About Us

The Northern Tier Cultural Alliance (NTCA) was formed in 1995 by volunteers who had been engaged in a cultural inventory of the area as part of a 1992 Pennsylvania Heritage Commission project. Even as representatives of local cultural and heritage organizations themselves, they had been overwhelmed with the wonderful, largely unsung artistry and heritage of the region. They shaped a mission of educating the public about cultural traditions, history and art of the Pennsylvania Northern Tier and to assist tradition bearers and traditional artists in the preservation of their work.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts joined with Mansfield University and NTCA in the establishment of a Center for Arts and Folklife. NTCA became financially and legally independent of the University with 501(c)3 tax exempt status in February 2001. While the University still provides office space as well as human support to the organization, in 2004, NTCA moved its main office operations to the former Lehigh Valley Freight Station in Towanda. Now known as the Washington Street Station, the new location offers a spectacular view of the Susquehanna River and access to other regional arts and cultural organizations.

NTCA serves as one of 5 Regional Folk Arts Support Centers. The Institute for Cultural Partnerships and PA Council on the Arts partnered to "develop a statewide Folk Arts Infrastructure Initiative that seeks to strengthen awareness and understanding, as well as participation in, traditional arts across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."

In this role, NTCA engages in field work, provides technical assistance, and develops programming and grant opportunities for traditional artists and organizations.

In support of its mission, NTCA now offers support to artists and organizations from 9 northern counties: Bradford, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming.