Senator DeFrancisco Young Artist Scholarship Program Winners and the Decentralization Grant Program Recipients
CNY Arts recently announced the winners of DeFrancisco’s Young Artist Scholarship Program to 33 young artists in grades 7 through 12 who received scholarships for advanced study in summer arts and intensive training programs.
Students from Fayetteville, Jamesville, Dewitt and East Syracuse received arts scholarships. Those students, and the arts programs they will attend, include:
•Aliyah Kilpatrick, DeWitt, Ithaca College Summer Music Academy.
•Marissa DiGennaro, DeWitt, New York State Summer School of the Arts.
•Amina Kilpatrick, DeWitt, Syracuse NAACP ACT-SO Competition.
•Tanner Waldman, East Syracuse, CNY Jazz Central.
•Kayla Green, Fayetteville, Dance Theater of Syracuse.
•Kaelem Michel, Fayetteville, Eastman/Keuka Summer Program.
•Olivia Harle, Jamesville, New York State Summer School of the Arts.
The awards ceremony was held at the SUNY Oswego Metro Center in Downtown Syracuse on Wednesday, June 29. The students were also joined by an additional 30 arts groups and artists who received grants through the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program administered by CNY Arts.
“The DeFrancisco Young Artist Scholarship Program provides gifted students the opportunity to further develop their artistic skills leading to successful careers in the arts,” said Stephen Butler, CNY Arts Executive Director. “We are incredibly grateful to Sen. John A. DeFrancisco for his invaluable leadership and support for arts in Central New York.”
DeFrancisco secured $100,000 for the Young Artist Scholarship Program through the New York State Department of Education and presented the awards to the students. Scholarships are for students who reside in Senator DeFrancisco’s 50th New York State Senate District.
“It is my great pleasure to help support these talented young individuals, who are working hard to excel in the arts,” said DeFrancisco. “They have a bright future ahead of them, and I wish them the very best as they further their training in the arts and accomplish their goals.”
The students come from 12 Central New York towns, villages and cities and represent 18 different artistic disciplines in the arts. The grants support their training at the New York State Summer School for the Arts, the Ithaca College’s Summer Music Program, the Syracuse Children’s Theater Summer Theater Program and other various arts programs.
A committee of arts and education professionals reviewed the grant applications and made the award decisions.
CNY Arts also recognized 40 arts organizations and artists who received in total $73,740 for community grants. Project support awards were based on artistic merit, collaboration, and benefit to the community through three distinct categories — arts education, community arts grants and individual artist commissions.
Decisions were made by a peer panel comprised of community members, arts administrators and professionals in the field.
CNY Arts administers the annual grant program in the six Central New York counties, Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego. For more information about the grant programs and all grant recipients, visit cnyarts.org/grants.
