AGENCY TESTIMONY
Cultural Development Fund supported workforce programs
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ยท
150 sec
Commissioner Cumbo outlines various workforce development programs supported by the Cultural Development Fund (CDF), which provides grants to over 1,000 nonprofits across the city annually. These programs offer diverse opportunities for professional development in the arts sector.
- Stage Directors and Choreographers Society's program creates paid opportunities for early career directors and choreographers
- The Drama League offers comprehensive career development for emerging directors
- Teen Art Salon's Drawing All Stars program provides pre-professional development for high school artists
- Hook Arts Media's Arts Forward program helps Brooklyn youth build skills for media careers
- BEAM Center's youth projects connect youth to paid training and employment in public art projects
- New York Theater Workshop's Administrative Fellowship Program addresses economic barriers in theater careers
Laurie Cumbo
0:17:07
These grants support a range of professional and workforce development programs.
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The stage directors and choreographers, society's professional development program creates paid opportunities for early career directors and choreographers to observe or work with established artists throughout the production process.
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The program provides access, develops skills, and makes possible relationships that are otherwise hard to fund.
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The Drama League offers a comprehensive career development for emerging directors.
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Teen Art Salon's drawing all stars program is free.
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Pre pre professional development program for high schoolers focusing on New York City's next generation of artists.
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Hook Arts Media's Arts Forward program offers a multi phase media education pipeline, helping nearly 90 Brooklyn youth build skills and prepare for media careers.
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Beam Center's youth projects connect youth to paid training and employment experiences that focus on the creation and teaching of public art projects.
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So Harlem's creative collective builds on the organization's mission as a cultural industries incubator, working at the intersection of the arts and economic development.
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New York Theater's workshop administrative fellowship program, which represents one of several NYTW initiatives to address the economic barriers that may prevent talented individuals from pursuing careers in theater.
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I and Darryl Ensemble Tech Track program teaches students about all aspects of theater production from costume and set design to marketing and lighting design through a variety of hands on projects.
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But these are just a few of the programs specifically supported by CDF grants.
0:18:56
But I'd like to note that many more organizations are deeply committed to creating equitable pathways into the cultural workforce and practice programs they operate, whether or not these are specifically mentioned in their CDF applications.
0:19:10
Groups like the Asian American Arts Alliance, Dance NYC, New York Foundation For the Arts, Arts and Education Roundtable, and other service organizations also offer a range of resources for current and aspiring cultural workers to secure work and advance in their careers.
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DCLA also works with agency partners on a number of programs that create pathways into the city's cultural workforce for people from diverse backgrounds.