Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt (R,C,I-Greenwood Lake) and the Arts Council of Rockland (ACOR) would like to announce that over $29,000 in grants have been awarded to 18 local organizations and two individual Rockland artists, Lisa Levart and George Potanovic, Jr. The grants are funded through ACOR and the New York State Council on the Arts.
“The arts have played an important role in our community through the years and I am proud to have been a part of ensuring this important part of our heritage. During these trying economic times, the arts have suffered financially so I was especially pleased to help facilitate these grants this year,” said Assemblywoman Rabbitt, who is a member of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports.
Specifically, the grants aim to help Rockland County artists and organizations provide quality arts programming, assist emerging arts organizations, support the cultural expression of the county’s diverse ethnic groups, and, make arts programming accessible to under-served and minority audiences. This year’s recipients include Chiku Awali African Dance Company; Dowling Housing Corp; Friends of Harmony Hall; Friends of the Nyacks; Garnerville Arts Project; Jamaican Civic & Cultural Association of Rockland, Inc.; Keep Rockland Beautiful; Nyack Center; Nyack Library; Palisades Parks Conservancy; Piermont Public Library; Rivertown Film Society; Rockland Youth Dance Ensemble; Suffern Civic Association; Suffern Free Library; and Tops for Tots.
The organizations will use the funds to provide classes, workshops, performances and concerts on a variety of topics including the performance of Rudo and Jumoke, an African dance drama based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; children’s clay-making classes; Spanish dance performances; local film screenings; summer concerts; and many other participatory arts experiences.
The 2010 Individual Artists, Lisa Levart and George Potanovic, Jr., have been awarded grants for their photography exhibitions. Ms. Levart’s exhibition, titled Women of Rockland, features portraits of ethnically diverse Rockland women and Mr. Potanovic’s exhibition, titled Following in Their Footsteps, compares scenes within Rockland’s towns and villages today against the locations 100 years earlier.
For more information about the arts council, the grants or any of the artists and organizations listed, please visit the Arts Council of Rockland Web site.