ANCRAM OPERA HOUSE Receives $40,000 Grant From New York State Council On The Arts

[Ancram, NY] – The Ancram Opera House (AOH) is delighted to start the new year with the announcement of a grant award totaling $40,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. This is a four-fold increase from previous year’s NYSCA grants to AOH.

Following New York State’s historic investment for the arts, NYSCA has awarded $90 million since Spring 2022 to a record number of artists and organizations across the state. 

“We are thrilled with this funding from the state and thank NYSCA, the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul’s office for making it possible,” said Ancram co-director Paul Ricciardi

“NYSCA’s support makes all the difference and allows us to bring high caliber performances and community programs to a rural, sparsely populated corner of NY State,” his colleague Jeffrey Mousseau added.

“As a cultural capital of the world, New York State is strengthened by our expansive coverage of the arts across all 62 counties.,” Governor Kathy Hochul said,  “This year’s historic commitment to the arts sector will spur our continuing recovery from the pandemic and set the course for a stronger future.“

About the Ancram Opera House

Located in southern Columbia County, the Ancram Opera House presents a mix of contemporary theatre, alternative cabaret, and community programs. The Opera House was erected in 1927 as  Grange #955, a chapter of the National  Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, a  movement founded shortly after the Civil  War to advance methods of agriculture  and address the needs of farmers. In 1972,  the grange was repurposed as a performance  hall presenting operatic fare.  AOH offers audiences a unique opportunity to directly engage, up close, with visionary theatre artists at the top of their field who are rarely seen in our region. For more information visit www.ancramoperahouse.org. 

About the New York State Council on the Arts                                             

NYSCA preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, NYSCA will award record funding in FY 2023, providing support across the full breadth of the arts.

NYSCA further advances New York’s creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit http://www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA’s Facebook page, Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.

SPONSORS

The 2022 season at the Ancram Opera House was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The Ancram Center for the Arts restoration project is supported in part by a grant from New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s New York Main Street program, Ancram Preservation Group, NY State Council on the Arts, and private donations.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Ancram Center is located on unceded,  ancestral lands of the Muh-he-con-ne-ok,  the Peoples of the Waters That Are Never  Still, and overlooks the Roeliff Jansen Kill,  which was once called the Sonkippog (cooling water). We pay tribute to and honor the  history of those who precede us here.