The Arts Branch of the YMCA, and Director Philip Memmer, Awarded Grants from the New York State Council on the Arts
SYRACUSE, NY – The Arts Branch of the YMCA of Central New York announced today a grant award of $40,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the YMCA’s literary arts programs at the Downtown Writers Center. Additionally, NYSCA awarded an Individual Artist Grant of $10,000 to the Arts Branch’s executive director, poet Philip Memmer. Following New York State’s historic investment for the arts, NYSCA has awarded $90 million since Spring 2022 to a record number of artists and organizations across the state.
Governor Kathy Hochul said, “As a cultural capital of the world, New York State is strengthened by our expansive coverage of the arts across all 62 counties. This year's historic commitment to the arts sector will spur our continuing recovery from the pandemic and set the course for a stronger future."
NYSCA Executive Director Mara Manus said, “We are immensely grateful to Governor Hochul and the Legislature for their unprecedented investment of $240 million to support arts organizations across the state. New York State arts organizations such as The Arts Branch of the YMCA are the cornerstone of our vibrant arts economy. As crucial drivers of our health and vitality, we are grateful to the unwavering dedication of arts workers across the state.”
NYSCA Chair Katherine Nicholls said, “On behalf of the entire Council, I congratulate The Arts Branch of the YMCA on this grant award. Their creative work provides the benefits of the arts to both their community and all of New York. Arts organizations are essential, leading our tourism economy and fueling sectors such as hospitality, transit, and Main Streets across our state.”
About the New York State Council on the Arts
NYSCA preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, NYSCA will award record funding in FY 2023, providing support across the full breadth of the arts.
NYSCA further advances New York's creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit http://www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.
About the Arts Branch of the YMCA of Central New York
Founded in 1999 with a mission to enrich lives through education in the visual, literary, and performing arts, the Arts Branch of the YMCA is the largest Y-based arts program provider in the nation, serving thousands of CNY residents annually through a wide variety of opportunities in the visual, literary, and performing arts, and employing over 120 teachers and artists throughout Onondaga County. https://www.ymcacny.org/locations/arts-branch
About Philip Memmer
Executive Director of the Arts Branch of the YMCA since 2000, Philip Memmer is the author of six books of poems, most recently Cairns (Lost Horse Press, 2022). His work has been published in such places as Poetry and Poetry London, and in the Library of Congress’s “Poetry 180” project. In addition to his work at the YMCA, Memmer serves as Publisher at Tiger Bark Press, and teaches creative writing at Hamilton College. https://philipmemmer.com