Pocono Arts Council is Moving!

The office of the Pocono Arts Council will relocate to 701 Main St., Suite 400, Stroudsburg, effective April 1, 2019 for a period of one year. The new mailing address is Pocono Arts Council, P.O. Box 686, Stroudsburg, PA 18360. The phone number will remain the same: 570-476-4460.

According to Executive Director Sue Randall, “The reality of the situation is that the Pocono Arts Council is underfunded and our current level of income generation does not enable us to remain at our 18 N. 7th Street location in Stroudsburg.

In addition, we received news that the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) re-granting program through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) has announced that Monroe County will fall under the Lehigh Valley region in FY 2020-21, including Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, and Monroe counties.

Simply put, if the Pocono Arts Council is no longer the entity to administer the PPA program, we lose relied-upon operating dollars from the state after 2019-20.” Building expenses and lack of funding has forced the organization to downsize and reorganize.

Thanks to a generous offer from Monroe County, affordable space has been made available in the county-owned office building at the southwest corner of 7th and Main Streets. The Pocono Arts Council intends to focus its efforts on establishing increased partnerships in the community to deliver services all over the region, rather than operating only in our central downtown Stroudsburg location.

In order to be good stewards of member donations and facilitators of state and local grant funds, the leadership and board of directors has determined that Pocono Arts Council will undergo the following changes beginning in April 2019:

The business office will relocate to 701 Main Street, Suite 401, Stroudsburg.

Upcoming art exhibitions will take place at various locations throughout the community, thanks to generous offers from our local supporters.

The Earth Speaks V exhibition will be held at the Dunning Art Gallery at NCC Monroe Campus in Tannersville from April 6-May 28 with an opening reception on Saturday April 27 from 1-3 PM

The Annual PoconoArts Members’ Exhibition will be held on Saturday, May 8 at 701 Main Street, Stroudsburg. Details to follow.

Beginning in June 2019, Pocono Arts Council several exhibitions and artists’ receptions will be held at the Auradell Gallery at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn and Resort. Other exhibitions will be held at various locations throughout the Poconos.

Seven PoconoArts public galleries will continue to feature member artwork. Thank you to the following places of business for providing gallery space and enabling area citizens to have access to the arts on a local basis: Better Homes and Gardens, Wilkins & Associates, Stroudsburg office; The Eastern Monroe Public Library; Pocono Eye Associates, East Stroudsburg; Rep. Maureen Madden, Stroudsburg office; Sen. Mario Scavello, Scotrun office; Vinny D’s Deli, East Stroudsburg; and soon to be added, Monroe County Courthouse.

PoconoArts Studio Classes will be held at new locations in the community, including the Eastern Monroe Public Library, Stroudsburg, and Northampton Community College-Monroe Campus, Tannersville.

A new Open Studio Tour event will take place April 27-28, featuring 13 member artists who will open up their studios to the general public.

A “Summer Fine Art Camp” for children ages 9-14 will be held for a second year in July 22-26, 2019 at the Pocono Heritage Center in Tannersville thanks to Pocono Township.

The following arts festivals will run as scheduled: Stroudsburg Arts Festival in downtown Stroudsburg (July 6); Festival of Wood in Milford (August 3-4); and The Pocono State Craft Festival at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm in Stroudsburg (August 24-25). The Pocono Arts Council is researching other ways to branch out into the community to continue to provide cultural opportunities and be a source of information for artists and cultural organizations.

Our mission will continue: “to build the community artistically and culturally by providing leadership, service, and education” and to promote the arts and artists of all genres in our area.

Follow the Pocono Arts Council on Facebook @poconoartscouncil, Instagram @poconoartscouncil, and Twitter @ArtsPocono.