How Artists Are Powering Schoharie County’s Creative Economy

Discover how creativity fuels economic growth and community life in Upstate New York’s most unexpected arts hub as artists, entrepreneurs, and makers help redefine what’s possible in Schoharie County, NY.

Do artists fuel the upstate economy? Turns out the answer is a resounding yes.

Artists bring more than passion to Upstate NY and Schoharie County. They’re also economic drivers.

Here's something you might not expect: Between 2011 and 2021, the number of working artists in upstate New York increased by 26.5 percent. They weren't just making art—they were reviving galleries, opening theaters, and breathing new life into downtowns with coffee shops, restaurants, and small businesses trailing in their wake.

Artists, it turns out, are economic drivers. And Schoharie County is proving it.

"Anything we can do to highlight the artists we have here," says Lisa Ovitt, president of Schoharie County Arts, over iced coffee at Brimstone Bakery in Sharon Springs—a town that's become an unlikely up and coming arts hub.

Maybe you're a painter chasing affordable studio space. Or a sculptor tired of city rents. Or a musician looking for a place where your neighbors' cows heading home from pasture might be your next inspiration. If you've got the art chops, Schoharie County has the place—and the community—for you.

An Art Scene That Rivals the Hudson Valley (Without the Price Tag)

Photographer Dmitri Kasterlin—whose portraits of Mick Jagger, Queen Elizabeth II, Steve Martin, and Johnny Cash have hung in galleries worldwide—chose Schoharie County. Last summer, he packed SEEC's 287 Main Gallery with locals and art lovers, charming everyone with behind-the-scenes stories. (Pro tip: You never approach the Queen.)

He's not alone. Amy Silberkleit creates detailed lithographs in her Gilboa studio. George Dirolf's wood engravings and charcoal drawings capture upstate's wild landscapes. Photographer Christine Harris launched her career with a show at 287 Main—and it went so well, she's taking it back to the West Coast. “Of Past and Present,” folk art paintings of familiar home and scenes by self-taught John Wilkinson, opened in October 2025 at SEEC, running through February 2026.

Folk artist John Wikinson talks about the local scenes and landmarks he’s painting at his SEEC Gallery opening.

All local artists. All found their way here. All creating work that reflects this place and its people. All thanks to help from Schoharie County Arts, which also hands out thousands in artist grants to help make it all come together.

Where Art Meets Economy

In 2024, the average visitor to Schoharie County spent $275 on arts and entertainment. The Schoharie Main Street Collective sells work from more than 30 local artists. Last year's Arts Trail Driveabout brought visitors from the Capital District and New Jersey—who didn't just look, they bought. A Jefferson metal sculptor sold four pieces on the spot. A Summit painter had a fan drive back in winter to shop. This year? A Schoharie painter made $6,000-plus in Driveabout sales after someone who’d loved her work in a now-closed Troy gallery chased her down here.

"I love art. I strongly believe in this community," says Anthony Leberto, SCA board member and the owner of Sharon Springs’ Brimstone Bakery. "The arts help strengthen it." (Leberto found his way to SCA through his friend Harris. Now, he’s doing the recruiting.)

That's not sentiment—it's economics. A 2023 study, Upstate Creative Spark: How the Arts is Catalyzing Economic Vitality Across Upstate New York, found that artists are driving local economies across the region, even as public investment in the arts declines. They're opening studios, filling empty buildings, and creating the kind of cultural vibrancy that attracts other entrepreneurs, remote workers, and families looking for a different kind of life.

Long-range goals to make that impact even stronger and draw more people in? Ovitt and Leberto want a permanent art trail, more public galleries, and more SCA members—that last to make more more possible.

Leslie Yolen lives and works in the Helderberg Mountains of Upstate New York. She has worked predominantly in clay and has recently taken to working in painting and sculpture as her prominent mediums.  She’s one of the artists who’s been featured at the SEEC Gallery—thanks to the work of Schoharie County Arts.

The Welcome Mat Is Out

Schoharie County Arts exists to support local artists and share their contributions to our culture and economy. Gallery shows at 287 Main. Author talks. The annual Arts Trail Driveabout (October, mark your calendar)—two days of open studios, demonstrations, and conversations, free and open to everyone.

Looking to move your studio here? Need studio space? Want to connect with other artists? When it comes to art, we've got all the right connections.

A thriving artistic community isn't a luxury—it's essential to building a prosperous community. And in Schoharie County, it's already happening.

Maybe it's time for you to join us.

Get Connected

Schoharie County Arts: schohariecountyarts.org
Current exhibit at 287 Main: "The Path Will Bend" by Amy Silberkleit & George Dirolf
Next Arts Trail Driveabout: First weekend in October

Root Access is your guide to life, work, and community in Schoharie County. Know an artist or creative entrepreneur we should feature? Comment below!