Arts Mid-Hudson exec turns to city council to promote district

City of Poughkeepsie-based glass artist Jeep Johnson stands March 28 in his North Hamilton Street workspace. / Photos by Darryl Bautista/Poughkeepsie Journal

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John W. Barry

Poughkeepsie Journal

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One of six pieces Johnson will exhibit in France this month. Johnson says an arts district could change his approach to art.

Economic impact of the arts

More than $11 million: Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie
More than $12 million: Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie
More than $2 million: Mill Street Loft in Poughkeepsie
Source: Americans for the Arts

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In the absence of any response from Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik, Arts Mid-Hudson Executive Director Linda Marston-Reid is working with Common Council members to tap the economic impact of the arts in the city.

Marston-Reid said she has yet to hear back from Tkazyik on her proposal for an arts district, the heart of a plan to generate tourism, after he canceled a meeting in July because of a water emergency in the city. Tkazyik in January told the Journal that his staff reviewed the information Marston-Reid passed along last year and the city was waiting for the completion of a waterfront study, part of a zoning code overhaul, before proceeding with plans for the arts district.

Tkazyik did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

“We really need the municipal leadership to take hold of an opportunity that the arts and arts organizations are offering to the city,” Marston-Reid said, “as a way to build our economy here, make it a more livable city, make it a more exciting place to live.”

The proposed district and Tkazyik’s commitment to the local cultural community are critical to the City of Poughkeepsie because the arts are a proven catalyst for revitalization, growth, economic development and tourism, Marston-Reid said.

According to Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit arts advocacy organization, the arts in Dutchess County have a multimillion-dollar economic impact. And an arts district could help Arts Mid-Hudson drive tourism by giving the group a tool to market the local arts community throughout the region, according to officials.

Tourism in 2012 generated $475 million, according to Dutchess County Tourism. And Mary Kay Vrba, executive director of Dutchess County Tourism, has said the arts in the City of Poughkeepsie could serve as a catalyst for tourism and growth as they did in Beacon. Dia:Beacon, the contemporary art museum that opened in 2003, has played a pivotal role in the revitalization of Beacon, with Dia creating an art scene based on tourism.

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