The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a finalist for this year's Spark Award for Arts Organization of the Year, an award that honors a nonprofit or for-profit arts organization for its achievements in the preceding year. The organization has been enhancing the cultural landscape of Chautauqua County since its grand reopening in [...]
For Western New York’s arts community, the economic impact of COVID-19 has surpassed millions of dollars, with $2.5 million in losses being reported for March alone. Forty-six percent of arts organizations reported in a field-wide survey that they are “very likely” to have to lay off some or all of their staff—an unfortunate reality for [...]
Lewiston Council on the Arts is the winner of this year's Spark Award for DEC Program of the Year, an award that recognizes ASI's Decentralization (DEC) grantees for their hard work and successful art projects that took place during the previous calendar year. The council—which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone [...]
We are very excited to announce that the application materials for the WNY Arts Emergency Relief Fund, a granting program for struggling artists and arts and cultural organizations, are now available. The application will open on Friday, May 1. This fund was created in response to the state of emergency caused by COVID-19 and its profound [...]
The West Falls Center for the Arts is the winner of this year's Spark Award for Rising Star, an award that honors a relatively new organization, an individual who is new in their position or organization, or a group or artist entering the next phase of their development. The nonprofit organization has provided visual, performing, [...]
In light of the current crisis surrounding COVID-19, the health and safety of our patrons, employees, and community are—as always—our highest priority. We have been closely monitoring updates and information issued by our local, state, and federal governing bodies, and as a result, have decided to reschedule ASI's 7th Annual Spark Awards, originally planned for [...]
Established in 1970, Earth Day is a global event celebrated annually on April 22 to bring awareness to environmental protection and to acknowledge the impact that our routines and actions have on the world around us. People typically participate in Earth Day through social events, community cleanups, roundtable discussions, and learning activities that inspire civic [...]
Michele Agosto is the winner of this year's Spark Award for Trailblazer of the Arts, an honor that recognizes an individual for their efforts to call attention to the importance of the arts through their work in advocacy, arts administration, curating, or promotion. This individual can be at any level in their career or involvement [...]
The Children’s Guild Foundation Autism Spectrum Disorder Center at Oishei Children’s Hospital, winner of this year’s Spark Award for Arts Integration, has provided multidisciplinary evaluation, diagnosis, care, and support for families with autism spectrum disorders since 2009. In addition to the medical work done by the Center, the resources and programs for families with autism, [...]
The current state of emergency caused by COVID-19 has profoundly impacted Western New York’s creative industry, and there’s only more chaos and uncertainty ahead. We wish we had answers for you; we don’t. We don’t know how long this crisis will last, or how deeply its impact will be felt by every neighbor in our [...]
