The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) has announced a $16,000 award for General Operating Support (GOS) to the Crandell Theatre in Chatham, NY, for the 2019 calendar year. Funds will be used to support administrative services, year-round programming, and website development and management. As stated in the NYSCA guidelines, a GOS award represents an investment by NYSCA in an organizations ongoing work and is designed to reward exemplary practice in all areas of administration, finance, programming, and other organizational activities.
According to the Crandell Theatre’s Executive Director Annie Brody, For a number of years NYSCA provided important project support for the Crandell’s nationally recognized FilmColumbia festival held annually in October. But this is the first time NYSCA has granted funds that recognize the overall quality of our programs and activities, managerial and fiscal competence, and public service.î She went on to say, In addition to showing movies at the Crandell 365 days each year, we are delighted with this recognition of all of our programs, including the After School Film Making Program in county schools, Farm Film Fest in collaboration with the Columbia Land Conservancy, and our program to pay for film rights for county libraries to show movies.
Crandell Treasurer Viki Sand, who assisted with the application, said, Since 2010, those who have served on the Crandell board of directors have sought to bring best practice to the organization. In 2017-18, to be in full compliance with changes required by New York State’s Nonprofit Revitalization Act and to build sustainability, the board rewrote bylaws, updated financial management operations, and completed a Capital Master Plan that lays the groundwork for the completion of facility renovation. With this effort and new level of support from NYSCA, Sand offered, Everyone associated with the Crandell looks forward to keeping the marquee lights shining on Main Street for years to come.
The Crandell Theatre is a nonprofit community-based organization committed to the ideas that film and filmmaking provide an opportunity to enhance the lives of individuals, families, and communities, and that the Crandell Theatre is important to the economic and social vitality of Chatham. Since 2010, when the theatre was purchased by the Chatham Film Club (now Crandell Theatre), over 1,100 mainstream and independent films have been screened that now annually attract over 35,000 people.
The Crandell’s signature program FilmColumbia, in its 19th year, has screened over 500 films from around the world, 24 of which have received academy awards. In the past decade over $600,000 has been raised in the community to make much needed repairs, including a new roof, boiler, HVAC system, and new sound and digital projection systems to keep pace with filmmaking technology. In 2017, the Crandell Theatre was listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
The Crandell Theatre is located at 48 Main Street, Chatham, NY. For more information, call 518-392-3445 or visit www.crandelltheatre.org.