Ontario County Arts Council awards funds to community projects

The Ontario County Arts Council has awarded five grants totaling $3,800 to local projects that enrich the community and expand exposure to the arts to new and underserved audiences.

“The arts council received applications for more than double the available funds, so we had some very difficult decisions to make this year,” said Judi Cermak, president of the arts council. “We would like to thank our members and those who donate to the arts council for making these grants possible.”

Awards will be given to following:

·        The city of Geneva Public Art Committee for a downtown mural sharing a message of civil rights and equality

·        The Geneva Music Festival for a concert series that includes the debut of “Sonnenberg Suite,” written by a local resident, and concerts for children and seniors in Geneva

·        The city of Canandaigua for a wall-hanging system to display work by local artists

·        Cobblestone Arts Center to support the Woodland Treasure Walk and Concert Series

·        The Community Reading Partnership for a student poster project in support of the Children’s Book Fest to be held in fall 2021

Funds for the arts council grants come from membership fees and fundraisers. The arts council also gives a $2,000 scholarship annually to a second-year Finger Lakes Community College student majoring in the visual or performing arts.

“We are an all-volunteer organization, so if you become an arts council member or support an arts council event, you can be confident your funds will be pooled with others’ and channeled right back to the community,” Cermak said.

Membership applications and information about events are available on the arts council website at ocarts.org.