Yonkers Among ArtsWestchester Honorees

Studios, galleries, festivals and arts-centric development projects have been the driving forces behind the revival of Yonkers as a hub of culture and creativity. And people who know a thing or two about art have taken notice.

The City of Yonkers will be among the honorees at ArtsWestchester’s Arts Award Luncheon, scheduled for April 8 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown. The Arts Awards are presented annually by ArtsWestchester to recognize individuals and organizations whose vision, commitment and leadership have enriched the cultural life of Westchester County. Yonkers is being honored in the Community category.

“The City of Yonkers is rapidly becoming an Arts City, welcoming artists with new zoning initiatives, fostering creative industries and supporting the cultural infrastructure as a vital component of a ‘happening’ place,” ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam said in announcing the award recipients.

In recent years, Yonkers Arts Weekend in the spring, a jazz series in the summer, and organizations such as Blue Door Gallery, Youth Theatre Interactions and newcomers SUNY Purchase and Urban Studio Unbound have added to the city’s artistic appeal. And in another nod to the city’s artistic bent, the work of Yonkers’ own Barbara Segal is being featured in ArtsWestchester’s spring exhibition, SHE: Deconstructing Female Identity.

Development around the arts is continuing in Yonkers. A grant awarded to R.J. Rose Realty, LLC will be used to develop an arts and technology hub at the former Alexander Smith Carpet Mills site, and an urban heritage waterfront sculpture will be created thanks to funding from another grant. The waterfront has been a hot spot for arts-related development: renowned designer Maya Lin and husband Daniel Wolf recently converted an outdated jail into a gallery and studios.