Dear Friends of the Arts,

I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself: My name is Alex Korman, and I am thrilled to serve as the new Executive Director of CNY Arts.

As you may know, our former Executive Director Stephen Butler retired in February after 16 years of dedication to this agency. Under Stephen’s extraordinary leadership, CNY Arts became the dynamic, multi-county service organization that we know today. We are all proud of Stephen’s numerous accomplishments and wish him the very best as he moves ahead with his own creative projects!

I was born and raised in Syracuse, and Central New York is my home. I treasure our incredible cultural heritage and artistic vibrancy; from baroque theaters and world-class museums to famous authors and significant historic sites, we should all be proud of Central New York’s creative legacy and cultural abundance.

To quote the Bard: past is prologue. Today, a new horizon of opportunity presents itself, and our creative community will be the key to success for many of the major social, industrial, and infrastructural changes in our region. It’s important to remember that the arts don’t exist in a vacuum — they are an essential part of our economy, identity, and humanity. 

Nevertheless, our sector is currently navigating a difficult time. We’re often asked about the status of grant funding in the year ahead. As a regrant site, CNY Arts administers funds on behalf of our government partners. We apply to agencies for funding consideration, and these amounts are typically determined during annual government budget cycles.

We are pleased to share that the New York State Council on the Arts has invited CNY Arts to apply as a designated regional regrant site in 2026 (i.e., Statewide Community Regrants, formerly Decentralization). If approved, this would replace the GRACE grants offered in 2024-2025. We anticipate learning more about the new program guidelines and available funding by November. The application cycle would launch shortly thereafter. Although this timeline is different compared to previous years, rest assured that we will keep you up to date every step of the way. 

I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead CNY Arts, and I remain committed to meeting the spirit of our mission: to promote, support, and celebrate arts and culture in Central New York. So, stay tuned for more workshops and webinars, more marketing resources, more networking opportunities, more educational initiatives, and more showcase events and award ceremonies – all designed to uplift our creative community, revitalize our main streets, and fully embrace the transformative power of artistic expression.

And please, feel free to reach out any time. Our staff are always available to help however we can.

Sincerely,