Fall 2012 Newsletter

Found Art in North Troy

Good news from Washington DC? Yes! The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has just approved a major grant for our “Found Art in North Troy” initiative, which over the next year and a half will catalyze our block of 6th Avenue into a hub for all kinds of arts and cultural exchanges. 

We’re planning a whirlwind of activities to help improve the quality of life, encourage creative activity, reinforce community identity and a sense of place, and help revitalize the local economy. 

The kickoff event is “StoryHarvest” on October 20, featuring a workshop and performance by Vermont’s legendary Bread & Puppet Theater, music from the Korean percussion ensemble Sonagi Project, plus lots of food and much much more!

This $50,000 grant from NEA’s “Our Town” program will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the City of Troy, as agreed in the settlement of our Federal civil rights lawsuit stemming from the 2008 shuttering of Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal’s anti-war video installation at the Sanctuary.

Uptown Summer 2012

A new group of Youth Media Sanctuary workers spent five weeks of their summer creating videos for an online cooking series called “Neighborhood Chef.” Their work focused on increasing nutrition awareness for a young generation exposed to unhealthy eating habits in a low income community with little access to fresh food. The challenge? Recipes that are inexpensive, fun and easy to make with easily sourced local ingredients! The result? Ten great recipes for snacks and meals, from energy bombs to collard greens!