Our Impact
The ArtHouse Alliance prides itself on being an integral part of the historic Hawley-Green neighborhood and the Central New York artistic community at large. Founded by Joan Farrenkopf, who herself was integral to the Hawley-Green neighborhood being designated a National Historic District, the ArtHouse is literally the place that reflects the spirit of this re-envisioned vitalistic neighborhood.
We are "on the streets" and have a dedicated group that share their lives with the community. The artists within our programming are working privately, largely without institutional support, yet command a following within the community. This creates a mutually beneficial arrangement, where strong artists are offered the freedom and opportunity to share their art in their communities.
The ArtHouse also serves as a physical focal point for the broader artistic community. Local galleries, including the Point of Contact Gallery, Lightworks, and others have used the actual ArtHouse on 210 Green St, as accommodations for artists who are participating in events and showcasing their work in the Central New York community. Artists from around the world share their work and enrich the Central New York and Hawley-Green communities.
Our programming, ArtHouse Collective is divided into two categories, our Cultural Exchange programming and our Artist Engagement Residency. While there is intentional overlap, these programs are primarily targeted at two distinct audiences both represent the mission of ArtHouse: inclusivity and diversity with programs rooted in the local community. These events are distinct programming initiatives, uniquely inform one another and are rooted in our mission to foster public engagement in the arts, expand boundaries of exhibit making that supports and advocates creative, socially engaged individuals in the arts. As a cultural hub it seeks local expressive participants, who take action to solve social problems through cultural works.
ArtHouse creates opportunity for artists, regardless of socio-economic background. It promotes open access in programming to advocate, contribute and explore social engagement in creative ways. It seeks expression with participants to respond in the community by contributing through art, music and creative works. The National Endowment for the Arts’ research shows that community based arts enrichment programs have a strong impact cultivating engagement in low socio-economic status participants. While our educational programming looks outwards, meeting participants where they are, our artistic programming invites audience members into our community in the Hawley-Green neighborhood. We have partnered with local galleries to host concerts featuring local artists. Each artist approaches their craft with an intelligence and care that recognizes creativity’s role as a connective fabric in community aligning with the core values of The ArtHouse.
We believe that evaluation is an integral part of our growing process as an organization. Collecting the right data is necessary to be able to reflect internally on what is, and isn’t working, to be able to tell our story to external stakeholders. Our process includes record keeping at our events and in person interviews with participants/attendees when possible. This anecdotal collection is enhanced by online surveys administered when appropriate. -ArtHouse Alliance