Initiated in 2023, Arts in Corrections NYS facilitates and supports arts programming inside Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYS DOCCS) facilities across New York State. A regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Arts in Corrections NYS is facilitated by Wave Farm, a nonprofit New York State arts organization, in collaboration with NYS DOCCS.
In 2023 and 2024, Arts in Corrections NYS supported arts programming inside approximately 10 New York State facilities. In 2025, Arts in Corrections expands to 15 facilities across New York State, supporting in-person workshops that provide system-impacted individuals with once-a-week programming led by teaching artists in a variety of disciplines including the visual arts, electronic media/film, music, movement, and literature.
To date, Arts in Corrections NYS has facilitated programming at the following NYS DOCCS Facilities: Bare Hill Correctional Facility (Malone, NY), Coxsackie Correctional Facility (Coxsackie, NY), Franklin Correctional Facility (Malone, NY), Mohawk Correctional Facility (Rome, NY), Greene Correctional Facility (Coxsackie, NY), Green Haven Correctional Facility (Stormville, NY), Groveland Correctional Facility (Sonyea, NY), Otisville Correctional Facility (Ottisville, NY), Shawangunk Correctional Facility (Wallkill, NY), Sullivan Correctional Facility (Fallsburg, NY), and Ulster Correctional Facility (Napanoch, NY). In 2025, additional programming will be added to Albion Correctional Facility (Albion, NY), Cayuga Correctional Facility (Moravia, NY), Eastern Correctional Facility (Napanoch, NY), Mid-State Correctional Facility (Marcy, NY), and Wyoming Correctional Facility (Attica, NY).
Arts in Corrections NYS is proud to have supported the following organizations in bringing teaching artists into DOCCS Facilities: Bardavon 1869 Opera House (Dutchess County), CREATE Council on the Arts (Greene County), The Flow Chart Foundation (Columbia County), Great Lakes Guitar Society (Onondaga County), Harvestworks (New York County), Justice Juvenile Arts and Media Network (Dutchess County), MovingPotential (Columbia County), Rehabilitation Through the Arts (Westchester County), Rochester Contemporary Art Center (Monroe County), Shandaken: Projects (Greene County), St. Lawrence County Arts Council (St. Lawrence County), The Art Effect (Dutchess County), The Thrive Project (Franklin County).
Arts in Corrections NYS teaching artists are skilled and dedicated to this work, and include:
Chris Bohl, Geoffrey Cobb, Patrick Costello, Robert Cowser, Christopher Crewsswell, Eliza Doyle, Rivka Eckert, Paul Gutowski, Ben Kudler, Tina Lamour, Caitlin Langstaff, Sondra Loring, Gretchen Primack, Adam Reid, Zach Reid, Ya’qub Shabazz, Sofia Thieu D’Amico, Christina Thyssen, and Nicholas Weist.
Arts in Corrections NYS is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Wave Farm is an international transmission arts organization driven by experimentation with the electromagnetic spectrum. Wave Farm cultivates creative practices in radio and supports artists and nonprofits in their cultural endeavors. Based in New York’s Upper Hudson Valley, Wave Farm is a media arts center, media platform, and arts service organization. Wave Farm offers interdisciplinary outdoor installations, residencies and fellowships, and a research library. Wave Farm operates FM radio station WGXC and hosts many online radio channels. Wave Farm provides fiscal sponsorship, consultation, and grants to artists and organizations.
DOCCS’ mission is to improve public safety by providing a continuity of appropriate treatment services in safe and secure facilities where the needs of the incarcerated population are addressed and where individuals under its' custody are successfully prepared for release and parolees under community supervision receive supportive services that facilitate the successful completion of their sentence. DOCCS recognizes the therapeutic value of offering arts-based programming to individuals in enhancing communication skills, supporting healthy forms of expression and increasing self-awareness. DOCCS’ vision is to enhance public safety by having incarcerated persons return home under supportive supervision less likely to revert to criminal behavior. By affording individuals the opportunity to participate in creative and expressive programming, DOCCS is seeking to enrich the incarceration experience and bolster the success rates of those returning to the community.
The mission of the New York State Council on the Arts is to foster and advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture and creativity for all. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, the Council on the Arts will award $162 million in FY2025, serving organizations and artists across all 10 of the state’s regions. The Council on the Arts further advances New York's creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Council is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, on X @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.
