Getting it all together
FOCUS Greater Syracuse is highlighting 20 community achievements to marks its 20th year. It’s a glimpse of how far we have come since the 1998 community vision sessions set 87 goals. See what can be done and has been done, not necessarily by FOCUS, but by Forging Our Community’s United Strength. A challenge in 1998 was getting all the varied arts to work together, and that’s still the challenge. Try to find one photo to illustrate this category, and the choices are overwhelming.
From Symphoria to sidewalk chalk art, Syracuse is filled with free music festivals, drama, dance, and sculpture on the streets, including some kinetic art that sings and dances. It’s all surrounded by some of the finest examples of architecture, including the Everson Museum of Art. Designed by the famed I.M. Pei and opened in 1968, it is a bit of urban sculpture itself.
Weekend and weeknight activities keep the city center hopping. Artsweek will take 10 days this year from July 19 to 29 for several festivals—the Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, the 10 year of the Stage of Nations Ecofest, New Times Street Painting Festival, and the Americu Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival.
Syracuse at the urging of FOCUS and others created a cultural district. Then the Cultural Resource Center of Syracuse & Onondaga County rebranded itself as CNY Arts in 2012 and expanded its mission in collaboration with arts organizations in surrounding counties. CNY Arts offers a regional calendar of arts related activities and online listings of jobs for those affiliated with the arts at its website cnyarts.org .
The Downtown Committee keeps tabs on all things going on in Tract 32 with a calendar at web site www.downtownsyracuse.com. Outside of that single Census Tract there’s plenty going on yearround at sites like Syracuse Stage, La Casita, and Community Folk Art Gallery. And there are real outside events such as Shakespeare in the Park at Thornden Park. For the 2018 plays see www.ssitp.org .
Read about the 87 other goals and how far the people of Greater Syracuse have progressed with them.