Double your support of the arts

As the pandemic has forced arts organizations to dig deep into their creative pool to develop inventive and safe ways to engage the public in art, many have found themselves scrambling to raise funds as venues and exhibitions are shut down or severely limited.

Patchogue Arts Council has stayed true to its pandemic motto of “We never stopped, because the arts can’t stop,” and crafted interactive, socially distanced or completely digital initiatives to keep the arts community vibrant and involved.

But with a gala, logjam, and popular wine pairing series, “Wining about Art,” all unavailable to PAC, over 50 percent of their fundraising capabilities have been closed off.

There is also grave uncertainty about grant money this year, as the state is sure to face a fiscal calamity with lost revenue from the pandemic.

But the bright spot is that PAC has been bestowed a generous matching grant, where an anonymous donor will match every donation made to the organization.

So far, $5,000 has been raised (with the matching grant $10,000), but to fully cover operating costs and maintain the robust art exhibitions that are free to the public, PAC will need to raise an additional $10,000 (with the matching grant $20,000).

Proving that the creative spirit and marketing guru mind are often intertwined, PAC has concocted a cheeky, fun, and nostalgic campaign based on Doublemint Gum: “Doubling Your Impact and Doubling the Funds.”

In a mailer going out to 300 possible donors, PAC has included a lime-green envelope containing a limited-edition 11X17 poster (of which there were only 400 printed).

Featuring a beloved local artist, Carole Amodeo’s “Reflection” series is included in both the physical and digital mailer. The “Reflection” series has photos from many storefronts of local Patchogue businesses and is designed to create a double narrative from the initial image to the reflected image. Intended to be enjoyed and contemplated at first glance, Amodeo is adamant that “there is no photoshopping or enhancement of any kind in my pieces.”

The choice of artist for this year’s fundraising event is fitting, as this year is about looking at what is and searching for the emerging, alternate interpretation in order to survive.

But indeed, PAC has. During this year, moving to a digital platform, PAC has hosted a number of gatherings online to keep artists and art lovers in touch with new works. Some of these include, PAConnected, PAChats, Learning to Look, Stir Crazy Sessions, Coffee with a Curator, and Virtual Crit Group.

+/- International Virtual Festival of Arts in Quarantine brought dozens of local, national, and international artists to the community with probing, moving works that helped to settle the all-encompassing anxiety that consumed the public.

MoCA Lights, an ongoing and timely series with projection art displays throughout downtown Patchogue, was another incomparable feat of PAC this year, as it was the perfect culmination of grand art design and an outdoor, socially distanced gallery.

according to executive director Beth Giacummo, “As PAC is both a lifeline and artery to the arts community on Long Island, the fundraiser is an opportunity to keep the blood of creativity flowing in Patchogue.”