All about CAP

For over 30 years, our Grants, Programs, and Services have been a driving force behind the vibrant arts community of Ithaca and Tompkins County.

Images from top left clockwise: Leanora Mims (in red) at her fiber art exhibit in our CAP Artspace; Art Trail artist Barbara Mink's downtown Ithaca studio; Dance project by Kathy Lucas; Painting by Huga Medina from 2022 CAP ArtSpace Exhibit; Art Trail artist Linna Dolph and her stained glass work; grantees Greater Ithaca Activities Center's GIAC Jumpers; Admiring art in State of the Art Gallery; Grantee Civic Ensemble still from community based play; clip art; grantee Elisa Keeler and her virtual chorus

Our most recent Annual Report

PDF HERE

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CAP Team

Megan Barber
Executive Director
director@artspartner.org

Robin Schwartz
Grant & Program Director
programs@artspartner.org

Kenneth McLaurin
Program & Communications Specialist
marketing@artspartner.org

Community Arts Partnership Board 2024

Kathryn Henion, President
Kathy is a fiction writer and serves as a Communications Specialist for Cornell Engineering.
Dara Engler, Vice President
Dara is a visual artist and serves as Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Art, Art History & Architecture at Ithaca College.
Tom Bouman, Treasurer
Tom is a fiction writer and attorney with Coughlin & Gearhart, LLP.
Ritza Francois
Ritza is an arts aficionado and development professional.
Nick Goldsmith
Nick is a performance artist and program officer with the Park Foundation.
Seth Hiland
Seth in an attorney with Harris Beach, PLLC
Paulina Velázquez Solís
Paulina is a visual artist and lecturer at the Art, Art History and Architecture department at Ithaca College, and a visiting critic at Cornell University's School of Art, Architecture and Planning.
Whitney Tassie
Whitney is a Grants and Award Coordinator at the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell University.

Our Vision

A world where the arts and artists thrive.

Our Mission

To strengthen the arts in Tompkins County by supporting artists and arts groups, ensuring equitable access to the arts, and cultivating a creative culture that reflects our community’s diversity.

Our Programs and Grants

Connecting Artists and Audiences

The Ithaca Artist Market, the May Spring Writes Literary Festival, the CAP ArtSpace Gallery, the Greater Ithaca Art Trail and CAP-a-Palooza Art Sale are all CAP programs.

Funding the Arts in Tompkins County

We have six grant programs, and have distributed over 5.6 million since 1993 to artists, arts organizations, and not for profits for public programming, artist career opportunities, and school residencies.

Helping Artists Make a Life in Tompkins County

There are over 1,000 artists each year that benefit from CAP and that number continues to grow. CAP is proud to assist local artists in producing the creative work that so enriches our community.

CAP By The Numbers

* To date, CAP has helped to distribute more than $5.65 million in grants and fellowships into the hands of local artists, arts organizations, and not-for-profits doing arts programming.

* Grants in 2020 went to Arts Organizations, Not-For-Profits doings programming, individual artists, and artist residencies.

* Annual 2020 funding went to 15% visual artists and galleries, 70% performing artists and organizations doing performing arts programming, and 15% writers and writing organizations.

* 60 Artists received emergency grant funding of $11,875 in 2020.

* Since 1999, 29,000 visitors have enjoyed the Greater Ithaca Art Trail. 750 artists have earned $875,000.

* Since 1996, 48,000 visitors have attended the Ithaca Artists Markets. And 1,800 artists have earned over $1,000,000.

* Since 2010, 780 authors and playwrights have presented their work to 9,800 regional and worldwide visitors at the Spring Writes Literary Festival.

Major support for CAP comes from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the Tompkins County Tourism Program