Dutchess County Executive's Arts Awards 2022

A 153-acre artist sanctuary located in Tivoli, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is an incubator of creativity and presenter of world-class artists expressing themselves through dance, theater, music, film and poetry, as well as the culinary and visual arts.

Home to studios, an indoor theater, two outdoors stages, and housing that includes a resident Dancers’ Inn and Artist Gatehouse, Kaatsbaan also hosts two annual outdoor festivals, year-round education programs and residencies for artists at all stages of their professional careers. The arts destination also maintains partnerships with local and regional schools, museums and community and service organizations.

Kaatsbaan is one of the many reasons why the Hudson Valley is looked upon, worldwide, as a leader in the arts. And in recognition of its enduring, decades-long history in northern Dutchess County, Kaatsbaan has received the 2022 Dutchess County Executive’s Award for an Arts Organization.

“Kaatsbaan is beyond thrilled and honored to be recognized by county leadership along with other exemplars of our wonderful arts community, each of whom plays a critical role in the arts ecosystem,” said Kaatsbaan Chief Executive & Artistic Officer Sonja Kostich. “We’re in good company.”

Underscoring Kaatsbaan’s artistic philosophy, Kostich said, is the understanding that, “Art is a tool that shapes, inspires and connects people in a way that builds community and sustains it over time. Art and beauty are essential building blocks of communities. They constitute a basic need for the health and vibrancy of a community.

“Engagement with the arts, as a practitioner and participant, leads to profound experiences that change an individual who can effectuate change in their communities.”

Anyone who has visited Kaatsbaan knows that the arts unfold in a very special way there.

“The staff and supporters of Kaatsbaan are motivated to sustain our unique platform by the incredible artists who come to our historic, extraordinary site, and the opportunity to be part of what they create, perform and exhibit,” Kostich said. “Our passion is at work behind the scenes so that the work of artists can profoundly affect visitors and participants. We are also invested in nurturing the next generation of artists through our Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive, community classes and regional educational partnerships. 

“By providing time and space for artists to explore exciting levels of imagination and discipline, Kaatsbaan is a leader in innovative thinking and serves as both an incubator for creativity and presenter for diverse world class talent.”

And why is all of this important?

“The arts are a framework for our imagination, feelings and energies to be expressed and shared with one another,” Kostich said. “They are malleable and can be in dialogue with other fields of thought, industries, and areas of society, yet the language is as unique as each individual artist. The arts remind us of our humanity and connection to one another.”