Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-119, Marcy, has announced she has secured $482,500 in grants from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), which will be awarded to 10 organizations and artists in Utica.

“An investment in the arts is an investment in our community’s economy and vitality,” said Assemblywoman Buttenschon. “The arts and culture sector helps make Utica a more vibrant place to live and promotes civic engagement, while attracting tourists from far and wide and generating tourism dollars. These grants will provide our local artists and arts organizations with much-needed support, and I’ll continue to do everything I can to uplift the arts across our region and state.”

The organizations receiving the awards include:

• $79,500 for Sculpture Space, Inc., 12 Gates St., Utica;
• $79,500 for Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, 310 Genesee St., Utica;
• $70,000 for Central NY Community Arts Council, of Utica;
• $59,500 for Children’s Museum of Natural History/Science, 311 MainSt., Utica;
• $50,000 for Rome Art and Community Center, 308 W. Bloomfield St., Rome;
• $49,500 for Capitol Civic Center, Inc., 230 W. Dominick St., Rome;
• $49,500 for 4 Elements Studio, Inc., 1607 Genesee St., Utica; and
• $45,000 for Uptown Theater for Creative Arts, Inc., 2014 Genesee St., Utica.

Two artists from Sculpture Space, Inc. are also receiving grant awards – Samiya Bashir and Shasti O’Leary-Soudant, both of whom will receive $10,000. These grants come from the New York State budget, which invests $50 million for the New York State Council on the Arts to provide pandemic relief, $10 million of which is distributed through regional arts councils.

The budget also includes $1 million for arts stabilization grants and $750,000 for grants to arts organizations. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massively negative impact on the arts, and these awards will help to stabilize and reinvigorate the artists and organizations that have so much to offer the local community, noted Buttenschon.