2025 Recipients

Alban Arts, Inc. – Alban Arts Concert Season – $3,000

This concert series will present a variety of musical offerings that utilize both instrumental and vocal music and span everything from medieval to contemporary genres. Some ideas include a Latin/Flamenco Guitarist, the Salvatones (acapella vocal ensemble), a Medieval/ Renaissance Harpist, and a piano trio. Their goal is to produce musical concerts in the community for people who don’t or can’t travel to Manhattan, and provide these musical programs at an affordable price.

Ayman Elsayed – Shaolin Eats – $3,000

Shaolin Eats is a series of film interviews with owners of restaurants/establishments on Staten Island about cooking and culture. It will attempt to counteract the demonization of immigrant communities and racist policies that have negatively impacted local communities and celebrate their life and culture. Trinidadian, Palestinian, Algerian, and Muslim spots have confirmed their participation and prospective Sri Lankan and Mexican places are lined up.

Brianna Caraballo – Debut Solo Art Exhibition – $2,124

The solo art exhibition and portfolio review, Pieces of Me, will include watercolor and ink paintings that channel the art of process and healing from within. Some themes include childhood trauma and identity while investigating our bodies’ role in society by reuniting and recording fragments of feelings, thoughts, and memories. Brianna will build a studio art project surrounding this exhibition for their young students at Art Lab to explore color theory through mixing and mono-printing.

Caitlin Spinelli – Self Perception – $3,000

Caitlin Spinelli will photograph portraits of people of all ages while they answer questions about themselves and what others think of them. Self-Perception aims to show people how different everyone’s mind works and how we can look at ourselves in different ways.

Castleton Avenue Merchants Organization – Harvest Moon Festival – $3,000

The Harvest Moon Festival will  transform a city street into a magical moonlight festival There will be mixed medium displays of organic and recycled materials, as well as Harvest-inspired lighting, including a temporary mural that encourages attendees to contribute. A variety of live music performers will perform. Their inspiration and goal for this event is to inspire neighbors and neighborhoods to think bigger.

Cynthia Rodriguez – VAUNT – $3,000

VAUNT aims to provide a platform for featured artists to perform for a crowd and receive their kudos while using their art as a way to spark community conversation. Three showcases will be held in conjunction with an open mic/art gallery experience. Local artists will share their voices via spoken word/SLAM poetry, music, comedy, dance, and theatrical performance, as well as multimedia and audio/visual art, aiming to foster creativity and allow them access to a platform to showcase themselves.

Daliah Bell – Feed The DJ Podcast – $3,000

Feed The DJ Podcast gives DJs, producers, and performers from New York City and beyond a platform to share their stories, struggles, and successes while celebrating the artistry behind the music. Each episode concludes with the guest’s live set. The goals are to enhance production quality, expand their marketing and outreach, build more community connections, and create memorable experiences. Each season concludes with a party celebrating the creative spirit that drives the podcast.

Dana Santapaola – Bringing Life to Death – $3,000

Bringing Life to Death is an exhibition that will weave the cultural, intellectual, and interpersonal with fine art, performance art, digital art, and various other mediums. There will be opportunities to expand the understanding of death with professionals in the field via panels and engaging Q&A discussions. The goal is to destigmatize death, not only bridging the gap between life and death but between people and cultures as well.

Diana Santamaria – The DLee’s World Interactive Storytime Project – $3,000

The DLee’s World Interactive Storytime Project will transform traditional read-alouds into immersive, literacy-building experiences through storytelling, music, and movement. Children will actively participate in readings, engage in call-and-response activities, do movement exercises, and creative expression through storytelling. It is designed to bring the joy of reading to local children and families. The project will celebrate diverse stories reflecting the cultural richness of Staten Island.

Douglas Cala – “Ambrosia,” a Full Length Spoken Word Performance Poetry Album – $3,000

Ambrosia is a full-length spoken word performance poetry/music album that will feature several collaborators. The goal is to transmit both personal and socio-political ideas and concepts that are based on the trials and tribulations of the author and the current social climate affecting members of the working class.

Emmett Sher – Recording / Album Release Party / St. George Jazz Night – $3,000

Musician Emmett Sher will create an album of original, contemporary jazz music that will be released at an event featuring other musicians. The band features an upright bass, piano, drums, and guitar. They believe jazz is a powerful art form in its ability to present serious and thought-provoking work that is simultaneously sociable and relatable.

