Made in America : Tech Valley Center of Gravity
Provides Makers a Space to Learn and Grow
Having done several projects with COG over the years it was an exciting surprise to see the amazing new offerings that the facility developed since the pandemic. In a recent tour after a long hiatus, I was literally blown away by the level of professional equipment, variety of applications and the on-sight expertise available in what is surely the regions premier community Makers Space. To get a better handle on it all, I spoke with Dan Falkenstrom - Operations Director at Tech Valley Center of Gravity.

"As a state-certified Incubator, we're especially equipped to help hardware startup companies developing physical products through our Manufacturing Incubator program. In line with that, we’ve placed an emphasis on making digital fabrication equipment accessible. It’s really exciting to see so many small businesses get their start here."

Corey Aldrich : Senior ACE Contributor
Creating Upstate :
5 Questions for 5 Capital Region Creatives
I asked the same five questions to five different creatives in an attempt to understand exactly why they’ve decided to plant a flag in the Capital Region’s Creative Economy. We tapped in with Screen Printers, Pizza Makers, Brand Developers and Social Media Entrepreneurs. Each person brings in their own unique ingredient helping us to write the recipe that will continue to feed the souls of folks around the Capital Region and beyond.

Jonah Michel : Freelance Contributor | Founder at AroundAlbany
Graffiti as Gravity - Part 3 of 3
Art and Community : From Local to Global
This 3-part series on the dynamic qualities of murals, street art, and graffiti—as both symbols of cultural consciousness and cultural commodities in their own right—highlights these genres as viable assets within the regional and global creative economies of today. In this third and final segment, the author discusses the connectivity between the local and the global with respect to artistic expression and community.

"I think most of us can agree that art serves as a fantastical creative vehicle for illuminating both the personal and the political, the pressing issues of our time, and the urgency of the universal human condition—we turn to art to experience her charms as the “saving sorceress” that she is."

Taliesin Thomas PHD | ACE! Guest Correspondent
FREE TICKETS to the Albany Symphony's
'Classics for the Holidays'
We partnered up with the multiple Grammy winning Albany Symphony Orchestra and are making available a block of FREE TICKETS (a $65 value each!) to the annual holiday extravaganza 'Classics for the Holidays' performance! Availability is first come first serve so jump on this asap if your interested. There is a two tickets per person limit.

This December you are invited to enjoy a night or afternoon with the Albany Symphony as Music Director David Alan Miller conducts the ASO in a program of 'Classics for the Holidays'. Come experience one of J.S. Bach’s beloved Christmas Cantatas featuring singers from the Bard Vocal Performance Program and his famous Double Violin Concerto featuring the ASO’s own Mitsuko Suzuki and Funda Cizmecioglu, plus a sinfonietta by influential 20th Century Black American composer and conductor Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson, and Mozart’s stunning Symphony No. 39.

Classics for the Holidays | Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30pm | Sunday, Dec. 11 at 3pm

Order free tickets to the Saturday Evening or Sunday Matinee performance by using offer code ACEGUEST at checkout, or by calling the ASO Box Office at 518.694.3300.

PRO TIP: If for some reason you get a 'seats unavailable' message try a different location.
INSIDE ACE! | CREATING A NEW PATH
Event work is slowing down for a quick minute and I am catching up on a lot of things including some of my own creative practice. I love this time of year in the Northeast, that crisp bite in the air and the deep color saturation of fall. This month has a variety of items of interest and jumps around the region. First off, a new look the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. They have been expanding their offerings and have a lot to offer the regions makers. Next, I hit up Jonah Michel again from AroundAlbany to ask some Capital Region creatives exactly what their value proposition is living in Upstate NY. Taliesin Thomas is back with her 3rd and final installment of the Graffiti as Gravity series. This one looks into public mural art as it represents the regional and international zeitgeist.

ACE! is excited to announce a partnership this month with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and have gotten access to a block of FREE TICKETS to their 'Classics for the Holidays' performance. Make sure to grab a couple for a great evening or afternoon in Troy at the world renowned Troy Music Hall. See story block above. Maybe we should plan a little pre or post party event for ACE! folks? More to come on that front.

Finally, if your from the Berkshire / Columbia County region, make sure to take a minute and fill out the survey link below to help them collect data for a regional pay equity initiative. Big thanks to Art OMI for dropping that in our inbox.

In close, I hope this month finds you happified with friends and family as we move into the holiday season. Until next time...keep it creative!

Corey Aldrich
ACE! : Executive Director

E: hello@upstateace.org | W: upstatecreative.org | SOCIALS: @upstatecreative
REGIONAL | NATIONAL NEWS and OPPORTUNITY
Arts Center of the Capital Region
Berkshire / Columbia Counties Arts Organizations Launch Regional Pay Equity Initiative
Equity starts with arts and culture workers being able to support themselves and their families. Passion is not a substitute for livable wages. But it is a common tale told by nonprofit employers, and employees too, as they try to make ends meet doing what they love. A collaboration of cultural nonprofits from Berkshire and Columbia Counties is seeking input about how chronic low pay for nonprofit arts professionals perpetuates inequities, contributes to personal and family instability, and is a barrier for participation in the regional arts and culture sector. For more information on the project collaboration CLICK HERE.

To ensure that all voices are heard, please take this brief survey for current and former entry- and mid-level regional arts and culture workers. The cohort hopes to amplify local voices reflecting on how employment works—or doesn’t work—for cultural employees in the Berkshire / Columbia County region. The survey will be open through December 5th.
Capital Region Job Opportunities

  • Stantec : Interior Designer
  • SWBR Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture : Project Designer
  • C2 Design Group : Various Including Senior Interior Designer, Architectural Designer and Architectural Visualizer / Designer

  • WMHT : Various Including President and CEO, Content and Engagement Producer and WMHT Classical Music Producer