Huntington Arts Council holds Long Island Grants for the Arts award ceremony

Huntington Arts Council holds Long Island Grants for the Arts award ceremony

The Huntington Arts Council (HAC) celebrated the 2025 recipients of their Long Island Grants for the Arts Program with an award ceremony on December 16 at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington.

The evening was well attended with over 90 people which included artists, arts organizations, friends, family and local elected officials. 40 Artist Fellowship Grants were awarded and 20 GOS totaling $358,000 in granted funds. (See the list below) Huntington Arts Council’s Long Island Grants for the Arts Program is the first to administer an Artist Fellowship Grant on Long Island.

“HAC continues to provide critical support to Long Island’s creative sector through the Long Island Grants for the Arts Program.” Said Executive Director, Kieran Johnson.

“Monday evening was a testament to the dedication of the leadership and staff’s work to support the arts and culture communities across Long Island. It has been, and continues to be, HAC’s goal to nurture the growth of artists and cultural organizations who provide increased access to culture and creativity. We are looking forward to the remarkable work that will be created through these grants. HAC is grateful to State and Local officials for providing fiscal resources to grow this program. Thank you to Assemblyman Steve Stern, Assemblyman Keith P. Brown and Town Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo for attending our event and their words of support,” he said.

The Artist Fellowship Grant prioritizes funding individual artists to support, expand and grow their artistic practice. The Artist Fellowship is a $5,000 grant for individual artists working in all disciplines.

The General Operating Support Grant seeks to provide an impact on strengthening smaller, community-based arts and culture organizations. General Operating Support Grant is for arts and cultural organizations with a fiscal year budget of $400,000 or less. Funds are awarded at $7,000 or $10,000.

“The arts and culture sector on Long Island spans the length and width of the island. It lives in all of the community bands, orchestras, arts councils, theater groups, museums, and artists of all disciplines. They work hard, wherever they can, to create art, music, theater, film and more to share with their communities. I am proud to be part of an organization that supports and advocates for all the artists and organizations providing arts experiences for everyone on Long Island.” Said Patty Eljaiek, Grants Coordinator

Long Island Grants for the Arts are made possible through funding from the NY State Legislature and the office of the Governor of New York. Our ongoing grant opportunities, Artist Fellowship General Operating Support and Community Impact Micro Grants, have been tailored to meet the expressed needs of individual artists and non-profit arts organizations throughout Nassau and Suffolk.

Congratulations to all of the 2025 Long Island Grants for the Arts Awardees.

2025 Artist Fellows

Nassau County                        

Alicia Evans

Brooke Di Spirito

Donald Vega

Jaishri Abichandani

Jared Long

Michael Shapira

Paul Anagnostopoulos

Suffolk County

Brianna Hernandez

Brianna Sander

Christina Lee Stow

Christine Baum

Christine Donnelly

Constance Maria Wolf

Dana Parsons

Edward Acosta

Emma Pinezich

Gabriella Grama

Galina Carroll

Jessica Payes

John Testa

Karen Michel

Lauren Gotard

Luanda Lozano

Lydia Rivera

Margarita Espada

María Spector

Mark D. Nikirk

Mary Elizabeth Benedetto

Melanie Diane Berardicelli

Melissa Dennihy

Michael Celentano

Michael Krasowitz

Michelle LaPorte

Moriah Ray-Britt

Oksana Danziger

Ron Becker

Salvatore Santiago

Sarah Gross

Segundo Orellana

Sherry Davis

General Operating Support Grantees

Nassau County

Dance Visions NY, In

eVoco Voice Collective

Friends of North Shore Symphony Orchestra

The Art Guild of Port Washington

The Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra, Inc.

Westbury Arts, Inc.

Suffolk County

Arts Center at Duck Creek, Inc

Arts Project of Cherry Grove, New York Inc

Bay Area Friends of the Fine Arts

Bay Shore Schools Arts Education Fund (BSSAEF)

Eastline Players Corp

Hamptons Doc Fest

Island Symphony Orchestra

Long Island Orchestra, Inc.

Rites of Spring Music Festival, Inc.

Smithtown Community Band

Stage the Change, Inc

Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja Inc.

The Jam Session, Inc.

The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art

For more information on our Long Island Grants for the Arts Program go to www.huntingtonarts.org