Slater: Brewster and Putnam Arts Awarded $40,000 in NYSCA Funding
Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) with Joyce Picone, president & executive director of the Putnam Arts Council, Kevin Byrne, Putnam County executive and the winners of last year's Earth Day photo contest.
In December of 2023, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) announced grant awards to two organizations in the 94th district, the Brewster Theatre Company and Putnam Arts Council. Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown), being a champion for the arts, was able to successfully reel in $15,000 for Brewster and $25,000 for Putnam.
This round of NYSCA funding supports a wide range of opportunities for artists and organizations including operating and programmatic expenses, creative commissions, support for rehearsal and studio space and support for regional regrant partners.
The Brewster Theater Company and Putnam Arts Council are non-profit groups that have provided the community with diverse theatrical productions of the highest quality. They are committed to promoting and encouraging the community’s participation in the theater, both on and off stage, and through opportunities such as workshops and informal play readings.
“I am so pleased to announce our art institutions have been awarded this well-deserved state funding. They are pillars in the community that help our residents of all ages explore and perfect their creativity and talent. They serve as a hub of support for employment, local businesses and in attracting tourists; these are all things that keep our community thriving,” said Slater.
Slater is no stranger to the local arts scene. As Yorktown supervisor, he helped start the town’s Arts and Culture Committee, and as assemblyman, he partnered with the Putnam Arts Council to host a regional Earth Day Poster Contest, which will take place again this Spring.
“The Putnam Arts Council is grateful for public funding from New York State through NYSCA. This funding is essential to the Putnam Arts Council’s continued ability to foster the arts throughout Putnam County while offering quality arts programs, in the visual, performing, and literary arts for People of all ages and abilities, at the Belle Levine Art Center in Mahopac, our home for 60+ years,” said Joyce Picone, President & Executive Director of Putnam Arts Council.