Roxbury Arts Group Names Patrick Barnes As New Executive Director

By Patricia Wadsley

ROXBURY — The Roxbury Arts Group, with locations in Roxbury, Stamford and Denver, New York, has named Patrick Barnes as its new Executive Director. Barnes was born and grew up in Stamford —where he and his family live today—and was most recently Executive Director of the West Kortright Center in East Meredith, New York. He took over his duties at the Roxbury Arts Center November 25.

The Roxbury Arts Group (RAG) is a major player behind the scenes in arts programming for children and adults throughout Delaware County. In addition to its own slate of events. RAG administers the Delaware County Arts Grants, the broad regrant program of the New York State Council of the Arts. Since 1986, through a competitive process in which artists and members of the public evaluate applicants, RAG has chosen the artists, educators, performers and writers living and working in Delaware County who will receive the grants which enable them to bring their work to the public.

Recent recipients span a wide range of disciplines: Musician Mihoko Suzuki presented the 1922 German Expressionist horror masterpiece, “Nosferaturu” backed by a live band in Delhi, New York’s Bushel gallery. Fleischmann’s based artist Alan Powell created the ongoing larger than life three story outdoor video projection of his work on his own Main Street three story farmhouse. Marisa Caruso of Stamford has received multiple grants for bringing theater to Stamford, with programming for adults, and through teaching programs for both adults and children. Artist/curator Kathleen Sweeney‘s ambitious group show, “Symbiocene Era: Mycelium, Soil and Roots,” brought together a wide ranging assemblage of artworks created by artists who use natural resources. And the writer Jennifer Kabat was a recent recipient of the grant which helped her complete her well-received book centered on the Catskills Anti-Rent Wars, “The Eighth Moon: A Memoir of Belonging and Rebellion.” There was even a Hobart Sausage and Beer Fest with jazz supported by Roxbury’s regrant program. No doubt, if you live in Delaware County, or even if you are a casual visitor, an event you’ve been to was made possible by a Delaware County Arts grant administered by RAG.

The Roxbury Arts Group touches and impacts many communities in Delaware County but Patrick Barnes says there is still a lot to be done.

“Too often, people are frightened off by the word art, “ says Barnes, speaking from his new center of operations in Roxbury. “Eco-tourism has always been big here, and it is easier to get people into museums of local history that are tied into the surroundings. But it can be daunting to go into a gallery. I see us going towards more public art as a way to meet this challenge. “

Two current projects work towards that end: Alan Powell’s public video installation, —an enormous body of moving images taken from Powell’s long career— can be seen and heard, each weekend on Main Street in Fleischmann’s. Similarly, artist John Atwood is creating the towering “Field Mountain”in Bloomville, a wire, wood, and willow sculpture that echoes the shape of the land around it.

“Seeing art in everyday life, living with it is a way to start people talking,” says Barnes. “It demystifies art. That’s what we want.”

“We voted Patrick in for many reasons,” says Roxbury Arts Group board member Sue Golden, a Roxbury resident, judge for the town of Roxbury and head of hiring for Executive Director. “His great ideas enticed us, particularly his idea to bring art out of the building, to emphasize public art, which introduces art in a friendly way.”

But Barnes not only has artistic vision but an eye for practicalities.

“We have a core group but we want to do everything to expand that audience,” says Barnes. “We want programming not just geared to adults, or geared to children, but are family focussed and affordable. I’m sure there are pockets of Delaware County to be reached. We want to make sure we are known in and can serve all parts of the county.”

Golden echoes Barnes statement. “We have a number of different demographics we are trying to reach,” she says. “There are people who have lived here all their lives, second home owners, tourists, the young and the old, we want to create programming that reaches each and all demographics. To that end, Barnes and Golden are discussing offering free tickets to events, creating promotions to attend events, and point to the recent implementation of tiered pricing for all events—similar to pay what you wish, on a sliding scale.

Additionally says Golden, Patrick’s goals are to enhance our visibility on social media, our website design, and boost our direct marketing”. That means, says Barnes, getting out there, handing out flyers and calendars and meeting people face to face.”

“Patrick has a rare combination of qualities, and skills,” Golden says. “As a native of Delaware County, he can talk the talk to his neighbors, and as someone with a strong art background, he has a developed art vocabulary.”

At the root of all this, is Barnes belief —and that of Golden’s— in the importance of art.
“It’s so important in so many ways,” says Golden. “It inspires you. It calms you and it boosts the economy. “

And art and cultural activities particularly help rural communities get needed revitalization. Studies show that neglected areas turn into gathering spots. People spend money on lodging, food, retail businesses, and day and night time events. This all creates jobs, attracts talent, and fuels entrepreneurship in the residential population. Moreover, It retains population.

“In the case of Delaware County” says Barnes. “the abundance of art and culture is reason to move in to New York State, rather than out.”

Barnes remembers the experience he had as a child growing up in Delaware county, which pointed him on his career trajectory.

“My grandfather and father were the the pharmacists in Stamford when I was a kid,” he says. “My mother was a reporter for the local paper. One time one of her friends took me to the Fenimore Cooper Museum in Cooperstown to see paintings by Ansel Adams. It was a lifeline for me, and what RAG does-well it could be a lifeline for a kid like I was, who is growing up in Delaware County now.

“There are kids hungry for exposure to a world bigger than their own,” he adds. “Seeing worlds beyond them, or seeing their world depicted in different ways, makes them appreciate different ways of seeing, and a different way to see their own surroundings.”

The Application Process for Delaware County Arts Grants is underway through January 16, 2026. Go to: roxburyartsgroup.org for more information.