Several Three Village arts and cultural organizations are the recipients of grants from Suffolk County totaling thousands of dollars, according to a list of organizations provided by Suffolk Legis. Kara Hahn, D-Setauket.
Those entities include Gallery North, Friends of Joseph Reboli, the Three Village Historical Society, the Staller Center, and the Long Island Museum of Art, History and Carriages.
In an interview with Patch on Tuesday, Hahn said the various arts and cultural institutions in the community are worth supporting.
"The Theatre Threes, the Staller Centers, the museums really provide experiences that people come here for," she said. "I do think they’re worth investing in. They add to and enrich our community."
The grants are funded entirely through the county's hotel and motel tax, Hahn said.
The organizations received varying grant amounts based on their individual programs and needs:
- Gallery North: $6,000
- Gallery North's Wet Paint Festival: $10,000
- Friends of Joseph Reboli: $10,000
- Staller Center for the Arts: $23,500
- Long Island Museum: $12,000
- Three Village Historical Society: $8,000
On Tuesday, representatives of some of those organizations expressed their gratitude for the financial boost from the county.
Judith Levy, director of Gallery North, called the grants exciting.
"Even though we’re a not-for-profit, we still spend money," she said. "You have all the normal things that all businesses need," she said. "[Hahn] has been really wonderful and extremely supportive and I’m thrilled that we got it."
The Wet Paint Festival is set for July 12 through July 14 this year at Old Field Farm. Levy said the county grant will help allow the festival to take place as usual.
"[It] brings in tourism and supports the artists in plein air painting," she said. "... It’s a fantastic event when people can stroll around and talk to and see the artists working, and see the product of what they’re doing."
At the Staller Center, the grant will go to support the annual Stony Brook Film Festival. Alan Inkles, director of the Staller Center, said not only will the grant help the festival keep its admission prices reasonable and expand the range of films the festival can show, but it will also help bring in what makes it most exciting: the filmmakers, producers, and actors who give Q&A sessions and meet-and-greets.
"It really allows anyone and everyone who wants to go to a festival the chance to go. I don’t want us to be an elitist festival," Inkles said. "That really is what the support of the county does. Eighty to 90 percent of our audience is from Suffolk County. ... To take a piece of that budget and put it right here, it’s going to come right back to our community."
