Individuals can support the Art Park either by becoming a member, making a donation, or becoming a volunteer. To find out more, click on the menu items above.

WHO FUNDS THE ART PARK?

To understand how the park is funded, it may help to know a little history. Bob and Dorothy Riester made Stone Quarry Hill their home in 1956, when only a dirt road served as access to the edge of the land. For the next 35 years they improved and expanded the property, which served as a beautiful backdrop for many events -- some private, some open to the public -- to showcase visual arts, music, dance, and other creative disciplines. The Syracuse Ceramics Guild's annual pottery sale at Stone Quarry Hill, initiated in brought increasing public awareness of the place. By 1990, the Riesters knew they wanted to pass on, in some permanent way that would benefit the public, this legacy of open land conservation and active arts programming.

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Inc. was incorporated in 1991 as a private, not-for-profit organization, to initiate annual arts programming and ensure open public access to what remains private land. To be brief, within the next several years, the Riesters donated all of their property to the organization, firmly establishing the Art Park as a physical entity, and endowed a permanent fund to underwrite the future of the Art Park. The responsibility to raise the funds necessary to operate, sustain, and improve the Art Park fell to the volunteer Board of Directors. Through the years, we have cultivated a flexible mix of contributors to Art Park operating income.

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park relies on six main sources of income:

1. Memberships
   A remarkable 80% of the Art Park's annual operating budget comes from individual and family members -- people in this community who feel that the land is worth preserving and the arts are worth supporting. Every individual contribution makes a difference in our ability to do the daily work of the Park. For more information, see the "Membership" section of this website.
   
2. Individual Memorials
   Policy allows for establishment of a dedicated fund in memoriam of members of the Art Park. Our staff works with the individual's family and friends to publicize the fund. The particular details, of what form the memorial will take or how the fund will be used, must be worked out through the relevant Board committees and approved by the Board of Directors. Memorials must be appropriate to both the mission and the physical aesthetic of the Art Park.
   
3. Major Gifts
   Each year a number of individuals step forward, some anonymously, to provide key financial support to the Art Park's mission. Contributions allowing unrestricted use of the funds provide the Board and Executive Director flexibility in applying resources where they are most needed. Donors also, however, can work with the Executive Director and Board to target their contributions to an identified project such as roof repairs or new office technology -- or to underwriting a favorite program such as Artists-in-Residence, student education fellowships, or a special performance. Other major donors contribute directly to Stone Quarry Hill's endowment, to ensure in perpetuity the preservation of the park. These crucial gifts propel the Art Park beyond mere existence, toward excellence.
   
4. Corporate Sponsors
   Corporate contributors can play an important role in a number of ways. Every year, local and regional businesses sponsor budding young artists through Art Park Fellowships to our annual Art-and-Nature workshops for children aged 5-12. Companies also have variously underwritten art exhibition catalogues, program elements, or major events such as the Ailey II dance troupe in 2002 and the "Sundays in the Park" performance series in 2003.
   We are developing a corporate membership to the Art Park designed to bring useful benefits to our business partners. We welcome corporate contributors and will work to match company interests with the Art Park's innovative mission and dynamic programs.
   
5. Private Foundations
   Private organizations promoting the public good also can provide a crucial piece in the Art Park's ability to carry out its mission. Support from groups like the Community Foundation of Central New York, the Gifford Foundation, and the Chapman Foundation has helped to establish the park and continues to help us thrive.
   
   Other non-profit groups also contribute: A Nature Conservancy fund, for example, helped to build the Vista Trail, and the American Heart Association helped us to develop a "Healthy Heart" trail and its accompanying map.
   
6. Public Funding
   Public funding -- through the New York State Council for the Arts, organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts, and central New York legislative representatives -- over the years has made an enormous difference to the Art Park. Special initiatives also help: a grant through the New York State Clean Air, Clean Water Bond Act helped to purchase the Old Quarry property, a favorite in the park. Grants have helped us to create and sustain precious public access to this unique resource, and will continue to move the Art Park toward our goals of programmatic excellence and international respect.

To learn more about how you or your organization can support and contribute to the Art Park's mission and operations, please contact the administrative office, open weekdays throughout the year from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Call 315-655-3196 or email us at office@stonequarryhillartpark.org . Thanks!