TESTIMONY
Andrea Gordillo, Development Director of The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center, on the Crucial Role of Cultural Funding for Community Arts Programs and Organizations
5:12:39
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179 sec
Andrea Gordillo, the Development Director for The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center, emphasizes the vital importance of restoring and increasing cultural funding to sustain community arts programs and organizations in New York City.
- She highlights The Clemente's unique role in providing affordable creative spaces, rehearsal areas, and culturally-specific programs to a diverse artistic community, particularly in areas like the East Village, Lower East Side, and Chinatown.
- Gordillo underscores the negative impacts of budget cuts on communities and the cultural industry, especially for Black and Latino-based organizations.
- She advocates for restoring cuts to the Cultural Development Fund, increasing investment in cultural programs, and addressing previous and upcoming fiscal challenges to prevent loss of talent, economic impacts, and essential cultural services.
- Gordillo notes The Clemente's involvement in the Latinx Arts Consortium of New York and the Cultural Equity Coalition, emphasizing the coalition's advocacy efforts.
- She argues that funding cuts have a domino effect on the strength of partnerships and the ability to scale up cultural programs for artists and communities.
Andrea Gordillo
5:12:39
Hi.
5:12:39
Good afternoon, Cherie Vera, Cherie Brennan.
5:12:42
My name is Andrea O'Rio, and I the chairperson of Community Board 3.
5:12:46
I'm very pleased that Ryan was able to testify on our behalf.
5:12:50
But I'm here today as the development director of the Clementa of Pueblo's Cultural Educational Center, which also overlaps many of CB Community Board Threes area of the East Village Lower East Side in Chinatown.
5:13:04
We're among the only organization of its kind to provide affordable, creative, and rehearsal spaces, and culturally specific programs to the city's intersectional and wide ranging artistic community.
5:13:16
And in my role, as development director, I'm acutely aware of where the money goes and of the impact of sectoral cuts that have on our communities and the industry.
5:13:29
Particularly for black and Latino based organizations, which are overrepresented in the cultural development fund program.
5:13:37
And the Clement is also a founding member of the Latinx Arts Consortium of New York, many of which were here and testifying as well.
5:13:46
And a part of the cultural equity coalition.
5:13:50
And we thank you for your calls to restore the cuts to $70,000,000, and we are continued to echo the call to plead the increase of the investment in cultural programs before the end of this current fiscal year.
5:14:10
We appreciate the cuts of or the restoration of the budget cuts to fiscal year 2526.
5:14:16
But these outstanding cuts to the cultural development fund hurt jobs and programs that vulnerable New Yorkers need most.
5:14:24
So we join our coalition in calling for the complete restoration of the Cultural Development Fund and the CIGs, specifically restoring the $6,500,000 to the CDF this year that addresses the cuts made in November 2023 January 24.
5:14:43
Restoring the November 23 cuts to the CDF in fiscal year 25, 26, and 27, totaling 4 point $2,000,000 and additionally, baselining an additional $45,000,000 to the DCLA's total budget in 25.
5:15:01
These restorations are crucial to prevent further loss of talent, economic impacts, and the essential cultural services that make New York City vibrant and compelling.
5:15:11
As a coalition, we conduct our work within an ecosystem, and the Clemente itself is home to 13 small nonprofits.
5:15:19
An ecosystem within our facility itself that are affected by these cuts.
5:15:23
And our partners This has a domino effect on the strength of all of our partnerships to scale up the programs that we provide to artists and concomitant communities.
5:15:34
So thanks again for the opportunity.
5:15:37
I yield my time.
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Gina Tribotti, Development Manager at the International Studio And Curatorial Program, on the Transformative Impact of ISCP's Diverse Artist Residencies and Programs
