A $10,000 Rural & Traditional Arts Grant for The White Mulberry Project

EXCITING NEWS! I am thrilled to have been awarded a $10,000 New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship administered by the Arts Council for Wyoming County in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. I will create two sculptural works of art from my Eco-Garden Project and exhibit them in a special presentation in Whitehall, New York later this year.

I decided that the white mulberry trees I recently discovered in my backyard would be perfect for this Fellowship, with their historical links to Whitehall’s former silk industry and the immigration of Canadians from Quebec (my grandparents among them!) who came to Whitehall in the early 1900s for a job at the mill and a chance at The American Dream.

Thank you to reporter EJ Conzola II for a delightful interview and an excellent feature article, right on the front page of the Whitehall Times.

So I guess the white mulberry trees will stay in my yard!

It is a great honor to be among the ten talented artists statewide selected for this Fellowship. Artists in rural regions often have greater challenges in terms of recognition and opportunities, especially those who work in the traditional arts. I am thrilled that this Fellowship will address these challenges, increase our visibility, establish the importance of our role within our communities and increase appreciation for the traditional arts.

Funding for this project is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Governor’s office and the New York State Legislature.