

Visit HERE for more on the Essex Theatre Company.

Meet Emily Reynolds Bergh, our new communications manager!

Emily is a marketing and public relations pro with more than 14 years of experience. Her career started after she co-wrote the book Beyond Burning Bras: Feminist Activism for Everyone (ABC Clio, 2008), finding that writing was the best form of advocacy and networking.

Emily has been featured in The New York Times, guested on countless podcasts, and honored as a woman in business by Inc. Magazine, and her firm, RPR has been honored as the best Public Relations firm two years in a row by Expertise. Emily grew up in Lake Placid and Keene; she and her husband have moved back to Keene, where they’re raising five children.

Kathy Ford Joins Adirondack Artists Guild

The Adirondack Artists Guild is pleased to announce that after a 40-year career as a graphic designer, Kathy Ford is following her passion for creating art as a new member of the Guild in Saranac Lake. Her paintings can be viewed there starting this May.

Kathy finds inspiration for her watercolor and acrylic paintings in the lakes and mountains of the Adirondacks, as well as from her many travel adventures. She likes to work from her original photographs taken of special places, people, and elements of nature that she has an emotional connection with, in order to create a visual story.

Kathy’s watercolors have been exhibited at The View in Old Forge, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the Adirondack Artists Guild, and Mad River Valley Arts in VT, as well as in private collections. She signs her paintings with “Kass,” a treasured childhood nickname. She is well known in the Saranac Lake community for her annual painted window display during the Christmas holidays.

She holds a degree in Fine Arts from Skidmore College, and has been a longtime member of ArtWorks. Follow her on Instagram @ArtistKass22. Ever versatile, Kathy was named Saranac Lake’s Winter Carnival Queen in 2016.

Adirondack Artists Guild, 52 Main St, Saranac Lake

Third Annual Mother’s Day Wildflower Hike

Adirondack Land Trust

We have a few spots still open for our annual wildflower hike in Westport, NY. Naturalist Audrey Hyson will lead a group—all wildflower admirers welcome—on this moderate 1.4-mile round trip summit hike, including a steep and rocky section, with stops along the way to enjoy the woodland flora.

It’s free; register HERE.

Adirondack Regional Theatre presents The Sound of Music, live at the Strand!

Winner of five Tony Awards, The Sound of Music has delighted audiences with its joyful songs and its core message – the importance of family, love, and humanity – for more than 60 years.

This Mother’s Day, join this incredible cast of more than 30 local performers, directed by Mason Barber and accompanied by a live orchestra of 24 local musicians, to celebrate one of the most beloved families – and mothers – of all time.

FOUR SHOWINGS!;
Friday, May 12th, 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 13th, 2 pm
Saturday, May 13th, 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 14th, 2 pm

More info and Tickets HERE.

“New Audiences for Old Songs”

A plan to save old, rare Adirondack folk songs

Musician and teacher Dave Ruch, along with Brant Lake singer Colleen Cleveland, are hosting a series of free workshops this week to introduce some “heritage” music from Colleen’s family to area musicians and the general public. The workshops will start Thursday night, May 4, at View in Old Forge.

North Country Public Radio’s Todd Moe spoke with Dave Ruch in the wonderful interview HERE.

You can learn more about the “New Audiences for Old Songs” project HERE.

The workshops are

• Thursday night at View in Old Forge
• Friday from 7-8:30pm at TAUNY in Canton
• Saturday morning, May 6, 10:30-noon at BluSeed Studios in Saranac Lake
• Saturday afternoon from 3:30 to 5 pm at the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls.