arts
A MILESTONE FOR THE ARTS by Natalie Axton
When Janet Langsam, the Executive Director of ArtsWestchester, first came to the organization, it was housed in the third floor of a corporate of- fice building off Interstate 287 and was virtually inaccessible to the public. This was something Langsam wanted to change. So when the opportu- nity to purchase 31 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains arose in 1998, Langsam saw it as a chance to give the arts a front row seat in Westchester County. The building, originally built for the People’s National Bank and Trust Company in 1929, was White Plains’ first skyscraper. By 1998 it was part of a section of downtown White Plains slated for an urban renewal project. In what can be described as a “coup,” ArtsWestchester acquired the building. A two-year renovation of the property at Mamaroneck Avenue in 2004 – 2005 brought the building back to life. Now almost fifty years old, ArtsWestchester is at home in its new building, renamed the Arts Exchange, a moniker that evokes its mer- cantile legacy and its new role as a creative hub. Its location – right in the center of White Plains, between the County office building and City Hall – makes a statement, says Langsam. “It says that the arts are important to Westchester,” she explains. The Arts Exchange is a world away from that office space off I-287. Its two-story gallery space is accessible from the street. ArtsWestchester programs several exhibits a year. Visitors to the gallery wander under a restored, coffered ceil- ing with plaster rosettes and can glimpse an original mural depicting the creation of the Kensico Dam. Light saturates the space from the restored original windows on three sides of the space. The old vault has been converted into a mini gallery space ideally suited to video installations. In the floors above the gallery the building holds a mix of office space (intended for creative businesses but currently leased to a mix of tenants), artist studios in various shapes and configurations, and rehearsal and public space. The plan is to develop the building into a kind of incubator for creative work in Westchester. In the meantime, the building acts as a beacon for the arts, explains Langsam. It also hosts classes in animation, ceramics, drawing, and writing. The Arts Exchange is just one part of ArtsWestchester’s mission but
ARTS EXCHANGE ENTRANCE DOORS
it’s a very visible reminder of the organization’s legacy of success. Arts Westchester is a public-private arts council that supports arts organiza- tions in Westchester County. “We are an advocate and funder of the arts,” says Langsam, and she estimates ArtsWestchester has distributed $35 million since its inception. One of the challenges of promoting the arts in Westchester is, of course, being in the shadow of New York City, whose numerous cultural institu- tions can lure residents away from local offerings. Says Langsam, “We are a funding organization but we realize our funding alone is not the only service that these [arts] organizations need.” Promoting the arts through media is a big part of ArtsWestchester’s mission. Recognizing that arts or- ganizations survive on both contributions and earned income, Langsam emphasizes that “an empty seat is one that doesn’t bring in any benefit to the organization.” To help get people in seats, ArtsWestchester produces a monthly publication called ArtsWNews that is inserted into and distrib- uted through The Examiner papers and the Westchester Business Journal. Arts Westchester prints 50,000 copies of ArtsWNews eleven times a year and estimates it reaches 100,000 people. In addition, the organization’s website was designed to be “event driven,” explains Langsam. “We’re constantly
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