Frederick Alvarez – What’s The Point? A Dystopian Dream by Tom War – $3,000

What’s The Point? A Dystopian Dream by Tom War is a film that follows a day in the life of Tom War as he explores the empty streets of Staten Island in search of love and compassion in a world gone wrong. It aims to spread compassion, care, and community in the face of adversity and touches on the topics of relationships, attachment types, feminism, the structure of our society, and the treatment of women. It will be filmed around the boroughs and feature the work of Staten Island musicians.

Gabriella Rubin – Transcend the Mundane – $2,802

Artist Gabriella Rubin will create a poetry book about a journey of real challenges she has faced from heartbreak, sexual abuse, and low self-worth to a true discovery of who they are along with a deeper understanding of the world. Transcend the Mundane is about reaching a higher level of understanding, awareness, or existence that moves past the routine and superficial aspects of life.

Jiwon Rhie – Flower Dog Flower You – $3,000

On the lawn of the Dongan Hills Library, Flower Dog Flower You is a public art sculpture exhibition. An inflatable dog-shaped flower sculpture will be combined with hands-on workshops for children, inviting the community to engage with art in meaningful, joyful ways. The workshops will guide children in exploring their personal “flowers of the mind,” encouraging self-reflection with kindness and imagination through drawing and sculpting exercises.

Joseph Khalil – Vent Your Truth – $3,000

Vent Your Truth is a 6-part interview series that gives individuals from all different backgrounds a platform to share their personal stories regarding addiction and recovery. Some topics include coping strategies, recovery vs. sobriety, relapse prevention, finding motivation and support, and overcoming addiction as a whole. Their goal is to raise awareness about addiction on Staten Island.

Kevin Marcus-Hollenbeck – Past the Fence: Short Play Collection – $3,000

Past the Fence: Short Play Collection is a collection of modern plays that challenge traditional theatrical forms through an immersive and imaginative experience. Each play will take place in a different space in the Newhouse Center of Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor that the audience will be guided through and welcomed to explore. The themes being explored in these works have immediate social relevance – many of the characters are misunderstood and are striving to communicate the reality of their circumstances, while others encounter radical awareness, suddenly thrust into a new reality altogether.

Heather M. Butts & Lori Weintrob – STATEN ISLAND BY NAME: Mapping Untold Stories – $2,800

STATEN ISLAND BY NAME: Mapping Untold Stories is a small book that guides readers on a tour of the borough, highlighting key locations and moments in history through names and stories. A special effort will be made to be inclusive of religious, racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and all forms of diversity. There will be four connected workshops that will target students and locals, allowing them to help shape the project. The book, including illustrations by local artists and youth, will be self-published.

Madelyn Sher – Dandelions: Live Dance Project – $3,000

Dandelions: Live Dance Project is a live, multidisciplinary performance where dance and sound collaborate. The work explores holding on and letting go and the uncertainty that accompanies these moments in our lives. The dance spans various contemporary movement modalities including butoh and dance theatre. Dandelions is like a recurring dream about love, routine, and change, recounted through the microscopic, dependable story of a dandelion’s bloom, transformation, and decay.

Migs718 – [Introspection] an EP to Create a New Narrative – $3,000

Introspection is a 6-song original EP about embracing vulnerability and confronting personal flaws to grow and improve. The EP invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences, showing that pain, anger, and sadness can be channeled into something beautiful.

Modern-day Machines – Beauty and Terror – $3,000

Beauty and Terror is their debut LP that aims to capture many contradictory, coexisting truths. The tracks mirror the feelings of gratitude and despair by transitioning from atmospheric shoegaze-style soundscapes to frantic and abrasive post-hardcore passages. This juxtaposition is present in the lyrics explored in the tracks as well. The tracks will appeal to most fans of alternative music.

Neiaja Parker – Sound It Out (Express Through Song)

Artist Neiaja Parker is creating a two-month initiative aimed at bringing together children from under-resourced neighborhoods in Staten Island to compose, record, and release an album of original music reflecting their experiences of resilience, growth, and community. The goal of Sound It Out is to amplify the children’s voices, provide a creative outlet, and share their narratives. They will blend hip-hop, pop, folk, and R&B genres, reflecting the local multicultural identity.

