Artpark & Company elects officers, welcomes new directors & reports on 2020 season

Artpark & Company’s board of directors announced the election of new officers and directors at the organization’s annual meeting held virtually via Zoom on Oct. 28. Reelected officers include Joanne Bauer of Employer Services Corp. as chairwoman, Vincent Agnello of Niagara University as secretary, and Stephen Turner of the Bonadio Group as treasurer. Christopher Leardini was elected vice chairman.

New directors include Anthony Bannon, previous executive director of Burchfield Penney Art Center, and architect Max Willig.

The board reelected the following directors: Paulette Crooke, Francine DelMonte, Marcy Newman, Joseph Philippone, Michael Vitch and Jeffrey Williams.

Lewiston Town Supervisor Steve Broderick, Thomas Brydges, Daniel Cantara III, former Village of Lewiston Mayor Terry Collesano, Thomas Fatta, Brian Geary, Pamela Jacobs-Vogt, Seymour Knox IV, Alison Lytle, Assemblyman Angelo Morinello, New York State Sen. Robert Ortt, Sophia Smith, former Village of Lewiston Mayor Richard Soluri, Lorie Washuta, Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch and Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Rebecca Wydysh were elected to the advisory council for a one-year term.

The group also recognized previous board member Rose Gellman, who sadly passed away in June. Smith described her as “magical and irreplaceable. … She was a constant and critical patron of Artpark and helmed copious galas and fundraisers recruiting her circle to attend and also support Artpark as only she could do. Her devoted attendance at every major Artpark event added an air of sophistication and excitement. She started Young Artpark, recruiting young movers and shakers in the area to donate and attend events at the park, often hosting cast parties at her home for these events.”

Artpark & Company Executive Director Sonia Clark also presented a recap of the summer season. Prior to the pandemic, the season was on track to be the organization’s largest yet, both programmatically and financially.

Artpark stated, “While the cancellation or postponement of all large-scale concerts and gatherings also carried with it the loss of 80% of revenues, Artpark’s resiliency shone brightly.”

Clark explained, “Adversity is nothing new to the artistic community and, in just two months, we managed to imagine and plan an entirely new season specifically adapted to social distancing guidelines. We have to thank the New York State Parks team for working with us on meticulously planned operations, procedures and approvals. Miraculously, we still served over 10,000 park visitors with 31 programs over the course of the summer with safe and healthy, world-class artistic programming. And we are especially grateful to the foundations, corporate sponsors, and donors who gave generously to support these programs and our ‘Artpark Live’ campaign.”

For more information on Artpark & Company’s activities, initiatives and the ongoing “Artpark Live” fundraising campaign, visit artpark.net.