News Releases

New York State Council on the Arts grants $7,000 to Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art

NEW PALTZ — The State University of New York at New Paltz Foundation has been awarded a $7,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) for support of art collections care and research at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA). This is the second year the SDMA has received NYSCA funding for its collections care program.

Funds will be used to complete a collections care effort that was begun last year with NYSCA support. In phase two, the museum will conduct a complete inventory of the photography collection, review and update catalogue entries for the collection and upgrade storage conditions. The purpose of the project is to better manage and facilitate access to the collection, expand the museum’s capacity to accept new works and aid in the development of exhibitions from the collection as the museum moves its programming focus from temporary loan exhibitions to long-term, collections-based exhibitions.

“The New York State Council on the Arts’ ongoing support enables the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art to better serve its audiences by helping us to improve how we care for objects in storage and by facilitating access to them for research, study and enjoyment,” said Neil Trager, director of the SDMA. “I remain extremely grateful to the NYSCA panelists for their generous support.”

Kevin Cahill, Assembly member of the 101st District of New York and a member of the SUNY New Paltz class of 1977, spoke of the significance of this grant. “I am pleased to support the New York State Council on the Arts in their ongoing efforts to provide funding to worthy cultural organizations in our area,” said Cahill. “The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art is a gem in the Hudson Valley and is most deserving of this award.”

Sen. John J. Bonacic, who also helped New Paltz secure the grant, said, “The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art is an important cultural resource for people of the Hudson Valley. I am pleased the state can provide this support and look forward to continuing to support the arts.”

For more information about the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, visit www.newpaltz.edu/museum.

The New York State Council on the Arts is a funding agency that supports the activities of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in New York State and helps to bring high-quality artistic programs to the citizens of the state. The Council has been directed by the state Legislature to maintain the “paramount position of this state in the nation and the world as a cultural center” through the support of nonprofit arts organizations in New York State.