Spark Spotlight: Unsung Hero Award 2026

Not every contribution to the arts comes with a title, a paycheck, or a place in the spotlight. Some of the most important work happens quietly through the people who show up, pitch-in and keep things moving simply because they care about the organization and the community around it.

The Unsung Hero Spark Award recognizes an unpaid individual or group whose volunteer service has made a significant impact on an arts organization, artistic discipline, or the wider arts and cultural sector.

Wendy J. Skinner

2026 Unsung Hero Award Winner

For more than 25 years, Wendy J. Skinner has volunteered her time, energy, and creative vision to build the Fountain Arts Center in Belmont, NY. What began with the purchase and renovation of a long-neglected block of buildings on Main Street has grown into a community arts center offering classes, exhibitions, performances, and opportunities for artists and audiences throughout Allegany County.

Today, the Fountain Arts Center serves as a creative hub for the region, with programming that includes the Artists Among Us exhibition series, a youth choir, community orchestra, and concert band. Classes, performances, and exhibits are offered at no or low-cost, helping bring arts opportunities to a rural

community where geographic and financial barriers can make access difficult.

Wendy’s own path to the Fountain Arts Center began in her Belmont studio, where she started offering art classes to local teenagers after noticing a need in the community. That idea eventually grew into a decade-long effort to restore the center’s home and establish a lasting place for the arts in Belmont.

Much of Wendy’s work happens without fanfare, through the years of planning, volunteering, building, and showing up that have helped the Fountain Arts Center become what it is today. For that sustained volunteer service and impact on the arts community of Allegany County, Wendy J. Skinner is the 2026 Spark Award recipient for Unsung Hero.