The Arts are an Economic Boost to Westchester

There is good news about the arts and its economic impact in Westchester County. According to a just-published study by ArtsWestchester in collaboration with Americans for the Arts, the economic impact of the arts has grown to $182M annually, despite the fact that the arts were one of the hardest-hit sectors in the economy during […]

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Artistic Rye Playland

When I was a kid growing up in the Rockaways, Playland was the place to go on a summer date. As I recall, it was about the only way a couple of teenagers could cuddle, even if it was only on a roller coaster. Rockaway Playland was built in 1902 and sadly closed in 1987, so it […]

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The Arts Are on a Roll in Upstate New York

The arts are on a roll in upstate New York, which is good news for us in Westchester County. According to a recent study titled Upstate’s Creative Spark How the Arts Is Catalyzing Economic Vitality Across Upstate New York, employment in the arts and culture sector across upstate New York surged 35 percent from 2009 […]

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The NEA Needs our Help

We hear a lot of talk these days about freedom. And to be sure, freedom means something different to each person. As arts advocates, one freedom that we may take for granted is the non-wavering support of arts and culture through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The NEA is a small agency that […]

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Remembering Charlotte Mouquin

Sometimes someone comes along at the right time in the right place and makes the right difference. That is how I think of Charlotte Mouquin, whose untimely passing has been a shock to all her friends and colleagues in the arts community. Charlotte was an artist, arts administrator and an educator; she was an advocate […]

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Visiting KinoSaito

County Legislator Colin Smith beamed as his mother, Dolores Smith, wandered through the building of a former parochial school in Verplanck, where she was a student years ago. The school, most recently transformed into a contemporary gallery and artistic space, still had elements of its former youth, such as blackboards and other manifestations of its […]

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An Artistic Tour of Africa

Life can be all about connecting. By that, I mean we all strive to work together with people who are on our own wavelength. The moment I met her, I knew that Rose Luangisa and I had something in common. We both had a passion for fashion. My passion comes from life experiences in the […]

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Bursting at the Seams

It has been so sweet to see arts organizations in Westchester coming back stronger than ever after Covid. I recently witnessed this at the Clay Art Center, which had an exhibition opening in sweltering July that kept no one from attending and purchasing inspiring clay objects on sale. It is clear to me that kilns […]

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