Q&A
DCLA's efforts to fund and support indigenous artists
0:23:08
·
110 sec
Commissioner Cumbo outlines DCLA's various efforts to fund and support indigenous artists in New York City. She describes multiple programs and initiatives aimed at providing opportunities and resources for the indigenous arts community.
- DCLA funds indigenous artists through local art councils such as Brooklyn Arts Council, LMCC, Queens Council on the Arts, Staten Island Council on the Arts, and Bronx Council on the Arts.
- The Percent for Art program offers opportunities for indigenous artists to create permanent works in the city.
- Governors Island provides free or low-cost space for indigenous communities to express their culture.
- Cumbo acknowledges the ongoing challenge of addressing the high cost of living for all artists in New York City.
Laurie Cumbo
0:23:08
We can always do more with more, and that is really our mantra here at the Department of Cultural Affairs.
0:23:15
The way that we are actually able to fund indigenous artists are through our local art councils.
0:23:20
So the ability to fund artists would happen specifically through the Brooklyn Arts Councils, LMCC, the Queens Council on the Arts, the Staten Island, Council on the Arts, and the Bronx Council on the Arts.
0:23:34
These are, the larger of those, but there are also ones like NOMA where people are able to fund and provide grants for artists.
0:23:42
And our agency is really excited about the opportunity to fund artists through those initiatives.
0:23:49
So as read in testimony, there are many artists and arts organizations that are applying to our local arts councils for that type of funding.
0:23:57
We are also doing a lot with our percent for art program.
0:24:00
We're really excited about the opportunity for many of our, indigenous communities to participate in the percent for art program where they're able to have permanent works of art, that are part of the fabric, the cultural permanent fabric of New York City.
0:24:15
And we're really excited about the work that's happening on Governors Island for our Native American communities where they are able to have very often free space, or or space at no cost for them to express all of their cultural expressions here in New York City.
0:24:32
So there are many opportunities in that way, but, of course, the issues that the Native American community are facing in terms of the cost of living in New York City are issues that we are working on for the entire cultural community to find more ways for artists to be able to sustain themselves in New York City, and that's ongoing work that will be forever something that in a city as expensive as New York City that we're going to be grappling with.
