40th Annual Dutchess County Executive’s Arts Awards

Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas, Executive Director, Arts Mid-Hudson

A thriving creative community doesn’t happen by accident. Artists willing to share their voices, educators encouraging someone to create, organizations opening doors, businesses investing in the arts, and communities making space for people to gather and experience something together cultivate it over time. For 40 years, the Dutchess County Executive’s Arts Awards have celebrated the people behind that work. On Wednesday, October 7, starting at 5:30 p.m., Arts Mid-Hudson will mark the milestone at The Roundhouse in Beacon, honoring eight individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate just how many forms creativity can take.

This year’s theme, “Harvesting Creativity,” recognizes both what has been built over four decades and the people continuing to plant seeds for the future. For Stacey Burgay, this year’s Artivist recipient, creativity became a path back to herself before becoming something she could offer others. After losing her job in 2024, she recognized a need for affordable, welcoming creative space in Beacon and founded That Creative Space, which has since welcomed more than 200 students.

Art Day in the Village receives the Art in Public Places Award for creating opportunities for artists and neighbors to come together through a grassroots celebration of local creativity, while Arts in Education honoree Nicole Asendorf has spent nearly two decades helping students discover their own creativity through arts education.

That investment in young people is also central to Arts Organization recipient Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, which has spent more than three decades making art, storytelling, performance, design, and imaginative play part of how Hudson Valley children learn and see themselves. The arts can also reach people during life’s most vulnerable moments. The Hudson Valley Hospice Music Therapy Team, this year’s Business honoree, uses music to provide comfort, encourage connection, and create meaningful memories for patients and their families.

Individual Artist recipient Rachel Handler demonstrates storytelling’s capacity to advocate for change. An actor, writer, filmmaker, and amputee, Handler uses her work to explore disability, healthcare, human rights, and representation. And sometimes art communicates what words cannot. Andre West, recipient of the ThinkDIFFERENTLY in the Arts Award, has developed a world of expressive characters through his artwork, earning community recognition while bringing joy to those who encounter his creations.

The evening will look toward what’s next through Jonah Sebastian P. Espinosa, recipient of the Youth with Exceptional Promise in the Arts Award. After years of performing with Beacon Players and Beacon Performing Arts Center, the recent Beacon High School graduate is continuing his training at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama.

“Every creative spark shapes the heartbeat of our community,” said Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino, noting that this year’s honorees demonstrate how creativity can “uplift, connect, and strengthen” residents and visitors alike.

This event is an opportunity not only to applaud this year’s eight honorees, but to celebrate the larger creative community they represent. Guests can enjoy delicious food and drinks, live music from the Rhythm Rising Quartet, and time to connect with artists, arts organizations, community leaders, and fellow supporters of the arts. Come be part of the celebration and help honor the creativity that makes Dutchess County such a vibrant place to live, work, and visit.

If you go:
40th Annual Dutchess County Executive’s Arts Awards
The Roundhouse, 2 East Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508
October 7, 2026
5:30 p.m.
Contact: 845-454-3222
morgan@artsmidhudson.org
www.artsmidhudson.org/dc-arts-awards