New York, July 17, 2014 — National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu yesterday announced plans to award Our Town grants to three New York State projects. Through the Our Town program, arts -based community development projects in Buffalo, Montgomery and Yonkers will receive a total of $225,000.

This year’s funded NYS projects are:

City of Buffalo, Buffalo: The NEA grant will support City On The Edge: Collected Buffalo Stories. The project is a series of participatory multidisciplinary arts programs in historic diverse Buffalo neighborhoods that will culminate in a large-scale work of public art. $100,000. Full project description.

Wallkill River School, Montgomery: The NEA grant will support phase three of the Farm/Art Trail. The project is an ongoing initiative that pairs local artists with local farms across Orange County, connecting the community's identity to New York City's food sources. $25,000. Full project description.

Hudson River Museum, Yonkers: The NEA grant will support the creation of public art works as part of the Downtown Yonkers River Arts Festival. Focused on the Van Der Donck Daylighting Park and Hudson River Walk in historic downtown Yonkers, the festival will include a major sound installation and separate lighting installation, plans for which will be developed through a series of community meetings. $100,000. Full project description.

“On behalf of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Council of the Arts, I congratulate this year’s Our Town grants recipients and look forward to the success of their innovative projects,” said Mr. Aby Rosen, Chair, New York State Council on the Arts. “New York State’s Our Town projects demonstrate again that arts, culture and heritage activities and the work of artists are as fundamental to a community's prosperity and vitality as transportation, education, housing, infrastructure, and public safety.” 

The NEA received 275 applications for Our Town this year. Recommended grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $200,000. For a complete listing of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, please visit the NEA's website. Project descriptions, grants listed by state and by project type, and resources are available, as well.

The NEA announced 66 Our Town grants totaling $5.073 million and reaching 38 states. Since Our Town's inception in 2011, the NEA will has awarded 256 Our Town grants totaling more than $21 million in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

About the New York State Council on the Arts

New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960, is an agency of the Executive Branch of the New York State Government dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New York's citizens. In FY2013-2014, NYSCA awarded approximately 1,850 grants valued at $35 million to 1,250 cultural non-profit organizations. For more information on NYSCA, please visit: www.arts.ny.gov