Olga Panchenko – Electri/c – $2,977

During Electri/c, Olga will paint on titanium with pure electricity using no paint at all while pulling electricity out of a solar battery. A musical track will be playing at the same time. The goal is to create more awareness about sustainable resources of electricity that are available to the public today. They are exploring the idea of creating art in pioneering ways that simultaneously create more awareness for us as human beings on this planet.

River Chan – Poetry of the People – $3,000

Poetry of the People is an 8-week creative writing workshop serving young adults 21+. Recruitment will be focused on marginalized communities including people of color and LGBTQ+ groups. Participants will read and write the works of poets of color who are connected to social justice issues of their times. Some themes they will reflect on include race, migration, class, gender, and contemporary social issues. Participants will build their literacy skills, creative capacities, self-esteem, confidence, and self-empowerment.

Samantha Ong – How to Draw a Fence – $3,000

Artist Samantha Ong will facilitate workshops where participants will make architectural drawings. The project is about boundaries and how these boundaries affect our relationship with what is on either side. It looks to present and speculate upon this condition; these boundaries enclose nature or enclose us. By drawing these boundaries, then what is within on either side, and lastly interpreting what happens at the intersection, they hope to tell the story of our relationship and experience with our land.

The Purple Hats Society – A Taste of Caribbean Folklore – Summer Folklore Program – $3,000

A Taste of Caribbean Folklore – Summer Folklore Program is designed to preserve and showcase the artistic and cultural heritage of Jamaica, St. Lucia, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. Through traditional costumes, rhythmic dance, soulful music, captivating myths, and rich storytelling, this event fosters cross-cultural appreciation and artistic engagement. There will be narrated folklore, a short film screening, food vendors, face painting for children, and painting lessons for all ages. There will also be a 2-3 week education program.

Tiffany Porcu – Mural – $3,000

Artist Tiffany Porcu is facilitating a mural made by the community for the community. The goal is to be interactive with the neighborhood, have community input on what they would like to see, as well as leave a lasting impression that’s positive and uplifting. The theme would gravitate towards personal well-being/self-care.

Trent Whisenant – Heroic Echoes: A Call to Action – $1,500

Heroic Echoes: A Call to Action is a solo organ recital showcasing the power of organ music as a vehicle for reflection, resilience, and resistance, engaging the public in an experience that is both artistic and socially relevant. The recital will include living and former composers. It will explore themes of heroism, endurance, collective struggle, and respond to contemporary social and political concerns. The recital invites the audience to experience music as a force for resilience and hope.

Arlette Cepeda – Demystify the Immigrant Experience in NYC – A Change Project – $5,000

This change project is an audiovisual documentary that seeks to uncover the complexities of the Latino immigrant experience in NYC. Through a short documentary and photography exhibit, this project aims to amplify voices that reveal the nuanced connections between identity, voting behavior, and social challenges, encouraging policymakers and proponents of change to engage with this community meaningfully. Stories from Latino immigrants from all walks of life will be collected, hoping to generate a positive impact and diminish the current societal divide.

Caileen Gonzalez – North Shore Family Festival – $5,000

The North Shore Family Festival is a free family-friendly event open to the public. Local artists will be leading workshops that share various art forms, including dance, music and visual arts. The festival centers around mindfulness, movement, and connection while utilizing different forms of expression.

Carrie Ellman-Larsen & Jolie Tong – Buried Stories: An Oral History Project About The Fresh Kills Landfill – $5,000

This community-specific, interview-based theater project explores the history of the Fresh Kills Landfill and investigates its impact on the individuals and communities who lived nearby and worked there. This is phase three of the project, where an ensemble of theater artists will use the stage’s elements (lighting, sound, props, costume, etc.) to investigate, embody, and enliven the text complied from interviews and research during the first two phases of this project into a theatrical piece.

Caryn T. Davis – Positivity Portals: An Altered Book Project – $5,000

Altered Books are individual art objects created from an existing printed book. Participants from Staten Island Urban Center will use recycled art supplies, and are encouraged to bring their own 2 and 3-dimensional photos and objects. Process writing based on prompts related to each book chapter will guide them through their creative journey in planning, executing, and reflecting on their chapters. Positivity Portals is a visual art-making collaboration that will empower young people to stand proud and elevate their voices through creative visual expression. The Staten Island Museum will host a public presentation of the works.

