Public Programs

GIVING VOICE TO DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

ArtsWestchester’s Folk Arts program presented a total of nine programs in 2019, including a Lunar New Year Festival with traditional Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese performances and workshops. In April and May, ArtsWestchester presented Performing Families, a program series that coupled performance with moderated discussions about traditional arts and kinship. Participants represented traditions from Mexico, India, Benin and Korea, as well as New York’s LGBTQ ball scene and a local step dance team. In conjunction with Paraguayan Independence Day, ArtsWestchester presented Westchester County’s first-ever exhibition of Paraguayan arts and crafts, and a festival of Paraguayan dance and music, both developed in partnership with the General Consulate of Paraguay, the White Plains Public Library and Emelin Theatre. In June, in conjunction with Westchester Pride, ArtsWestchester presented The Art of Runway Walking in partnership with the LOFT: LGBT Center. Folk Arts programs reached a total audience of 2,500+ individuals. ArtsWestchester’s 2019 Modern Families exhibition was complemented by a six-program series funded, in part, by a Humanities NY Action Grant, that examined the social history of

alternative and chosen families through analysis of film, photography and performance. Participants included children’s book illustrator Todd Parr, director Stephen Winter, Donna Mussenden Van Der Zee and Dr. Drew Sawyer. In September, ArtsWestchester collaborated with the City of White Plains and the White Plains BID to present its annual JazzFest White Plains, featuring 24 performances at 13 diverse venues. The five-day festival reached its largest audience to date, with 4,200+ jazz enthusiasts.