WATERTOWN, NY – After much consideration, the North Country Arts Council (NCAC) announces a new strategy in supporting and promoting the arts and artists in the North Country, which includes the closure of the Arts on the Square co-op gallery as of August 31, 2018.
“The North Country Arts Council’s board recognizes that the operations of Arts on the Square are consuming nearly all of the Council’s financial and human resources. Unfortunately, co-op membership is no longer earning enough to cover the costs of the gallery,” noted NCAC president Laurren Dawsey.
“As part of our more mission-focused future, we plan to hire a Mission Coordinator who will be tasked with promoting the galleries, classes, and events already happening in our area and making NCAC a central hub for artists and community members to seek information on area art happenings. It’s our goal to no longer be a competitor of the arts, but rather to be a promoter and supporter of the arts.”
The NCAC will be moving operations to an office space in the Northern New York Community Foundation Philanthropy Center and focus on more outreach programming in the community to include collaborating with other businesses, non-profits, galleries, and artists. They will continue to offer education classes, as well as conduct feature exhibits and the annual juried fall art show.
The NCAC would like to thank the artists and supporters who helped create and maintain the Arts on the Square arts space during its inception. During this transition, the NCAC will be seeking feedback on how to better serve local artists and art organizations, and will be reaching out to hear from stakeholders, artists and supporters as they solidify their annual goals.