Concord Choral Consortium (C3) – Celebrating the Rich Heritage of African American Music – $5,000

The Concord Choral Consortium, Stretto Vocal Ensemble, First Central Baptist youth choir, Trinity Church choir, an organist, a pianist, and a vocalist will put on a concert for Black History Month. The music will be a variety of works from black composers, including spirituals, work songs, art songs, sacred music, ragtime, gospel, and jazz. They will use historical comments to provide context and background. The goal is to celebrate, experience, and share a vibrant musical tradition that has been central to the development and worldwide projection of American music.

Daty Kaba – Amapiano – Beat of a Generation – $5,000

This documentary takes viewers on a global journey, with key filming locations in Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and international hubs like London and New York. The film combines storytelling, music, and vivid visual imagery as it blends archival footage, high-energy concert scenes, and insightful interviews with key figures in the Amapiano movement, a subgenre of South African house music that emerged in the mid-2010s. The goal is to document and celebrate the remarkable journey of Amapiano—from its origins in South Africa’s townships to its adoption and transformation by Nigerian artists, leading to its global dominance.

DB Lampman – Water Fowl – $5,000

Water Fowl is a performance art event featuring artist DB Lampman as an imaginary sea bird who is tethered to the shore by the weight of large buoys that they must tend to. Only upon entering the water do they discover their true function. The goal of this project is to activate a derelict waterfront area and to highlight our relationship with the waters that surround us. Following the performance, audience members will be invited to participate in a mask-making activity and a kayaking experience.

Diane Matyas – Luna Park/New Dorp Elephant – $5,000
Artist Diane Matyas will research and paint a series of storyboard panels depicting the story of an escaped elephant from Luna Park to Staten Island in 1904. They will also create an architectural silhouette “shadow” frieze of swimming elephants at Maker Park on a metal substrate. This retelling and installation will weave fantasy & historic imagery including Luna Park bedazzled, a buoyant elephant, marine animals, bucolic Staten Island, the Hindu-Buddhist sea goddess Manimekhala, and music.

Donna Napoli-Steele – What If? Flora, Fauna & Fantasy – $4,000

Artist Donna Napoli-Steele will produce an exhibit that will showcase Notre Dame Academy High School students’ artwork, designed to raise awareness of the environment and upcycling in a playful way. This exhibit asks the viewer: what if Fauna & Flora weren’t endangered or extinct? What if biodiversity flourished? What if mythical creatures are among us? What if we nurtured the environment? The students work will be on display  at the Biddle House Museum and Rutan Beckett House Museum.

Irma Bohorquez-Geisler – Simple Moments of an Emerging Presence: The Mexican Community in New York City – $5,000

Artist Irma Bohorquez-Geisler will continue a long-term photo-documentary project initiated in 2001, capturing the evolving presence of Mexican-immigrant and Mexican-American communities on Staten Island. The project seeks to document the historic settlement of this ethnic group and celebrate their rich cultural traditions, fostering awareness and understanding. A short video glimpse into the work will include photographs and highlight key moments from their exploration, focusing on their cultural traditions, daily lives, and contributions to the NY community.

Jenno Snyder – Queer Van Kult: Intervention

Queer Van Kult, a queer artist collective that curates interdisciplinary experimental art events, will produce Intervention an outdoor art exhibit involving projections, performances, installations, and experimental music. It will focus on sacred spaces and creating a shared vision of what a safe space looks like to queers on Staten Island. They will curate and feature local queer painters, photographers, videographers, musicians, and multidisciplinary artists whose work reflects the theme of sacred spaces.

Josue Mendez – Community Mural 2025 – $5,000

The Welcome to Great Kills mural aims to engage veterans, teenagers, families, and community members in creating a meaningful public artwork. This 30-foot-wide by 8-foot-high mural will celebrate the diversity and history of Great Kills. Participants of all ages and backgrounds will collaborate, learning artistic techniques while contributing to the design. Once completed, the mural will stand as a vibrant reflection of the neighborhood’s identity and creativity.

Julie Maniscalco – Julie Maniscalco Dectet: Outer Borough Project – $3,345

Artist Julie Maniscalco will create an original suite about their life as a native Staten Islander with a 10-piece jazz ensemble. Made up of six movements, each movement has different style influences, including classical, gospel, hip-hop, R&B, and Afro-Latin, and represents various aspects of life in Staten Island. The goal is to create work that embodies a “voice of Staten Island” and to continue to develop this work from their Snug Harbor PASS residency. 

