FY2026 NYSCA Capital Projects Grantee!
Craigardan awarded $480,000 by the New York State Council on the Arts for a new multi-disciplinary Studio building.
Elizabethtown, NY - Craigardan announced today a grant award totaling $480,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the organization’s new multi-disciplinary Studio building. This grant is part of a capital project funding announcement by NYSCA, which totals over $82 million to 132 arts and culture facilities across New York State.
The new Studio is an important addition to Craigardan’s new main campus site, which first opened to the public in 2023. The Studio is a 2880 square foot, year-round building designed by Adirondack architect Nils Luderowski. The building will house a large community ceramics studio and raw materials lab for public classes, six private studios for ceramic artists-in-residence, a large visual arts studio, and four individual writer’s studios.
Craigardan’s Executive Director Michele Drozd said, “NYSCA has been an important partner in the construction of Craigardan’s interdisciplinary arts campus. These beautiful new buildings and spaces allow us to support and grow our local creative culture while bringing the world’s brightest artists and thinkers here to the Adirondacks.
“New York’s powerful arts and culture sector is a formidable asset,” Governor Hochul said. “Our continued investments in museums, theaters and art centers generate incredible returns — sparking innovation, boosting local economies, driving visitors and making us the global epicenter of arts and culture.”
New York State Council on the Arts Executive Director Erika Mallin said, “We know that when the arts flourish, communities follow — bringing energy, creating jobs, expanding accessibility, and increasing tourism. This grant program is a critical investment in our creative sector, empowering our creative community and inspiring innovation. Congratulations to all the grantees, we look forward to seeing these diverse projects develop all throughout the state.”
About Craigardan
Craigardan is an arts organization that nurtures interdisciplinary creative practice through an international residency program, community education, and the farming and stewarding of 320 acres of mountainside fields and forests in the Adirondack State Park of New York. We bring people together for residencies, courses, and events that span diverse artistic and knowledge disciplines in order to foster curiosity, inquiry, and collaboration. For more information on Craigardan, please visit www.craigardan.org.
About the New York State Council on the Arts
The mission of the New York State Council on the Arts is to foster and advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture, and creativity for all. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, the Council on the Arts will award over $161 million in FY 2027, serving hundreds of arts organizations and artists across all 10 state regions. The Council on the Arts further advances New York's creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Council is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, on X @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.