CC Council of the Arts

Back to Progress 2008 Listing

by: Jeff Genung

Broadening horizons through exposure to the arts has been the lifelong mission of the Chenango County Council of the Arts, and in no year was that horizon broadened more than in 2007.

A sizable grant from the New York State Music Fund allowed the Arts Council to introduce local audiences to a spectacular variety of performing artists last year. “The grant was intended to help us present emerging artists and new types of music that audiences around here don’t normally get exposure to,” said Arts Council Executive Director Victoria Calvert Kappel. Groups with names like “Burkina Electric” and “Ceili Rain” certainly aren’t typical Chenango fare. “Sometimes it’s fun to push the audience’s comfort zone,” she said.

In addition to the performances for Arts Council ticketholders, the musical groups funded by the state grant also did in-school “residencies” at several local districts. During these multi-day sessions, students had the opportunity to learn from the professional musicians and interact with them on a one-on-one basis. Many were even incorporated into the evening performances open to the general public.

“It was really exciting to see how they interacted with the students,” Kappel said of the three-to-five day residencies. “Many of the kids got to perform with the musicians on stage,” at the CCCA theater, she said. “That’s so important, in any field, to get that hands-on experience. The feedback, tips and ideas they got ... it really pulls all the threads of what they’re learning in school together so well.”

Another way the Arts Council broadens its exposure is by awarding the New York State Council on the Arts’ “decentralization grants” – monies intended to bring arts and cultural activities into more and more rural areas. The Norwich non-profit organization disseminates grants for both Chenango and Broome counties. In 2007, Kappel said, more than $51,000 was given out to local arts organizations, libraries, churches and cultural groups. In addition, $4,500 was awarded to individual artists whose programming also reached out to the masses.

“This funding is essential for smaller, emerging arts groups,” Kappel said. “For many, it’s their primary source of funding.” In 2007, Arts Council-administered funding supported big events like Colorscape and the Blues Festival, as well as smaller events at town libraries, parks and even the Smyrna Citizens Band concerts.

Another new event for the Arts Council in 2007 was a fundraiser it inherited from another non-profit group. For years, the STRIDE therapeutic horse riding center had held a party coinciding with the running of the Kentucky Derby in May. When that group folded, the Arts Council picked it up and used it as a fundraiser for a similar aim – The Magic Paintbrush project, an art therapy workshop for autistic children and their parents. Kappel said the Arts Council looks forward to making an even bigger splash in the community with this year’s Kentucky Derby fete.

The current year started with a prestigious exhibit in the Arts Council’s 27 W. Main St. gallery. Photographer Ben Fernandez, recently relocated to Chenango County, shared his powerful “Countdown to Eternity” exhibit, which chronicled the last year in the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. – and debuted in Norwich in the year that marks the 40th anniversary of his assassination. “That exhibit has traveled all over the world, and now it’s in Norwich,” Kappel said. The show remains in the Arts Council gallery through Feb. 4, when it will continue on its journey to Memphis, Tenn.

Coming to the gallery in the fall will be another exhibit Kappel said people are already excited about. Called “Still Here,” the show will feature the works of artists who are currently residents in Chenango County’s senior living facilities. “This exhibit shows the gallery’s commitment to issues that reflect Chenango County,” she said.

The Arts Council also has a full slate of shows scheduled for the stage of the Martin W. Kappel Theater, starting with preeminent Irish fiddler Eileen Ivers on Feb. 29. For information on performances and to purchase tickets, call the Arts Council at 336-2787 or visit www.chenangoarts.org.

Back to Progress 2008 Listing