Kenneth Graham – Blues to Hip-hop Festival – Celebrating Black Music Month – $5,000

The Blues to Hip-hop Festival will feature live performances by blues and hip-hop artists, local Black artists will have their work displayed in an artist market. The festival aims to pay homage to these genres as they have become a staple of youth culture and a force for social change.

Kenneth Graham  – Art Vault Festival – $2,700

The Art Vault Festival is a pop-up exhibition with original artwork by living artists in Staten Island. There will also be an artist market with local artist selling their works, poetry readings, live painting, and musical performances. Each month will bring a new exhibit, featuring black artists for Black History Month, women artists for Women’s History Month, and Photographers for National Photography Month.

Keri Sheheen – Parlor Trick Print Exchange 2025 – $2,300

The Parlor Trick Print Exchange is a program where unique prints are created and shared with artists through the mail. Working within the set parameters of printmaking, the theme of “escape” will be left up to interpretation. Each artist will create 12 original prints, and from those, 10 will be added to a portfolio that will be sent to all of the participants.

Lazarus Nazario – Graveyard Shift (Working Title) – $5,000

Graveyard Shift is a multidisciplinary art exhibition in conjunction with the documentary film American Graveyard. The film features the story of an African-American burial ground that was paved over into a strip mall on Staten Island, called Cherry Lane. Multidisciplinary artists will create their own vision of Cherry Lane, as no photos or illustrations of the former cemetery and church exist. They will create oil paintings, pottery, poetry, figurative watercolor, historic storytelling, audio installations, and miniature-scale sculpture. They aim to create a healing space for the descendants’ families as well as the community at large.

Mary Lombardi – In The Neighborhood – $5,000

A fun and informative visual art exhibit, In The Neighborhood, will focus on specific spots or people related to different Staten Island neighborhoods. It will have art in various media, such as paintings, collages, assemblages, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces. Each piece will be accompanied by a favorable mention (a story, some history, folklore, or a fun fact) of the Staten Island neighborhood it represents. The aim is for the audience to learn about the neighborhoods and/or relate to the stories about them.

Matthew Figueroa – Poetry in the Park Season 5 – $5,000

Poetry in the Park will continue for its 5th year as a free outdoor open mic series. With 6 events from May to October, these events aim to expand the role of poetry and literature in life and give life to the possibilities born from engaging with the vulnerability of others. Some of the events will include poetry, musical, and artistic features. They will be exploring self-expression, poetry, literature, intersectionality, the humanities, pride, healing, art, and community.

Not From Concentrate – New Music and Outreach by Not From Concentrate – $5,000

Not From Concentrate will be recording new music with student collaborators from Staten Island Technical High School. This album of music will touch on LGBTQ themes of heteronormativity, anxiety, depression, and touch on contemporary issues like the environmental changes we’re witnessing.

Omari Dejesus – Lights, Era, Action! A Critical Era Showcase – $2,500.

The Critical Era Showcase is a premiere and film collection of Critical Era Productions’ independent films, music videos, and more. The goal and purpose is to spark interest and bring a fresh and ambitious take on the local film community of Staten Island. Hoping to inspire the local film community and welcoming newcomers, they will explore music video production, screenwriting, scoring and sound design, compelling dialogue, storytelling, creativity, and budget filmmaking.

Peter Jurado – Staten Island Fairies – $5,000

Staten Island Fairies is an art and photography book for all ages that aims to showcase the enchanting beauty of Staten Island through a unique blend of photography and digital illustration. This collection will feature photographs captured from various locations across the borough, each accompanied by imaginative depictions of fairy folk and other fantastical creatures. The goal is to highlight the everyday magic and charm found within the community and celebrate Staten Island’s hidden treasures.

Rachel Caccese – So Goes The Nation: Staten Island Votes – $5,000

The short documentary drama film So Goes The Nation: Staten Island Votes will have sound and visuals from Staten Island communities, local voters, and news coverage of past and present political campaigns. It includes interviews with locals expressing their thoughts and feelings on past Presidential elections. The goal is to understand and explore the current political climate among local voters. The film pushes back on the narrative of Staten Island being a predominantly red borough by giving blue voters a chance to express their opinions while exploring what drives voters’ decisions and concerns.

