Designed to support employment opportunities for artists, the program is funding 98 collaborations involving a dynamic group of 300 artists employed by community-based organizations, municipalities and tribal governments across the state. CRNY has awarded a total of $49.9 million in funding to support artists’ salaries and benefits, with an additional $11.7 million in funding provided to the organizations holding employment.

“If we are to truly rebuild our amazing state, we must celebrate artists’ contributions not only to the economy but to what makes us human,” said Creatives Rebuild New York Executive Director Sarah Calderon. “The incredible work being funded through CRNY’s Artist Employment Program underscores the importance of direct support for both individual artists and the organizations that hold their employment.”

The ACW and artist Dorney will collaborate to offer programming across the Adirondack Park, with the goal of working in each of the Park’s 12 counties.

The first Adirondack teen writing anthology, a broadside series, and traveling installations will provide access points for the literary arts throughout this rural region, speaking to writing’s place as both an art form and an essential tool for growth, identity and understanding. ACW will receive $226,400 to support the collaboration, including artist salaries and benefits, as well as programming costs.

Dorney's 2020 public art/poetry installation, Home Poems (Provided)

“We are so grateful to Creative Rebuilds New York for selecting our collaboration with Erin Dorney, which will bring innovative literary programming to the entire Adirondack region,” said ACW Director Nathalie Thill. “We are especially excited to launch an Adirondack teen writing anthology, the first of its kind here. It will be an exciting two years, and I’m looking forward to seeing everything that Erin’s creativity, passion, and energy will bring to the Adirondack Center for Writing’s community of readers, writers and storytellers of all ages.”

“This is a groundbreaking approach to supporting New York state artists,” Dorney said. “I am grateful to have been selected, and look forward to collaborating with the Center on literary projects in the North Country. What artists bring to the table is crucial, and I hope that CRNY’s model can be studied, improved, and replicated to invest in the financial stability of artists everywhere.”

Artist Employment Program recipients were selected through a two-stage process by a group of 20 external peer reviewers alongside CRNY staff.

From an initial pool of over 2,700 written applications, 167 were shortlisted for interviews with reviewers. To view the list of 98 Artist Employment Program participants, visit https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/participants.

For more information about Creatives Rebuild New York’s Artist Employment Program, visit creativesrebuildny.org.