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The mission of the
Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts is to provide a creative education resource for people of all ages and abilities while celebrating the arts through classes, entertainment, exhibitions and special events.
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From the Director...
Come One, Come All to
The
Greatest Night Out!
As summer wraps up, we're already gearing up for The Lexington Foundation's Night Out on September 20! The theme this year is The Greatest Night Out, inspired by the hit movie musical The Greatest Showman. It's going to be a lot of fun, with live entertainment, roaming performers, a silent auction, raffles, cocktails, delicious food and plenty of colorful and exhilarating circus surprises!
All proceeds will benefit the Nigra Arts Center. There will also be a fundraiser for the Elmore Scholarship Fund, which benefits students of the
Transitions
program. Located in the arts center building, this award-winning program changes the lives of young people with learning differences by providing training in the skills they need to live independently and follow their college and career dreams.
There are several ways to take part in The Greatest Night Out. First, you can purchase individual tickets or tables for ten, with various options to choose from. Additionally, we are seeking sponsorships, advertisers for our programs and donors of raffle and auction items. For more information on how to get involved, CLICK HERE.
Since opening in 2015, the Nigra Arts Center has blossomed into the area's largest arts and entertainment resource. Hundreds of people pass through our doors every month for classes, family events, plays, concerts, art shows, children's camps and much more. We rely on the generous support of friends and neighbors to continue bringing the arts to our community. Please do YOUR part and join us for The Greatest Night Out on September 20. It is our largest fundraising event of the year, and it's bound to live up to its name!
Sue Nigra
Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts
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"Gems" to be Raffled Off
Visitors to the arts center are greeted by the sight of these delightful "Little Gems" as they enter our lobby.
Each mini 5" x 7" creation is unique and beautiful. Guests can purchase raffle tickets and select which gem(s) they would like to make their own. Tickets are $1 each, $5 for six or $10 for 12. Winners will be announced at The Greatest Night Out on September 20. All tickets purchased will benefit the arts center.
If you would like to create your own Little Gem, we'd love to hear from you! We provide the canvas and you donate it back to the arts center to be raffled off.
Contact Brenda Dwyer at 518-661-9932 or DwyerB@thearclexington.org or stop by to pick up your canvas.
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Featured Instructor: John Dickson
John Dickson has been teaching African drumming in our area for years. We are happy to have him teaching his popular African Drumming Circle Workshop the first Wednesday of each month at the arts center.
John welcomes the opportunity to pass along the basic fundamentals of African drumming to anyone who walks in the door.
"My personal goal in leading an African drumming workshop is to prove to all levels of drummers that they can create sounds needed from the drum to perform an African rhythm," says John. "Drumming starts with knowing you're going to have a good time. Once students relax, they can then learn the basic fundamentals. If you're smiling during the session, you're on your way to becoming an African drummer."
John has been an active participant in arts center events, including the Senior Soirée and Meet the Instructors Open House. Interested in John's African Drumming Circle Workshop? See our schedule HERE. He supplies the drums - all you have to do is show up!
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Kid Campers Create & Learn
Over the summer, children of all ages took part in seven different kid camps. Campers used their imaginations as they created various projects inspired by such themes such as cooking, theater, music and adventure!
Our deepest appreciation goes out to the Fifty-Plus Club of Johnstown for donating $200 towards our Kid Camp Program. Thanks to their support, we were able to purchase plenty of camp supplies this summer.
With school about to begin, keep the Nigra Arts Center in mind. Every time kids are on vacation, we hold fun and educational camps! Stay tuned...
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Art Show Winners in Spotlight
Congratulations to the winners of our third annual New York State Summer Art Show! The exhibition hangs until September 25 and features outstanding work from artists across the state. Awards were presented at an opening reception on July 12, which was attended by dozens of artists and members of the community. For details about the show,
CLICK HERE
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Awards were presented to winners by Brenda Dwyer, gallery administrator of the Nigra Arts Center, and Wally Hart, executive director of the Nigra Arts Center. Pictured in the first row, from left to right, are Linda Wilkinson, Tiina Bockrath, Constance A. Dodge and Sandra Hildreth accepting their awards. Pictured in the second row are "Marble Quarry" by Linda Wilkinson, "Koi Pond - Feeding" by Tiina Bockrath, "Hope Falls" by Constance A. Dodge and "Barnum Brook, May" by Sandra Hildreth. Pictured in the third row are Deborah Angilletta, Lewis Bryden, Timothy Prendergast and Margaret Bromford accepting their awards. Pictured in the fourth row are "Fly Creek Evening" by Deborah Angilletta, "Seafood" by Lewis Bryden, "Mike's" by Timothy Prendergast and "Meet the Onion Family" by Margaret Bromford.
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Senior Soirée Sizzles
We kicked off the first day of summer (June 22) with our largest crowd yet at the Summer Senior Soirée! Participants not only enjoyed a delicious lunch, they took part in a wide range of activities, from outside yoga and necklace making to classes on essential oils, Photography 101 and how to make scrumptious strawberry crème crêpes.
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Benefit Makes Splash...of Color!
It was a glorious day for our Color Splash Fun Run & Walk on July 21! Nearly 200 people were splashed with colorful dust as they made their way through our family-friendly course. All proceeds went to the arts center. We are thankful for everyone's colorful support, including our sponsor, First Choice Financial Federal Credit Union.