Richard Rojas – Friendsgiving at Faber – $5,000

Friendsgiving at Faber will be a free, potluck-style picnic centered around the themes of gratitude for one another, building support systems, and empowering creative communities. It is a celebration and reflection to appreciate the bonds formed through skateboarding, art, and activism. In addition to partnering with local organizations for food donations, attendees will be encouraged to bring homemade dishes representing their backgrounds, fostering conversations about heritage, identity, and personal stories.

Rocio Uchofen – Sanar y Escribir / Healing and Writing – $1,350

Healing and Writing is a workshop to impart the importance of reading to write and writing techniques. Participants will review techniques and write texts, including fiction, poetry, and a mix of both, that can be read aloud in English or Spanish. The goal is to heal needs and combat bigotry, racism, and gender attacks through creative writing. Rocio believes creative writing will help their community to articulate their strength, values, personal rights, and community existence.

Sarah Yuster – Prologue for Fresh Kills, Contemporary Phoenix – $5,000

Sarah will host a talk, supported by three large oil paintings and a slideshow, discussing Fresh Kills. One of the paintings will be a landscape of the Fresh Kills site, another will be a portrait of a scientist/researcher at Fresh Kills doing their work, and the last will be a landscape of people participating in recreational activities at Fresh Kills. The prologue portion of the project includes research from scholars and is an examination of human history and its interactions with nature in this region.

Sitewave Cinema – Wavestock – $4,562

Wavestock is going on its 7th year as an all-day film festival. They aim to lift up the artists involved as much as they can with top-notch viewing mediums, including a pop-up movie theater. Local high school and college student filmmakers and local artistic teams will join with their own creations. Artists will sell their paintings, drawings, photos, clothes, books, and jewelry to patrons as well. With family-friendly content in the morning and mature films and musical acts later on, it is entertainment for all ages.

Team Salsa / Los Delgados Media – The 2025 Los Delgados Festival – $5,000

The 3-day Los Delgados Festival is a music and community event that aims to amplify the voices of what many know to be the “forgotten borough” by including numerous artists, community members, and organizations. There will be a free open mic, live music, food, drinks, games, a movie marathon, live interactive art, and vendors. The goal is to shed light on the dense artistic community of Staten Island.

Thomas Ferrie – Punk Rock Mini Golf – Season V – $5,000

Punk Rock Mini Golf is a 9-hole mini golf course with local art and music at Maker Park for two weekends in June. Local bands will perform and local artists will showcase their art. They will highlight bands made up of people of color and women. Local food vendors cook onsite as well. The goal is to confound the misconception that Punk Rock is a dangerous, male-oriented genre, highlight its inclusive aspects, and provide a fun, family-friendly, safe space for people to appreciate art and music.

Thomas Fucaloro – Poetry in Motion Season 4 – $5,000

This program aims to document the human experience through film and poetry. Cinematographers will be paired with poets, specifically the youth poets they have expanded to work with, to create poetry videos. The goal is for the poets to tell and share soulful and thought-provoking stories to be recorded by videographers, bridging the North Shore, South Shore, and the other boroughs together.

Uthpala Eroshan – LODHA WANNAMA – $5,000

LODHA WANNAMA is a concert involving drumming, singing, and dancing. They will be adding a new rhythmic pattern to the singing art of Sri Lankan indigenous dance and creating new works with new melodies and rhythms. The theme centers around what factors led to the creation of the universe and humanity.

Cancer Tamer Foundation – Breast Cancer Comedy Dramedy Program – $2,250

The Breast Cancer Comedy Dramedy Program will teach participants to create their own comedic skits to share their journey of breast cancer with the audience. With the help of professional comedic instructors, they will have created a 5-10 minute comedy skit that they will perform live. The goal is to help the participants heal through laughter and help the audience gain a better idea of what it’s like to have this illness.

Canvas Institute – The Griot – $5,000

The Griot is a three-month immersive art experience celebrating the folk art traditions of the African diaspora. The exhibition aims to connect residents with the diverse cultural heritage of the African diaspora through an array of artistic disciplines, including photography, painting, sculpture, and visual art. They seek to educate, inspire, and foster meaningful connections across communities. There will also be community talks and panels, interactive workshops, performances, live demonstrations from featured artists, and opening and closing receptions.

