AGENCY TESTIMONY
DCLA's partnerships and funding for Native American cultural organizations
0:12:03
·
171 sec
Commissioner Cumbo details DCLA's partnerships and funding initiatives supporting Native American cultural organizations in New York City.
- DCLA works with the city council to invest in organizations through various funds
- Supported organizations include Amorinda, Coop Danza, Red Hawk Indian Arts Council, and Spider Woman Theater
- DCLA invests nearly $3 million annually into artists, collectives, and smaller organizations across the five boroughs
- Partnerships with local arts councils in each borough to support indigenous culture and creative expression
Laurie Cumbo
0:12:03
We're proud to partner with council to invest in our city's organizations doing this important work through the Cultural Development Fund, Coalition of Theaters of Color, and other council initiatives we administer.
0:12:14
DCLA has worked with council to support a number of organizations with missions dedicated to Native American culture and programming.
0:12:22
These include Amorinda, which promotes the indigenous perspective in the arts to a broad audience through the creation of new work and contemporary art forms, visual, performing, literary, and media.
0:12:33
Amorinda is committed to empowering Native Americans, breaking down barriers, and fostering intercultural understanding and appreciation for Native American culture.
0:12:43
Coop Danza is an interplanar interdisciplinary art, media, and educational organization that produces dance and multimedia experiences inspired by the wisdom of indigenous American cultures.
0:12:55
They engage in local and international collaborations to create artivism, performances, community, and educational programs to generate environmental awareness.
0:13:07
The Red Hawk Indian Arts Council is a not for profit organization founded and maintained by Native American artists and educators residing in New York and New Jersey.
0:13:16
Since 1994, the council has been dedicated to educating the general public about Native American heritage through song, dance, theater, works of art, and other cultural forms of expression.
0:13:27
Each June, the council hosts the largest powwow in the northeast at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field.
0:13:34
And, of course, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian has an outpost here in New York located adjacent to Bowling Green and Battery Park.
0:13:43
The institution cares for one of the world's most expansive collections of native artifacts encompassing the entire Western Hemisphere.
0:13:50
And the location here in New York houses exhibitions, research, educational activities, and performing arts program.
0:13:58
And, of course, we all know Spider Woman Theater, founded and led by the extraordinary Muriel Miguel, has been a leading voice in advancing Native American voices through the performing arts since it was founded in 1976.
0:14:13
In partnership with local arts council partners in each borough, DCLA invests nearly $3,000,000 each year directly into artists, collectives, and smaller organizations across the 5 boroughs.
0:14:25
The Bronx Council on the Arts recently awarded a Bronx Recognizes Its Own ORBrio award to Dennis Darkeem, whose work focuses on indigenous visual art.
0:14:35
The Brooklyn Arts Council includes Cliff Matias, founder of Red Hawk Native American Arts Council, in their Folk Feet Dance workshop guide, which aims to connect people to Brooklyn's traditional dance masters.
0:14:48
We will continue to work with the arts councils to support Indigenous culture and creative expression across the 5 boroughs.
