From the CEO: Bursting at the Seams

About Janet Langsam: During her time at the helm of ArtsWestchester, the organization – formerly known as the Westchester Arts Council – has grown from a $1 million to a $6 million agency and has excelled at making the arts more visible, diverse and accessible for all. ArtsWestchester offers financial and marketing support to emerging arts groups, cultural institutions and grassroots activities throughout Westchester County.

It has been so sweet to see arts organizations in Westchester coming back stronger than ever after Covid. I recently witnessed this at the Clay Art Center, which had an exhibition opening in sweltering July that kept no one from attending and purchasing inspiring clay objects on sale. It is clear to me that kilns aren’t the only thing that is red-hot at the Center: that day, the sun was also beating down on the Port Chester building… but most importantly, the gallery was alive with a group of dedicated visitors who were there to check out an exhibition and bring home works of art.

Emily Peck, the Center’s director, is no newcomer to the arts profession. She is someone with whom I worked when we were both on a committee for Americans for the Arts. She and artist Gloria Nixon Krough took me on a tour of the Center’s facilities, including the lab rooms, studios, kilns and clay works.

To me, there was a huge difference in what I saw compared to previous visits. More of the spaces were integrated and open to the public so that it’s possible to view the work and the studios simultaneously. It truly gives the impression that the Clay Art Center is bursting at the seams. That’s good news for all the hundreds of ceramic artists who either have studios, or show work there. Indeed it is one of the jewels of Westchester.