Community Arts Commission – Westerleigh Folk Festival 2024 (WestFest 17) – $5,000

Westerleigh Folk Festival is a free, multicultural, and multigenerational day of art for the greater Staten Island community to support and showcase artists. WestFest will include a diverse array of disciplines, including music, handcrafted items, dance, fine art, and more. They will have two stages for performing artists, as well as a designated area for artists to display their work. Community Arts Commission plans to further diversify its artists and build a creative space that will connect and showcase creatives from different communities, generations, and cultures.

Maker Park Radio – Maker Park Radio’s Music & Art Festival Series – $5,000

Maker Park Radio’s Music & Art Festival Series takes place over four different music events from July to October: an Anniversary Fest, a Caribbean Fete, a September Stomp, and a Halloween event. The 8-year Anniversary event will include an art show based on the theme of outer space. The Caribbean Fete will have food vendors. The September Stomp will feature a dance floor, and the Halloween event will showcase experimental music. Each event will highlight different musical genres. The events are open to all ages, and the goal is to show how Maker Park and Maker Park Radio are community spaces, welcoming to everyone.

The Mighty String Demons – A Gratitude Concert – $1,700

The Gratitude Concert will include selections of American folk music and fiddle tunes, traditional Native American flute music, and classical music that reflects the nature of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Secular poems about gratitude will also be read, and audience members will be invited to share what they are thankful for in their lives. They will also encourage the audience to think about much of the popular and folk music that they listen to and connect it to their early roots.

Moonlight Productions NYC – The Staten Island Senior Acting Troupe – $5,000

The Staten Island Senior Acting Troupe will put on 4-5 live performances in the afternoons and evenings. Twenty-plus seniors ages 64-90 will express themselves through acting, singing, dancing, costume design, make-up, and technical operations. The goal is to build their self-esteem and give them a creative and social outlet. They hope for the seniors to become an inspiration for the community by showing them there is no age limit on what they are capable of.

Muslim Sisters of Staten Island – Geek Out at Staten Island Festival – $5,000

Geek Out at Staten Island Festival celebrates, encourages, and promotes geek culture. Free booth spaces will be given to local businesses and artists to help them sell and promote their work. Participants will be able to explore various artistic media through workshops and outdoor activities. They seek to bridge the gap between art and cultural experiences in underrepresented and underserved communities, especially for those with special needs, people of color, and youth.

The New York Concert Opera – New York Concert Opera Presents Bizet’s Carmen, in Concert – $5,000

Bizet’s Carmen in Concert is an experimental concert that brings the grand art of opera up close and personal. Community members will join professional singers and musicians in roles like singing in the chorus, lending artistic and technical experience, and volunteering. The goal is to provide affordable, accessible classical music opportunities to those who may not be able to travel or afford to see grand opera.

Richmond Choral Society – RCS Spring 2025 Concert, “Global Voices!” – $5,000

The Global Voices! concert will take audiences on a musical tour around the world, including various parts of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, India, and Australia at The Church of St. Clare. It will include works ranging from dance tunes, sea chanties, and love songs to sacred invocations, many of which will be sung in their original languages with a string quartet, percussion, and keyboard. The concert will also feature a solo performance by the winner of the annual Linda and Harald Reiersen Scholarship.

Seaview Playwright’s Theater – Stories of Love and Resilience: Stop Kiss and Vita & Virginia – $5,000

Stories of Love and Resilience will bring to the stage two powerful narratives written by female playwrights. Stop Kiss elaborated on the depths of human emotion and compassion as two female characters worked through visceral themes. Vita &Virginia illuminates the complexities of love and artistic collaboration between two women in early 20th-century England. The plays are a reminder that some love stories are not just worth telling but are also worth fighting for. 

Staten Island Philharmonic – Music Unites US 2025 – $5,000

Music Unites US 2025 is a concert where all of the composers and songs are connected to diversity. A full symphony orchestra of over 50 musicians will perform at Tottenville High School on October 5, 2025. They believe that America’s strength, like that of its music, is in its diversity. Some of the program selections include Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” “Let America Be America Again” by Gwyneth Walker, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Peregrinos” by Gabriela Lena Frank, and selections from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”

Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre – SIST Presents: Women’s Playwrights Collective – The Not Forgotten Play Festival – $5,000

The Not Forgotten Play Festival will include six original, 10-minute plays. They are hoping to amplify women’s voices that have long been silenced. They believe that showcasing original, contemporary work is an essential component of any healthy and vibrant local arts community and are emboldened and passionate about bringing this energy and momentum to the Staten Island arts scene. Hoping to use their production resources to shine a bright light on the female writers of Staten Island, the Staten Island Playhouse will produce the festival.

