Northport Arts Coalition, faced with diminishing support, to disband

The Northport Arts Coalition is preparing to shut down, but some of its most popular programs will continue until December.

The nonprofit’s executive director, Amy Connor, said in an interview with Newsday that because of declining financial support and the number of volunteers, and the "fruitless” search for her replacement, the organization’s board has made the difficult decision to shut down.

“We’ve been struggling for a few years now. The pandemic was very hard on everybody, and it finally caught up with us,” she said. “And we’ve been trying to find a replacement for me for about a year and a half, and no one has stepped up.”

The nonprofit was founded in 1999, “to inspire and support artists, and to promote collaboration and connection within our community,” according to its website.

The organization, with an operating budget of $20,000, runs free popular programs such as a Friday night summer concert series, Art Walk, Art in the Park and Poets in Port.

Connor said she is stepping down for personal reasons but will help the organization’s treasurer David Dickman, who will take over executive director duties until the organization shuts down.

She said the board will continue to try to raise money and whittle back some programming to keep the organization going beyond the end of this year.

“Our goal right now is to try to find funding, but we are realistic about the fact that if we don’t find funding by the end of the year, then we don’t have the resources to continue, unfortunately.”

She said the board will also work to find other organizations for its programs so they can continue.

The Northport Arts Coalition is completely run by volunteers. Connor said the nonprofit’s programs cost about $20,000 a year and are funded through sponsorships, donations, memberships and vendors who pay to be a part of Art in the Park, the coalition’s biggest fundraiser held every summer.

“Our mailing list keeps growing, but the number of people who choose to take memberships is dropping; we’re getting fewer vendors each year for Art in the Park,” she said. “It’s a hard time financially for businesses and for people, which we totally understand.”

She added that that grants that have been reliable have either gone away or it’s “gotten much more competitive, so we are getting fewer of them.”

Fall favorite Art Walk, where patrons visit village businesses noted on a map where artists are displaying and selling their art, was canceled this year due to lack of funding, Connor said.

The coalition’s most expensive program, the free Friday night summer concert series, has lost sponsorships and donations for the past three years and there is currently no sponsor for the event in 2026, Connor said.

Village Mayor Donna Koch said village officials are sad to hear that the coalition is shutting down, especially because currently, there are no other organizations stepping in to replace them.

“They've been a vibrant part of the community for a long time,” Koch said. “They've brought some great art programs to the village.”

Connor said the closure is unfortunate, given that the coalition has been a big part of the community for a long time.

“We’ve given a lot to the community and we’ve received a lot back from the community, but sadly sometimes things don’t last forever.”