Poughkeepsie Open Studios organizers ask Public Arts Commission for sponsorship and outreach help

Organizers of Poughkeepsie Open Studios asked the Poughkeepsie Public Arts Commission on May 15 to consider sponsoring the event, helping with promotion and creating a small fund to cover participation fees for artists who cannot afford them.

The request came during a presentation from Nikki Hung, gallery director at Women's Work Art and the 2025 Open Studios lead organizer, and Eleanor Levy, co-organizer and assistant director at Women's Work Art. Hung said Open Studios will expand beyond visual arts to include performances, music, dance and literary events, and that Gallery 40 will host a launch party and a wrap party to build community among participating artists. "We would never, I would say we would not turn anyone away if they came to us and said, look, simply cannot afford it," Hung said during the meeting.

Commissioners pressed for details about costs and accessibility. Commissioners and organizers said the program charges a $30 participation fee that covers marketing and a map; organizers said the fee helps pay for promotional materials and a digital presence and that their goal is to break even. "That money is basically covered in media and a map," Hung said. Commissioners suggested the commission could set aside a limited sponsorship fund to cover participant fees for artists in need and discussed a "pay-it-forward" option allowing patrons to buy a slot for another artist.

Organizers said Open Studios will partner with downtown venues and institutions including Gallery 40, Conveyor, the Underwear Factory and the Academy (33 Academy Street). They also said they planned to align the event with the Hudson Valley Ramble in September to leverage free regional publicity and were pursuing relationships with Destination Dutchess and the Business Improvement District for additional outreach. Hung said a website and social-media push are in development; she estimated the Open Studios social accounts currently receive about 5,000–6,000 visits per month.

Commissioners did not vote on funding at the meeting. Instead, commission leadership said they would discuss whether and at what level to provide support during the commission's next working session. "We will, during our next working session, discuss, at what level or if there is a level of what type of support we can give the Open Studios events," a commissioner said. The organizers requested clarity that any sponsorship used to pay an artist's fee would still ensure the artist receives the same marketing and inclusion as a paying participant.

Organizers said the program will welcome artists who lack dedicated studio space by providing shared sites, and that youth programming will be pursued through partners such as ArtEffect and local organizations. They also described plans for a fundraiser exhibition at Women's Work to underwrite program costs and to offer professional-development workshops for participating artists.

The commission indicated support in concept and agreed to consider a limited sponsorship allocation; no formal appropriation or vote occurred at the May 15 meeting. The organizers asked the commission to be explicit about the commission's involvement on promotional materials if funding is provided.