In a move reflecting broader political shifts, two major US government agencies have withdrawn previously approved arts grants from a longstanding Hudson Valley arts centre, citing a realignment of funding priorities in line with the President’s agenda.
The Centre for Photography at Woodstock (CPW), a 48-year-old non-profit organisation that supports contemporary artists and photographers, was informed last week that it would no longer receive more than $90,000 in government support. The decision came from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), both of which indicated the change was not due to concerns over CPW’s programming.
On 2 April, CPW received notice from the NEH that a £21,535 Public Impact award—intended to support a programme encouraging seniors and at-risk youth to share their life stories through photography and scrapbooking—had been terminated. The project, initiated last year by acclaimed documentary photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally, a Guggenheim Fellow, had been considered a model for community-based storytelling initiatives.
Eight days later, a second letter from the IMLS revoked a £71,000 grant for a year-long, after-school photography course for immigrant pupils at Kingston High School. The course, led by MacArthur Fellow Wendy Ewald, supports teenagers in documenting their own experiences through images and text.
In both cases, the cancellations were attributed to a “repurposing” of government funding rather than to any shortcomings in the initiatives themselves.
“The decision by DOGE to claw back funding from CPW is part of a broader assault on the arts and humanities, one that damages our communities and local economies,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “For small organisations like CPW, which rely heavily on government grants, further cuts could be devastating.”
CPW, founded in 1977, operates on a modest budget and has long depended on a mix of public and private funding to support residencies, exhibitions, and educational programmes. According to Executive Director Brian Wallis, the now-revoked grants represented nearly 10 per cent of CPW’s annual budget.
“Government funding has been crucial to some of our most innovative work, including our longstanding Woodstock AIR artists’ residency,” Wallis said. “Cuts on this scale will be extremely damaging. We intend to challenge the legality of this contract termination and protest the cultural harm it represents.”
At present, CPW has more than £129,500 in approved government grants for the year—though it is unclear whether those funds will remain untouched.
New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey (D, WF, 41st District) described the move as “an attempt to disinvest in an extraordinary institution here in the Hudson River Valley—one that inspires, empowers, and uplifts the stories that help shape our understanding of the world”.
“We stand with CPW,” she added, “and we urge the public to contact their government representatives, especially those in the majority, to demand accountability.”
In 2022, CPW relocated from Woodstock to Kingston, and in January 2025 opened its new headquarters in a renovated 40,000-square-foot former factory at 25 Dederick Street. The facility now houses a photography museum, digital media lab, and community education centre—part of CPW’s mission to serve an increasingly diverse regional audience.
Learn more about to CPW head over to thier website and Instagram link below
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