New community arts center opens downtown

PLATTSBURGH | With creativity and the arts providing a much-needed outlet for many during these uncertain times, local sisters Megan Charland and Sara Acors have set their sights on uniting the local artistic community through their new arts center which they aptly named The Link. Located across from Trinity Park on Court Street, their base of operations is ready to teach curious newcomers and connect seasoned artists. In order to keep the arts alive and thriving here in the North Country, Charland said it was important for the region to have a unifying force like this. Prior to COVID-19, Charland said they had planned on a bigger location allowing for larger groups. When the pandemic hit and capacity regulations were enforced, they decided to scale the operation down for the time being. "We'll have a bunch of different programming options, both for free for participants and also paid options as well. We'll be doing classes and workshops," she said. "Obviously, I was never planning on a global pandemic. So, [we] switched gears a little bit about how we were going to approach that." Classes will still be held, but for safety reasons, the size will be limited for now. Preferring smaller classes and one-on-one lessons, Charland said the downtown location provided the perfect headquarters for strengthening the creative community here in Plattsburgh. More importantly, she said many school-aged children aren't getting the arts education they need during the pandemic. While some subjects may easily adapt to remote learning, those such as art are difficult to teach over a screen. While they considered the idea of being a non-profit, Charland said they did not want to have to answer to any particular group or interests. She said it was to ensure they could be completely independent in their mission. The Link does apply for grants, however, and was recently awarded fiscal sponsorship for the project 'Let's Talk About Racism'. With many things in the works already - including the all-American art form known as zines - Charland said she's always working on something. However, despite the busy schedule, she encourages anyone interested in furthering the arts for themselves and the community to reach out to The Link. "We are doing a lot, and that's just the speed I live at all the time. That's just me" she laughed. "But, just because we've got all these crazy things already laid out and planned, we want to be approachable. Come to us if you have an idea, if you have a specific community group that you think could benefit and have some sort of art program, let us know. [Let's] see what we can do. We call ourselves 'The Link' for that reason, we want to be the thing connecting the region together. How can we help?" For more information or to make a donation, visit thelinkartscenter.com.

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New community arts center opens downtown

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