Viva Voce Chamber Ensemble – Summer Sundays at High Rock 2025 – $5,000

Summer Sundays at High Rock 2025 will showcase various ensembles on Sundays in July and August. A brass quintet, a woodwind quintet, a string quartet, High Rock Stock, and Little Big Band will perform works by local composers. Some of the music will reflect themes of noticing and caring for the environment to connect the audience with the natural environment of the park.

David Nudelman – Making the World A Better Place with Graphic Design – $2,500

Fifth-grade students at P.S. 21 will be challenged to think like designers while working together to create a design for a campaign t-shirt for their elementary school on the theme of making the community a better place. Students will be engaged in illustration, graphic design, marketing, screen printing, and journaling their experiences.

Serena Smith – “Let’s Grow Together, Part 3” Native Plant Retaining Wall Mural and Garden – $2,500

Students from “the Green Team” and the “Art Club” will paint a mural, complementary to one they painted last year on an exterior wall, on a retaining wall along the path of the school’s entrance. They will also learn about plants that are native to Staten Island and then plant them on school grounds once the mural is completed.

Staten Island Philharmonic – Band Together: Closing the Gap – $2,500

The brass, woodwind, and percussion sections of the Port Richmond High School music department will have intensive instructional sessions with experienced teaching artists to help them improve their technique and learn to play music from their classes. They will also discuss career opportunities in music, and identify higher education programs related to careers they would like to pursue.

Caryn Davis at Arrochar Friendship Club – Our Legacies: An Altered Book Project

Our Legacies: An Altered Book Project is a multi-disciplinary visual art-making workshop designed to create “Altered Books”, a particular style of art book. Techniques such as cutting and folding pages, collaging, and making pockets and pop-ups on the pages will be taught to participants in a series of workshops. The project’s goal is to help participants create a personal treasure that will creatively reflect the best of their lives. The workshops and a final celebration will take place at Arrochar Friendship Club.

Jose Ocasio at Anderson Neighborhood Senior Center – Using Drums and Percussion Instruments – Used in a Drum Circle Session

Using Drums and Percussion Instruments – Used in a Drum Circle Session will teach seniors how to use instruments and they will play in a group circle together. Playing instruments will foster better concentration and focus, lift self-esteem, provide deep inspiration, stimulate creativity, therapeutic relaxation, awaken senses, and support an overall state of well-being. The sessions will culminate at a Summer festival at Anderson NSC.

Judith Hugentobler at Mount Loretto Older Adult Center – Reframing the Natural World

Reframing the Natural World will have seniors work on individual ceramic plaque projects. Multiple processes such as drawing, collage and ceramic hand building and glazing are combined to develop a ceramic plaque with a raised relief design. The seniors will have the satisfaction of learning how to work with a design concept and to visualize that design, using materials they can easily manipulate. This program will culminate in an exhibition and celebration of the work at Mount Loretto OAC.

Kathryn Carse at JCCSI Bernikow Older Adult Center – The Art of Writing Words to Live By

The Art of Writing Words to Live By will be a series of writing workshops where seniors will write fables, poems, and six-word biographies. They will also learn about ekphratic poems, which takes its inspiration from a work of art – painting, sculpture, photograph even architecture. The final presentation will be a reading of fables and poems at JCC Bernikow OAC.

Victoria Venezia at Avis South Shore Older Adult Center – The Hollywood Experience

The Hollywood Experience will have seniors learn about the history and art of Filmmaking and the fundamentals of writing a screenplay for a short film. They will learn about improvisation and use that skill to help them create scenes & dialogue. The seniors will rehearse the script, film what they created, and hold a red carpet Hollywood-style film premiere screening of the completed project at Avis South Shore OAC.

Yevheniia Yaaresko at Cassidy Coles Older Adult Center – Childhood Memories Through Art

Childhood Memories Through Art invites senior participants to create a series of artworks that tell the stories of their childhood. Seniors will be actively engaged in weekly art-making sessions, where they will translate their childhood memories into visual narratives. The residency will culminate in a final exhibition showcasing the participants’ artworks at Cassidy Coles OAC.

To be announced!