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Golf Tournament Triumphs
Fourteen teams enjoyed perfect weather on June 8 at Hales Mills Country Club for the second annual Lexington Golf Tournament. The event raised more than $10,000 to support programing at the Nigra Arts Center.
We are grateful for everyone who made this event possible, including our wonderful sponsors: OneGroup, Nunn Medical Group, Rose & Kiernan, Hill & Markes, Hometown Health Centers, Miracle Ear, Bonadio Group, Kingsboro Lumber, Prudential, Strategic Benefit Services, Antonucci's Wholesale, Ballston Spa National Bank, Bunkoff General Contractors, Steve and Kim Cirillo, Dowd Family, EBP/DSC Supply, Fulton County Electric, Galleria Flooring, Northern Electric, Builders First Source - Johnstown and R.H. Crown Co.
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Adaptive Arts Spotlight:
Heather Purtell
Heather Purtell loves the arts! Music is her favorite, but she loves coming to the Nigra Arts Center to participate in all kinds of art classes. Anything that brings out her creative talents makes Heather smile. She makes her own decisions about what kinds of events, classes and programs she attends. Visiting the Nigra Arts Center is high on Heather's priorities. She loves to learn from other artists and instructors.
Just recently, Heather signed up for the Caroga Lake Music Festival Music (CLMF) Camp. She worked one-on-one with a vocal instructor and CLMF faculty to practice singing, piano and percussion throughout the week. At the conclusion of camp, participants performed a concert with festival staff. Heather was radiant as a vocalist and played both the keyboard and percussion in the concert! She will continue with private vocal lessons from instructors at the Nigra Arts Center so she can continue to grow as a musical artist. Heather says she would be here every day if she could fit it into her schedule. We truly enjoy having her!
Adaptive Arts: The Nigra Arts Center offers accessible artistic experiences through classes that include people of all abilities and artistic skills. Our specially trained instructors and support staff are committed to providing a rewarding and satisfying creative journey for people with intellectual and developmental differences in an inspiring atmosphere where anyone from the community can participate. Adaptive tools and equipment are available and individual/group classes may be booked upon request. For more information about Adaptive Arts, contact Maria Nestle at 518-661-9932 or NestleM@thearclexington.org.
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Children's Author Visits Center
 Our gift shop offers all kinds of treasures, including a wonderful children's book by author, educator, artist and former Miss Fulton County Kerry Molina. Kerry, who used to call Gloversville home, now lives in Virginia. While back home on a visit, she dropped by the center for a tour and to sign copies of Kaci Keeps Going. Learn how Kerry's real-life experience inspired the uplifting book in this piece from the Leader-Herald. Drop by the arts center today to pick up a copy for your little one!
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Free Concert Hits High Note
We were delighted to host a free concert featuring members of The Glimmerglass Festival's Young Artists Program in July. The crowd loved the performance! Five amazing young artists performed numbers from a variety of operas and musicals, including West Side Story, Manon,
I Pagliacci, Giulio Cesare, Le nozze di Figaro, Romeo et Juliette, A Little Night Music and more. Thanks to the director of the Young Artists Program, Allen Perriello, accompanist Michael Lewis, singers Charles H. Eaton, Kresley Figueroa, Tesia Kwarteng and Christian Sanders, and sponsors John and Sunday Blackmon for making the concert possible.
Other performances this summer included Hitrick and Brooks and our most recent concert from the Caroga Lake Music Festival, which guests enjoyed with a scrumptious brunch. Our thanks, once again, to John and Sunday Blackmon for sponsoring that event.
CLICK HERE for a full list of our concerts.
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Big Apple Bus Trip to Benefit Center
Join us on December 8 for a day trip to New York City! You'll have the whole day to explore New York's incredible landmarks and attractions at your own pace. Our Brown Coach bus will depart from the Center at Lexington, 465 N. Perry St., Johnstown, at 6:30 a.m. and drop passengers off in the heart of the Big Apple. Get details and sign up HERE.
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Being a Member is Worth it!
If you haven't become a member yet, we'd love to have you! Membership starts at the $25 Tamarack level.
CLICK HERE
to sign up. Membership fees help us provide programs and events as well as year-round exhibitions, classes, workshops and creative collaborations with dozens of local community organizations and schools. All members of the Nigra Arts Center receive the following basic benefits for one year:
- Membership card
- Free entry to all exhibits
- Discounts on workshop, class fees and select performances
- Invitations to gallery receptions and special events
- Subscription to our e-newsletter
- Charitable tax deduction to the extent provided by law
The Nigra Arts Center is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association. This means that arts center members (at the $100 Red Spruce level and above) receive FREE admission and shop discounts at more than 900 NARM arts/cultural institutions across North America. Learn more
HERE
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We LOVE Our Donors & Sponsors
Our donors continue to make a difference in the growth of the Nigra Arts Center. Each donation helps us provide programs and events for everyone and expand educational and artistic offerings as we work to make this a community arts center people and their families visit again and again. We also thank our sponsors for their generous support of the center.
THANK YOU TO THE GENEROUS SPONSORS
OF THE 2018 NIGHT OUT:
CLICK HERE
to see a list of our donors and sponsors and how YOU can make a difference!
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The Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts is a program of The Lexington Foundation. To learn more about The Foundation,
click here.
For the latest news and information about classes and events at the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts,
visit our website
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