May 2025 Update:
Progress & Momentum at
Ancram Center for the Arts

Dear Friends:

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream.  A dream you dream together is reality.” —Yoko Ono

We want to give you an update on our Capital Campaign. At Ancram Center for the Arts, we are on a journey to expand and enhance our footprint, and we’ve been making steady progress, much behind the scenes, towards our dream of bringing more artistic experiences, creative opportunities, and community engagement to the Hudson Valley. Our project encompasses the complete rehabilitation of a historic building that dates to the 1780s. It will be called The Annex, and will become part of the Ancram Center for the Arts complex, providing much needed housing and community classroom/meeting space. We couldn’t do it without you, our supporters, benefactors, and friends, and we thank you for so generously taking this journey with us.

Where We Stand

🚀 Total raised: $1,002,020
📈 New contributions raised this year: $35,000
🏆 Number of donors: 75

Every dollar raised moves us closer to realizing a dynamic, accessible arts center that fosters creativity and deepens community connections.

Milestones

Since the start of the year, we’ve hit some exciting benchmarks:

✅ Pre-construction site work, demo, and structural designs are complete.

✅ Orders for fixtures, windows and doors are currently being placed.

✅ Work is starting to shore up the building’s foundation.

Bumps in the Road

As is often the case when restoring an old property, some surprises were discovered which entailed our obtaining additional structural designs prior to beginning major construction. With those plans now in hand, we are expecting a very active summer at the site. 

Since starting the project, the price of more than 80% of construction materials has increased, in some cases by as much as 20%, driven by supply chain disruptions, global demand, and inflationary pressures. While the market has stabilized somewhat, prices have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting these elevated costs are here to stay.

We had initially allocated 25% of our financial target towards enriching our programs on our expanding campus. Given the price increases in construction materials and structural problems discovered during interior demolition, a greater percentage of campaign funds must be diverted to the capital project.

Next Steps

While the next phase of work gets underway, we will continue to fundraise to offset increased construction and materials costs which will allow us to open the new Ancram Center for the Arts in early 2026.

Spotlight: Impact in Action

Your contributions are already making an impact. The campaign is helping us move towards presenting three full theater productions this season and an expansion of our storytelling program to additional schools. Until the Annex is complete, however, we will continue to be challenged to find housing for the artists who are coming to Ancram to perform or develop new work as part of our annual residency program. This is why the capital project matters: the Annex will further Ancram Center’s capacity to serve as a thriving hub for creativity and enable us to expand our many educational offerings. In the process, we’re also contributing to the ongoing revitalization of the Ancram hamlet. 

2025 is our 10th anniversary season. Completing the new building during this milestone year is dreaming big; let’s keep dreaming big together!