QUESTION
What is being done to increase funding for arts and cultural institutions in New York City?
2:37:20
·
161 sec
The Commissioner explains that record-breaking funding has been allocated to arts and culture in recent city budgets.
- The last two budget cycles had groundbreaking, record-breaking funding for arts and culture.
- The upcoming capital budget will be one of the three largest ever for investments in arts and culture.
- The administration continues to work with the City Council to further expand the cultural budget.
- Specific initiatives that expanded cultural funding in the past include increasing Council member grants, creating programs like 'Art as a Catalyst for Change', and expanding the number of theaters of color funded.
Justin Brannan
2:37:20
Is there a disconnect there that we're not are we not making our case well enough to show the exponential impact that our culturals have on the city?
Laurie Cumbo
2:37:29
Mair Adams has, on many occasions, spoken very prominently about the importance of art and culture to the city of New York.
2:37:41
But more important than words has been the critical investment in the arts.
2:37:47
The last two budget cycles were groundbreaking, record breaking, funding, and commitments, and contributions to the arts.
2:37:54
Our capital budgets had been the 3 largest.
2:37:57
This one coming up will be the 3 largest capital budgets that the city has experienced.
2:38:02
In terms of investments in art and culture.
2:38:05
And we continue to work with the city council, and we continue to work with our partners, to continue to expand the cultural budget.
2:38:12
And so we continue to work with the mayor, we continue to work with OMB, to continue to support and provide funding for art and culture, But what I will say is that this is certainly a partnership.
2:38:24
We want to continue to expand on the cultural budget, and we can do that with the city council.
2:38:30
So what you're describing as a cut to the cultural budget is really that we are waiting for the time when we negotiate the budget, where we have those contributions and that commitment and that partnership with the city council.
2:38:44
And just to give some examples in this, you know, when I was in the city council, there were 5 Casa Grant that were delivered for every city council member.
2:38:55
When we were in the council, we expanded that 5 to 17, and that expanded the cultural budget.
2:39:01
We were able to create new initiatives in the council such as the art as a catalyst for change.
2:39:06
That was a cultural initiative that I was able to bring forward to the council and to have it voted on upon my colleagues, and that expanded the cultural budget.
2:39:15
We were able to take the theaters of color initiative, that was part of Gail Brewer's administration when she was in the council.
2:39:23
It was 8 theaters of color that were now expanded to 54 organizations of color throughout the city.
2:39:30
That also expands the cultural budget.
2:39:33
So if we on the administrative side expand our cultural budget and we partner with the council who also expands our cultural budget, we could expand the cultural budget to record breaking numbers like never before.
2:39:47
And so I look forward to this partnership with the council, and we look forward to your advocacy within your demo conferences and your different committee conferences to be able to expand the cultural budget to record breaking numbers.
