POTSDAM — James Bourey, Rebecca Donnelly, and Elizabeth Paige will receive Support for Artists grants from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support their creative work, sponsored by SLC Arts.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced more than 2,400 grants totaling over $63 million to support nonprofit arts and culture organizations and individual artists through the New York State Council on the Arts.
With more than $17 million previously awarded as multi-year grants, this funding round brings NYSCA’s Fiscal Year 2026 grantmaking totals to $80.9 million.
James Bourey’s Poetry of Place will embark on a multi-phase project to create a new body of persona poetry rooted in the unique experience of life along the U.S.–Canada border in Northern New York. Focusing on the rural border counties of St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Clinton, including the territory of Akwesasne, the poet will investigate how border proximity has shaped the lives, traditions, and identities of multigenerational families across time.
Rebecca Donnelly will be supported in the development of her middle grade novel The First and Last Dance of Miss Scarlett Letter, a work of fiction that explores the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity, censorship, and community through the eyes of a 12-year-old protagonist.
Elizabeth Paige’s Reimagining Icons will result in the creation of a brand-new body of work inspired by explorations in narrative portraiture. These works reinterpret major Western art historical compositions, like Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights and will incorporate community engagement as part of the creative process.
For more information: SLC Arts at slcartscouncil.org, arts@slcartscouncil.org/(315)265-6860.