Announcing the 2021 Community Arts Grantees!
Spring is a time of new growth and new beginnings. In Washington Square Park, it’s also when in-Park programs start up again, filling the days (and Park!) with music, dancing, and laughter. Since 2016, WSPC has provided funding in the form of grants—$500-$2,000—to help support community organizations and local arts groups who have built a strong relationship with the Park and Village neighbors. Since the program’s inception, the Conservancy has provided nearly $38,000 in funding, including providing grants in 2020 regardless of a group’s ability to program during the pandemic. We’re proud to add nearly $14,000 more to that total for this year’s grant cycle.
Each of the grant awardees—selected by a panel of community members and arts programming experts—will present free cultural programming in the Park this summer and fall.
Grants were awarded to groups bringing concerts, films, theatrical and comedic performances, dance, and even an open-air writing room to the Park. You’ll likely find some familiar faces, as some of these groups have been hosting events in WSP for generations!
Meet the Grantees:
Dances for a Variable Population
Washington Square Park Folk Festival
Washington Square Music Festival
Programs like these are essential to the fabric of Washington Square Park. While each of these groups received a grant in 2020, the pandemic prevented any of them from hosting in-Park events, and their presence was sorely missed. While WSP had been designated for “general usage” by NYC Parks partway through the pandemic—meaning that there were no event permits issued to any groups—that designation has finally changed. We are thrilled to see in-Park programs returning to WSP this summer! Along with the fitness and children’s programs hosted by WSPC, these events are part of our ongoing effort to bring positive uses to areas of the Park negatively impacted by inappropriate or illegal activity.
Events will be posted to our website as they are scheduled, so keep an eye out for your favorites. This season is not one to be missed, and we’ll look forward to seeing you at the Park!