Author: Saratoga TODAY

 SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces that “Caffè Lena @ SPAC”  will return to premiere a special, limited screening of ‘Mavis 80, A Newport Folk Revival’ on the SPAC Grounds at 8 p.m. on July 31. The broadcast, which was previously recorded live in Los Angeles at The Theatre At Ace Hotel on May 22, 2019, is exclusive to Newport Folk Festival and “Caffe Lena @ SPAC.” 

The SPAC lawn is the only place where the concert will be streamed in person, with a limited capacity of only 50 people, and with carefully mapped out, socially-distanced seating and rigorous COVID protocols.

“This is a very emotional moment for us, to be able to open our gates again for the communal enjoyment of great music-making. To be able to partner with Caffè Lena and Newport Folk Festival around artists like Mavis Staples, Trombone Shorty and Deva Mahal — all SPAC Jazz Fest favorites — makes this event incredibly meaningful,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. 

The broadcast ‘Mavis 80, A Newport Folk Revival,’ is the premiere of Mavis Staples’ 80th birthday celebration in Los Angeles, following shows in New York and Nashville. Staples was joined by Jason Isbell, Phoebe Bridgers, Brandi Carlile, M. Ward, Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison, Dawes’ Griffin and Taylor Goldsmith, Benjamin Booker, Ben Harper, Lucius, Trombone Shorty, Joe Henry, Son Little, the War & Treaty, and more. The show was produced by Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. and proceeds from the “Caffè Lena @ SPAC” screening will support the Foundation’s music education programs. 

 This “Caffè Lena @ SPAC” event will take place rain or shine around SPAC’s new concession building, “The Pines,” and its new HD screen. Designated 10X10 lawn spaces will be allocated and reserved for ticket buyers. Tickets are available to purchase for $25 as a box, which seats up to two people.  All guests are required to purchase tickets in advance at https://nvite.com/caffelena/f1f59; tickets will not be available for purchase at the door. Guests are permitted to bring chairs, blankets, factory sealed water bottles and essential personal items.  Food and alcohol are not permitted on the grounds, however Mazzone Hospitality will be on site to provide food and beverage options. 

All attendees will need to enter through the Hall of Springs Gate and are required to complete a health screening questionnaire upon entry. Guests are required to wear a face mask at all times unless situated in their reserved box. Restrooms will be available with social distancing and enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols in place in accordance with recommended guidelines. Visit spac.org for additional details.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Arts has opened up the application process for its 2021 Decentralization Grants cycle. Designated as a Decentralized Grants Program (DEC) site by the New York State Council on the Arts, Saratoga Arts provides regrant funding for arts and cultural projects throughout Fulton, Montgomery and Saratoga Counties each year.

Saratoga Arts’ Decentralization Grants Program offers three categories of grant funding: Community Arts Grants for qualified organizations, Artist Grants to support individual artists and their work and Arts Education Grants for short-term artist residencies that take place in the community or in schools.

The deadline to apply for Saratoga Arts Decentralization Grants for projects taking place in 2021 is Nov. 6, 2020. 

Informative grants educational sessions have been scheduled as a series of webinars from end of July through September, with additional live seminars on-site at the Arts Center that will only run if it is safe to do so at that point. All interested new and returning applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of these sessions to learn all about our new fully online application process and other important details and changes in program guidelines made in response to the pandemic’s impact on the arts.

The first set of Grants Webinars will be offered through Zoom video conferencing 

For more details on the application process, grants guidelines, deadlines, requirements and informational grants webinars, please go to: saratoga-arts.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College received a $1.5 million grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the museum announced this week. The grant will build the Tang’s endowment and expand K-12 and community educational programming throughout the region and beyond.

The Tang’s educational program usually reaches more than 8,000 people of all ages each year through programs in the museum like the popular Family Saturdays, as well as workshops at schools, libraries, and community centers, especially in underserved urban, rural, and suburban areas across the region. 

These programs often feature interpretive exercises of artwork in exhibitions or from the Tang collection, and art-making projects. Since the pandemic, the program has moved online to offer a wealth of art-making activities at tang.skidmore.edu/tang-at-home. Museum educators also conduct teacher training for K-12 educators from around the region. 

The grant will endow a key Tang position, which will now be called The Laurie M. Tisch Educator for K-12 and Community Programs. The grant will also fund programming to expand the Museum’s reach to new audiences, especially school students and adults in traditionally underserved areas.

The Tang Teaching Museum was founded in 2000 and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2020 with a series of exhibitions. Details and programs will be announced in the coming months. 

The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund is a New York City-based foundation that strives to improve access and opportunity for all New Yorkers and foster healthy and vibrant communities. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga’s Star Radio on 93.3FM, 1160AM, and 900AM, is looking to help three local businesses advertise their company’s reopening through an enter-to-win a $10,000 Marketing Campaign Contest. There will be three prizes awarded, worth $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500. 

To participate in the $10K Marketing Campaign Contest, businesses are asked to hang up a Star Radio Open/Closed sign and take a photo of their storefront with the sign on display. Photos can then be submitted on the Star website at starsaratoga.com. Once a business has registered for the contest, their name will be added to a new business directory on the Star Radio website. The contest entry deadline is 12 a.m. Monday, Aug.  31. Prizes will be awarded on Friday, Sept. 4 on the Star Morning Show with John Meaney in the 8 a.m. hour. 

First Prize includes six months of airtime on Saratoga’s Star Radio, six boosted posts on social media, a Pre-Roll streaming ad on Star’s mobile app for one month and a display ad on starsaratoga.com for one year. Second Prize includes three months of airtime, three boosted posts on social media, a Pre-Roll streaming ad on Star’s mobile app for one month and a display ad on the Star website for six months. Third Prize includes one month of radio airtime, one boosted post on social media and a display ad on starsaratoga.com for three months. A full list of contest rules and eligibility requirements is available on starsaratoga.com. 

Locally owned and operated, Saratoga’s Star Radio offers a mix of music, local news and relevant information to listeners living in the Saratoga region.