Judith Insell, Executive Director of the Bronx Arts Ensemble, on the Need for Increased Funding for Community Arts and Cultural Programming in the Bronx
4:06:18
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3 min
Judith Insell advocates for increasing the cultural budget to restore and baseline funding for the Bronx Arts Ensemble and other cultural organizations in the borough. The Bronx Arts Ensemble annually provides over 20,000 Bronx residents with free live performances by professional musicians across multiple genres, aiming to provide culturally responsive events.
- Due to budget cuts and loss of cultural development fund support, the Ensemble could only present performances in districts with direct council member funding this fiscal year.
- Over half of the Bronx did not experience the Ensemble's live performances as a result.
- Insell highlights the positive impact of the Ensemble's community-building performances on residents' wellbeing.
- She stresses the essentiality of funding neighborhood cultural nonprofits that employ artists and nourish citizens' spirits.
- The Ensemble has endured challenges like the Bronx fires, stock market crashes, 9/11, and the pandemic over its 52-year history.
- Insell urges adding $53 million to the FY2025 cultural budget to allow organizations like the Bronx Arts Ensemble to continue serving the underserved Bronx community.
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Lisa Gold, Executive Director of the Asian American Arts Alliance, on the Inequitable Impact of Funding Cuts on Small and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Organizations
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Risa Shoup, Co-Executive Director of the Alliance of Resident Theatres New York, on the Importance of Funding for Arts and Culture Organizations in New York City