MereArts

MereArts is a Westchester County-based incubator for projects rooted in stories and art forms from antiquity. We are working to make New York State’s Croton River watershed area a permanent home for creative projects that will eventually be seen in New York City and on tours.

Performances & Events

Ensembles & Arts Organizations

Project Details

Advisory Committee
  • Lisa Abzun (former co-chair of the Mount Kisco Arts Council, member of the Board of Trustees of the Village/Town of Mount Kisco)
  • Peter Aupperle (past president of The Westchester Chamber Music Society and chair of the foundation for the Associated Chamber Music Players)
  • Louise Basbas (founder of Music Before 1800)
  • Joyce Bodig (former Concerts Coordinator at The Frick Collection)
  • Jessica Colon (co-chair of the Mount Kisco Arts Council, founder of For the People and Kids!)
  • Robert Eisenstein (co-founder of Folger Consort which does programming at Folger Shakespeare Library)
  • Jean Newton (executive director of The Music Conservatory of Westchester)
  • In the summer of 2024, members of the MereArts organizations met in Croton Falls for retreat days to discuss the development of their individual institutions as well as to brainstorm how to leverage the combination of their efforts for meaningful artistic projects and faster institutional growth.
  • During the 2024–2025 season, the ensembles of the MereArts consortium will introduce themselves to the community in New York State’s Croton River watershed area through house concerts and appearances at local churches and other institutions.
  • We hope to build a relationship with Westchester County to develop a county program or administer a building at the Westchester County Park Merestead. After discussions with Westchester Recreation leaders and the Friends of Merestead to see how their priorities can be supported by our efforts, we intend to write a proposal that outlines a working model for our activities on county properties. Our proposal will be developed with feedback from our advisory committee.
  • While exploring the possibility of a county partnership, we will work with local churches and business to find alternative homes for this effort.
  • MereArts organizations will work on perfecting a retreat model that will best utilize a building or property in the area.

During our retreat days, we identified problem areas for creatives and thought about what would help us to create the best art and music.

With a permanent physical home in Upper Westchester County, we plan to make a structured retreat space with a regular schedule, physical and mental training, education programs, community performances, opportunities to crosspollinate between different artistic domains, and an environment conducive to a high quality of work.