Senate Resolution No. 2224

BY: Senator MAYER

CONGRATULATING Janet T. Langsam upon the occasion
of her retirement after 33 years of dedicated
service as CEO of ArtsWestchester

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the
significant milestones in the distinguished careers of esteemed
residents of this noble Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
congratulate Janet T. Langsam upon the occasion of her retirement after
33 years of dedicated service as CEO of ArtsWestchester; and

WHEREAS, Janet T. Langsam is the CEO of ArtsWestchester, an
organization which financially and promotionally supports all the arts
in Westchester County through government, corporate and institutional
partnerships; and

WHEREAS, During her 33-year tenure, Janet T. Langsam, an artist and
journalist, has helped grow the organization from a $1 million agency to
a nearly $7 million agency, and has made the arts more visible, diverse,
and accessible for Westchester County residents; and

WHEREAS, As CEO, Janet T. Langsam advocates for funding, supports
local artists and cultural organizations, champions the county's arts
community and reports on the economic impact of the arts; and

WHEREAS, Among her many achievements as CEO of ArtsWestchester,
Janet T. Langsam spearheaded the purchase and reimagining of an
abandoned historic bank building into an arts incubator for artists,
architects and creative businesses in White Plains, New York; and

WHEREAS, As a proponent of public art, Janet T. Langsam recently
collaborated with the New York Thruway Authority to commission
sculptures and murals for the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and
installed 20 works of public art in the City of White Plains during the
2022 five-day Serious Fun Arts Fest; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her illustrious career, Janet T. Langsam has
fostered artist residencies in schools, housing projects, mental health
facilities and developed contemporary art installations in hospitals,
shopping centers and housing developments; she has been named amongst
914 INC's Most Influential Women and Top CEOs of Westchester; and

WHEREAS, Prior to her current position, Janet T. Langsam served as
President and CEO of the Boston Center for the Arts and held positions
in three New York City Mayoral Administrations; as Deputy Commissioner
of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, she convened the
first meeting in 1978 of the cultural leaders of the 50 largest U.S.
cities, which became the USUAF; and

WHEREAS, As Assistant Commissioner of the New York City Department
of Housing Preservation and Development, Janet T. Langsam pioneered the

conversion of city-owned vacant properties to cultural sites and artist
housing; and

WHEREAS, A Queens native and former Chairman of Planning Board 7,
Janet T. Langsam was instrumental in getting the Queens Museum built and
funded in Flushing Meadows Park; she was also successful in corralling
Chairmen from other districts to support the use of a New York City
building for a nascent cultural center for Queens, and became a
spokesperson for the decentralization of Planning Boards to influence
development decisions in New York City; and

WHEREAS, Janet T. Langsam is both a founder and former Chair of the
Board of Trustees of the Queens Museum; additionally, she helped with
the development of the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City and
served as a member of the Queens Council of the Arts Board; and

WHEREAS, Janet T. Langsam holds a Master's degree from New York
University's Graduate School of Public Service; she studied painting in
the 1960s at NYU where two artists were fundamental in the development
of her artistic work: Gregorio Prestopino, known for his New York
Figurative Expressionism, and Leo Manso, an abstract painter and
collagist; and

WHEREAS, This extraordinary woman has shown her own abstract
paintings in various New York City galleries, including The Loeb Student
Center at New York University; and

WHEREAS, Janet T. Langsam was a recipient of the Americans for the
Arts (AFTA) Michael Newton Award and in 2020 she was honored by AFTA
with the Selina Roberts Ottum Leadership Award; she has also been
recognized by the Mental Health Association of Westchester, Today Media,
Westchester County Federation of Women's Clubs, the Westchester Jewish
Council, the Hudson River Museum, the Emelin Theatre, and the
Association of Development Officers; she will be honored by the
Neuberger Museum of Art in April of 2024; and

WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the occurrence of such a compassionate
blending of strength, leadership, intellect, and commitment as that
demonstrated by Janet T. Langsam over a lifetime of sacrifice and
dedication to others; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate Janet T. Langsam upon the occasion of her retirement after
33 years of dedicated service as CEO of ArtsWestchester; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Janet T. Langsam.