New York, NY— Mercy Home for Children is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $7,500.00 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) for FY2020 with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. NYSCA grants support the transformative impact of the performing, literary, visual and media arts in New York State.
Mercy Home received funding through NYSCA’s Special Arts Services Program to support JustImagine!, a new project which will foster meaningful collaborations between artists with special needs and typically developed local community artists. This project will cultivate a vibrant conversation in the arts that inspires artwork and raises awareness for artists with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental disabilities.
Just Imagine! will impact social change by challenging the barriers that exist between artists and communities while creating meaningful creative dialogue between the artists. This project aims to foster collaboration with artists, while helping our gifted artist grow professionally. We also look to share the jointly and individually created pieces that highlight the work of our residents and tell a story of their lives during two exhibitions and a performance/exhibition in the Spring.
“We are going to do so many wonderful things by just imagining,” said Janice Aris, Executive Director, Mercy Home for Children. “We are thankful to our partners New York State Council on the Arts, Rose M. Badgeley Charitable Trust, and TD Charitable Foundation, who imagined along with us.” The power of the vision of artists with developmental disabilities can help to influence other artists, prompting new dialogues, offering inspiration, and changing perceptions about individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Mercy Home is one of 462 arts organizations across New York State receiving a total of $8,383,993 million in grants through NYSCA’s Round II FY2020 funding to support arts programs that drive New York State’s economic growth and community health.
“The arts and culture are a critical driver of health in people and places,” said Mara Manus, Executive Director, New York State Council on the Arts. “Our state’s creative industries generate a total of $120 billion to the state economy, account for 466,000 jobs, and play a significant role in revitalization, education and social justice.”
NYSCA Round II grants also support creative arts programs promoting physical and mental health and personal and professional development in historically underserved and vulnerable communities, including those in geographically remote areas; disabled communities; impoverished and homeless populations; and justice-involved youth and adults.
NYSCA Round II grant awards were made through the agency’s Arts Education, Special Arts Services, Museum, Theatre, Music, Dance, Literature, and Visual Arts Programs.
About The New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts champions community and creativity by preserving and advancing numerous aspects of the cultural heritage that makes 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. Through its core grantmaking activity, NYSCA awarded $51M in FY2019 to 2,400 organizations statewide through direct grants and regrants in our 15 programs, the Regional Economic Development Council initiative and the Mid-Size Capital Project Fund. NYSCA funding supports the visual, literary, media and performing arts and includes dedicated support for arts education and underserved communities. NYSCA further advances New York's creative culture by hosting convenings with leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources.
Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960, and continued and expanded to the present day with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency of the Executive Branch of the New York State Government. For more information on NYSCA, please visit: www.arts.ny.gov.
About Mercy Home for Children
Mercy Home provide essential services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Mercy Home’s mission is to ensure the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities through the recognition of each person’s inherent dignity and right to a life filled with learning and love. Our mission is fulfilled in practice through our core values: respect, trust, teamwork, care, and compassion. Visit www.MercyHomeNY.org.
To learn more about this project contact:
Helen Stewart
Director of Development
Mercy Home for Children
273 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 12205
hstewart@mercyhomeny.org
718.832.1075 x 121
mercyhomeny.org