The West Kortright Center is a non-profit arts and community center in Delaware County, New York, United States. Prior to 1975, the building housed the West Kortright Presbyterian Church. The building was constructed in 1850 and substantially remodeled in the 1890s.
In 1975, local residents worked to repurpose the Greek Revival West Kortright Presbyterian Church, with its late Victorian stained glass windows, kerosene chandeliers, curved pews and woodwork. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and became a National Historic Landmark in 2002.
In addition to hosting musical and theatrical performers from a variety of genres, the WKC offers garden tours, exhibits from local visual artists, and arts and crafts workshops in subjects such as basket weaving, stone wall restoration, and creative writing.
In 1987, writer and director Nancy Fales Garrett founded the Shakespeare in the Valley summer program, which teaches acting and theater tech skills to children and teenagers.
Artists presented at the West Kortright Center since 1975 have included:Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
Composers John Cage Meredith Monk Peter Schickele Virgil Thomson
Poets Allen Ginsberg Sekou Sundiata Hayden Carruth
Bluegrass, country, and roots musicians Rhonda Vincent J.D. Crowe The Cox Family Claire Lynch Mary Gauthier
Traditional musicians Queen Ida and her Zydeco Band Solas Fairfield Four Johnny Cunningham Susan McKeown Karan Casey Barachois
Jazz performers Jack DeJohnette Teddy Wilson Mulgrew Miller Kenny Burrell Jacky Terrasson Steve Lacy Sonny Fortune Dakota Staton
Folk musicians Greg Brown Leo Kottke Amos Lee Odetta The Roches Nellie McKay Richie Havens
Blues musicians Mose Allison Henry Butler Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown John P. Hammond The Holmes Brothers James Cotton
Olu Dara Pinetop Perkins Junior Wells
Monologists Paul Zaloom
International performers Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra Hassan Hakmoun Bhundu Boys Luciana Souza The Skatalites Susana Baca
References