Major grants announced for visitor center at Cobblestone Museum, GO Art! cultural center at Fairgrounds
Rendering by Red Green Design: The three-story GO Barn! building would have the look of a barn, with the silo having an elevator and stairs to access the three floors. GO Art! said the facility would boost arts programs, agricultural education and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced two major grants in Orleans County for arts and cultural projects.
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council was approved for a $7,793,000 grant towards the “GO Barn!” at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville.
The Cobblestone Museum also was approved for $716,000 towards a visitor’s center at the corner of routes 98 and 104 in Gaines. That new visitor’s center would go next to a brick house from the 1830s.
The two grants are among 134 arts and cultural grants totalling $86 million. Hochul said 75 percent of grants have been awarded to smaller arts organizations and communities outside of New York City.
“Our arts and culture sector is a powerhouse, inspiring the world with innovation and creativity,” Governor Hochul said in a press release. “By investing in our museums, our theaters and our arts centers, we enrich our communities, strengthen local economies and improve tourism all over the State.”
GO Art! is proposing the new building at the fairgrounds to serve as a dynamic hub for arts, culture, and community engagement in Orleans County, including: a multipurpose arts and cultural center inspired by the historic Wells Barn design; a dedicated space for fiber arts, workshops, and artisan programming; and a greenhouse, designed to grow plants for fabric dyeing and art creation.
The building is planned for the west end of the fairgrounds near Taylor Hill Road. The fairgrounds is an ideal location for the cultural center, located between Medina and Albion, Gregory Hallock, Go Art! executive director, said during a meeting on Oct. 29 about the project
“It will be a dynamic cultural community hub designed to bring arts, agricultural education, and entrepreneurial opportunities together under one roof,” he said then.
The building would have flexible or adaptable space that could be used for many things. Hallock and Go Art! envision two art galleries, artist studios and a residence where artists could bunk instead of driving home in the wee hours of the night. Hallock would like to the building to be used for many art forms – culinary, folk, horticultural, literary, visual, muli-media and more.
The facility would be accessible and inclusive to all community members, Hallock said. The GO Barn! would have hands-on programs in arts, agriculture and sustainability that would provide workforce readiness. Hallock said GO Art! wants to partner with local schools and organizations in “fostering a lifelong learning environment.”
This rendering shows the new visitor’s center for the Cobblestone Museum, left, which would be next to a historic brick home from the 1830s.
The state approved $716,000 for the Thompson-Kast Visitors Center at the Cobblestone Museum.
Museum director Doug Farley said construction will start soon on the project, which already has met an initial fundraising goal of $750,000 from the local community. The new building will be by the south end of a 1830s brick home, which the Cobblestone Society purchased as a visitors center. The addition will provide meeting space for 100 people.
The visitor’s center expand on the museum’s our campus of historic buildings.
The project, according to the museum, offers the following benefits for the community:
- Preservation of a 19th century structure from unrelated commercial activity
- High visibility at an essential crossroads location
- Plentiful additional parking including buses
- Expanding programming and visitation with year-round access
- Kitchenette for use by caterers or small receptions
- Multi-purpose room
- Room to partner with Orleans County Tourism
- New exhibit space to interpret Orleans County history
- Space for viewing an introductory video and new cobblestone interactive exhibits
- Distribute materials for all local attractions including the Medina Railroad Museum, Erie Canal, Point Breeze Lighthouse, camp grounds, marinas, Bed & Breakfast sites, sport fishing, agri-business, wine trail and more
