The Muccilli clan premieres FishFly jewelry at theWindham Holiday fair

Updates
As 2013 draws to a close, we are thankful for this grant from ArtPlace, a vote of confidence on a national scale for a small rural community, which many gave up for lost. We are grateful too for the generosity of so many members of the community, especially landlord Kevin Piccoli, who has done so much to make the Prattsville Art Center a reality. The main building is entering its final construction phase, and with all the excitement of final decisions and finish carpentry, we look forward to the spring when we will open our café, welcome new international Artists in Residence, restart art classes, exhibitions, and events, and host our first children’s birthday party.

During the past year, the Prattsville Art Center has also worked to create a new county-wide partnership for the Arts in Greene County, NY, connecting 3 arts organizations and a local museum, which have played major roles in reviving their five Northern Catskill towns. The new partnership, “Mainly Greene,” links non-profit art and culture on rural Main Streets across more than 50 miles of pristine mountain landscape that inspired the Hudson River School painters. By partnering with larger and more established organizations, the Prattsville Art Center will gain needed expertise, and bring renowned performers and events to our town through shared programming and community outreach.

Recent Wins
The town has made enormous strides during the past year. Recently, Prattsville was awarded $807,000 in Rural Area Revitalization Grant Funds. It has been a slow process but homes that were damaged by Hurricane Irene are finally being rebuilt. The Town bid farewell to our AmeriCorps Grant Manager, Juanita Gibson, who was awarded a certificate from NY State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk at a festive celebration. We have also made connections with the Schoharie Long Term Recovery Manager, and the Art Center is helping to connect him with Prattsville Residents who still need help in rebuilding. We premiered our FishFly jewelry line at the Windham Holiday Fair, where the project was met with great enthusiasm.

NY Senator Tkaczyk and Prattsville Development Corporation Director Kevin Piccoli present an award to our AmeriCorps Grant Manager Juanita Gibson as she returns to Detroit

Insight/Provocation
Despite articles in several languages about the Art Center’s proposed flood-resistant building, we are still searching for funding to compliment the ArtPlace funds we have set aside for this purpose. Since the restoration of the Main Building will be completed this spring, we will now turn our attention to this project. We recently had a promising meeting with the USDA, and will continue to research new funding sources.  As a small artist-led organization, we are excited to find new ways to pursue funding for capital projects.