our
mission
"To promote and strengthen the creative capacity of our community by providing diverse opportunities for arts participation, understanding, and appreciation."
The Ontario County Arts Council is a non-profit organization with a membership of nearly 150 visual and performing artists and other members of our local communities who appreciate and support culture, art, music, and architecture. Established in 1993 to enhance the creative arts in Ontario County, we sponsor and co-sponsor numerous events, exhibits, and workshops, as well as support the arts with grants and scholarships. These include:
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An annual Members' Art Exhibit. In 2020 and 2019, this was held at Wood Library; in 2018, at the Cheshire Union Gallery; in 2017, at Finger Lakes Community College; and in 2016, at Finger Lakes Gallery & Frame in Canandaigua.
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An annual series of juried exhibits from April to December in the North Gallery of the Ontario County Historical Society Museum, which began in 2018 and is sponsored in partnership with the Museum. Occasional workshops and lectures at the museum are held in conjunction with these exhibits.
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An annual series of juried member exhibits in the main lobby of the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center, which represents a new partnership and began in 2020. We held our first exhibit, Rhythm & Movement, there, which opened on March 3rd. But due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, additional exhibits in 2020 were postponed. We are currently planning an Artists' Showcase for the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.
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A Rotating Art Exhibit program at local offices and businesses that pay an annual $100 donation/fee to participate, which goes towards our grants and scholarship funds. Presently there are seven participants at ten locations with twelve contributing member artists — an opportunity for our members that would expand as the number of participants increase.
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A musical performance each year to benefit our Mariner Family Arts Scholarship Fund. A $2,000 Arts scholarship is awarded each fall to a deserving visual or performing arts student to Finger Lakes Community College.
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Art grants, workshops and exhibits are made available to the public libraries in Ontario County.
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Monetary, scholarships, and restoration grants are also available to other non-profit groups in Ontario County in support of the arts.
We have an active, working Board of Directors who works closely with other local organizations in support of the arts, including the Ontario County Historical Society, Fort Hill Performing Arts Center, Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion, Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce and B.I.D., Arts in Canandaigua Galleries, and the City of Canandaigua.
Judi Cermak ( President), Linda Hallifax ( Vice President), Tina Blackwood (Vice President Communications), Aimee Ward (Treasurer), Kay Howard (Secretary), Neal Allen, Ellen Polimeni, Lenore Friend, Carol Henshaw, Francis Coleman, Bradley Fuster.