The Arts In Southold Town on Long Island, New York supports and encourages participation in and appreciation of the arts by bringing opportunities for the residents of the North Fork and Shelter Island. |
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The Arts In Southold Town
Support and Encouragement Participation in and Appreciation of the Arts
The North Fork and the Arts: Continuing with the mission of bringing opportunities for the residents of the North Fork and Shelter Island to participate in the appreciation of the arts. The Arts' top priority has been, and remains, to reach and stimulate as wide a North Fork and general East End audience as possible; to become an integral, reliable feature of the community on both a local and regional footing. The Arts will continue to enhance this trend.
The North Fork of Long Island is a narrow peninsula thirty miles long, surrounded by water, and located less than 100 miles east of New York City. The resident population is estimated at about 20,000, but may more than double during the height of the tourist season which begins in April and continues through December. The predominant land use within the Town of Southold is agriculture, which provides magnificent vistas of cultivated fields, vineyards and open space. As one of the region's remaining unspoiled areas, the Nature Conservancy has declared it "one of the last great places" whose residents are singularly committed to preserving their environment and quality of life.
The North Fork, however, is entering a period of exciting growth. In general, more people with means and education are looking for a better place to live, and with it a more fulfilling lifestyle. Specifically, technology has made it increasingly possible for professionals to live and work where they want, without the inconvenience of commuting. As the baby boom generation nears retirement age, more people are buying and building in an area that offers safety, sanity, quiet, privacy, clean air, natural beauty, community and cultural advantage. What was previously only a seasonal economy has become a year-round one, positioned neatly between the New York metro area and the expanding cultural and business centers of New England.
The increasing cultural awareness and sophistication newer residents have brought with them has in turn fostered a demand for entertainment resources at an ever-higher standard. Concerts, theatre, art shows, festivals featuring nationally and internationally renowned figures are ever more frequent. The entire East End of Long Island, moreover, is now served by two television stations and two separate public radio stations, lined up cheek-by-jowl on the FM dial, and offering an ever-expanding variety of news, music and cultural interest programming.
Such growth has also spawned a handful of arts sponsorship organizations, founded and steered by people who now make their homes on the North Fork. Foremost among these is the Arts in Southold Town Inc., serving an area from Aquebogue to Orient, including Shelter Island, with concerts of classical and chamber music, jazz, art exhibits, and other events such as in-school master classes and presentations, all of a high caliber.
Exposure to the arts on the North Fork was limited before the advent of The Arts in late 1993. The Arts, a tax-exempt entity, was incorporated in 1994 in order to support and encourage participation in and appreciation of the arts. The Arts strives to bring singular performers to the North Fork while showcasing local talent to the fullest extent, specifically including the youth and in-school participation. There is no paid staff; all work is done by volunteers.
As of now, the audience served is varied, depending on the event - whether a concert or showcase for visual artists. It ranges from young families to students to seniors who are no longer able to afford to attend artistic events in New York City. Present audiences average 250 with a potential sold-out audience of 680. Sixteen years of the Arts' existence have brought steady growth in the quality of artists who come to perform for the organization, in audience attendance at these events, and above all, in the participation of different population groups within the area.
The Arts' top priority has been and remains, to reach and stimulate as wide a North Fork and general East End audience as possible; to become an integral, reliable feature of the community on both a local and regional footing. The Arts will continue to enhance this trend.
Tags: The Arts In Southold Town, North Fork arts, North Fork artists, Long Island arts, Long Island artists, arts, visual arts, Long Island, New York.
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The Arts In Southold Town
175 Emory Road
Cutchogue
NY 11935
631-734-6320
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