Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes
Making art costs money. Studio time, materials, tools, and the space to pursue a project that has no guaranteed return. For working artists in the Southern Finger Lakes, that reality can mean good ideas stay on paper indefinitely.
The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes exists, in part, to change that.
One example is how they connect artists with funding. Through its role as fiscal sponsor for the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Support for Artists grant program, the Arts Council has helped connect local artists with real funding for original work. Over the last five years, that has added up to roughly 45 grants and $450,000 directed to artists in the region.
“It’s been pretty amazing,” said Chris Walters, Executive Director of the Arts Council.
What the Arts Council Actually Does
The Arts Council is a service organization, and its work extends well beyond grants. It runs the Evelyn Peeler Peacock Gallery in Corning, a free exhibition space that, for many artists, represents their first time ever showing work publicly. It coordinates one of the oldest continuous outdoor art shows in Hammondsport. It supports folk arts programming, workshops, and teaching partnerships with local libraries, schools, youth centers, the Rockwell Museum, and 171 Cedar Arts.
But the grant sponsorship work is where the financial impact becomes most direct.
NYSCA Support for Artists grants are funded through the New York State Council on the Arts, with support from the governor’s office and the state legislature. They are designed to fund the creation of new work by individual artists. The amounts are substantial. For many artists, the difference between pursuing a project and shelving it lies in making the decision.
“These grants are really phenomenal because they’re a large amount of money,” Chris said. “Being an artist is very expensive. A lot of these artists will do personal projects for these grants, something maybe they wouldn’t pursue if they didn’t get the funding.”
More Than a Middleman
Fiscal sponsorship means the Arts Council formally administers the grant on behalf of individual artists who otherwise wouldn’t have the nonprofit infrastructure to apply on their own. But Owens is clear that the role goes further than paperwork.
“The Arts Council’s role in supporting these applications is that not only do we submit the applications, but we also provide a lot of technical assistance,” said T.C. Owens, Director of Folk and Traditional Arts at the Arts Council. “That can be a very intimidating process to a lot of people. But as a fiscal sponsor, we’re able to work with people one-on-one to really craft their applications.”
Many of the artists who come through the program have worked with the Arts Council for years. Others find their way in through the gallery or community programming. Either way, the organization’s mission stays consistent.
“Our mission is to make sure that our local artists have access to this, and we can support them in any way possible,” Owens said.
Some of The Artists Behind The 2026 Grants
Two of the 2026 NYSCA awardees reflect the range of work the Arts Council helps bring to life.
Tony Moretti, a Hammondsport-based metal sculptor who works under the name Crow’s Nest Artists, has spent 15 years building a relationship with the Arts Council. He grew up in Hammondsport, spent time in Arizona, San Francisco, and California, and eventually returned to the Finger Lakes with his wife, where they’ve built a practice centered on steel, bronze, and copper.
“It’s just the magic of moving this material that seems so hard and durable, and being able to move it like it’s clay,” he said.
This grant is funding a large-scale sculpture for the Tanglewood Nature Center in Elmira, which is constructing an elevated canopy walkway through the trees. Moretti’s piece: a nest holding three owlets, cast in a mix of bronze and forged metals, designed to serve as a companion to Tanglewood’s owl logo.
“We already wanted to make something for them,” he said. “So we applied to build this nest.”
Apoorva Sonavani moved to Corning six years ago, and from India to the U.S. 10 years ago. For most of her life, art was something she did after everything else. “It started becoming as if I was an engineer in the day shift and an artist in the night shift,” she said.
Her project, Abhivyakti, draws from six major Indian folk art traditions, including Pichwai, Madhubani, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Warli, and Phad, and brings them into conversation with a contemporary audience. The title means expression. The work is rooted in centuries of visual tradition, but Sonavani is approaching it through a modern lens.
“My work will essentially take place from a contemporary lens, trying to make Indian folk art relevant to the modern soul,” she said.
For Sonavani, the Arts Council has been central to her growth as an artist in the Southern Tier. “I would first like to thank the Arts Council for always being an encouraging and empowering platform,” she said. “It has empowered me a lot as an artist and given me an identity.”
How to Get Involved
The Arts Council welcomes artists at all levels, whether you are seeking exhibition space, grant support, or simply a place to connect with other creatives in the region.
The Peacock Gallery hosts regular artist member shows open to visual artists who want to display and network. The gallery is located at 79 West Market Street in Corning, and T.C. Owens’ invitation is straightforward: “Just stop in.”
For anyone curious about the NYSCA grant program or other funding opportunities, the Arts Council is the right first call.
The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes is located at 79 West Market Street in Corning, NY. Learn more about their programs, gallery, and grant sponsorship at earts.org.
Interested in the creative community across the Southern Finger Lakes? Explore more on our Lifestyle page, or visit our Help Me Move page to learn what it’s like to live and work in this region.