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Q&A

Council Member Hudson discusses budget constraints and staffing cuts with DCLA Commissioner

2:37:17

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4 min

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Council Member Crystal Hudson inquires about the impact of budget constraints on cultural institutions, particularly regarding staffing and operational cuts. Commissioner Laurie Cumbo and DCLA representatives respond, acknowledging the challenging financial times for arts and culture organizations while highlighting ongoing efforts to support them.

DCLA emphasizes constant dialogue with cultural partners and a toolkit to provide programmatic, capital, and administrative support.
The discussion touches on the need for unprecedented partnerships and investments to address the current crisis in arts and culture funding.
There's mention of collaboration between various stakeholders, including labor unions, cultural organizations, city council, and the administration, to find solutions.

Crystal Hudson

2:37:17

Thank you so much, Chair, and good afternoon.

Laurie Cumbo

2:37:21

Good afternoon.

Crystal Hudson

2:37:21

As you know, many cultural institutions are facing budget constraints as our city's tourism sector continues to recover from the COVID-nineteen pandemic, resulting in lower revenue and as fringe costs for employees continue to rise, and the chair also mentioned inflation as a factor.

2:37:38

As a result, many institutions have needed to reduce staffing and cut operations.

2:37:42

Have cultural institutions reached out to DCLA about the potential need for staffing and operations cuts as a result of budget reductions?

2:37:50

And if so, can you broadly explain what you've

Carlina Rivera

2:37:52

heard?

2:37:53

Thank

Lance Polivy

2:37:56

you for that question, Councilmember Hudson.

2:37:58

We're in constant dialogue with our cultural partners, both CIGs and CDF recipients about the fiscal challenges that their organizations are facing.

2:38:08

And there's no way to sugarcoat that this is an extremely difficult financial time for arts and culture.

2:38:15

I think the commissioner put it best in her testimony, ringing the alarm bell that this is a crisis of lack of support through foundations, corporations, and individual support.

2:38:25

The city's support for arts and culture has only been rising over the last three years, And part of that is because of the unbelievable partnership of the New York City Council.

2:38:36

And so we look forward to continuing to partner with the council to pass a robust arts and culture budget.

2:38:43

And in the meantime, we are in regular conversations with each of the arts and culture organizations that are having difficulties.

2:38:52

And just as the commissioner was saying, there's a broad toolkit in terms of what we can do to help provide them with programmatic capital and other administrative support.

2:39:04

And we're doing that each and every day.

Crystal Hudson

2:39:07

Thank you so much.

Laurie Cumbo

2:39:08

I just wanted to add as well with NYC and tourism.

2:39:11

I'm also going to be attending their annual meeting shortly after this.

2:39:14

But this is also a partner that we're working with in terms of addressing, bringing back those audiences that we lost during the pandemic and generating that level of support.

2:39:25

But I also wanna say this is really an unprecedented time, and I think one of the great things about unprecedented times is that partners are coming to the table that had previously been working in silos.

2:39:38

And so now our labor unions, now our cultural organizations, now the city council, the administration, foundations and corporations are finally starting to get around the same tables, have the have similar conversations and are talking more in concert than I've seen in previous years.

2:39:58

And so the results of that is what you've seen right in your own district at the Brooklyn Museum is that through these types of collaborations, we are seeing more stability and partnerships when everybody recognizes we have to come to the table in ways that were unprecedented.

2:40:14

So we have to utilize this time to come forward and come together to collaborate and to shift it more from the emergency meeting to this is our standard meeting to prevent these types of layoffs and challenges that so many of the organizations are facing.

Crystal Hudson

2:40:34

Thank you for that.

2:40:35

And I completely agree and applaud all efforts to bring as many people to the table as possible for additional funding.

2:40:43

And then to just use your terminology, I would also push the administration to maybe explore unprecedented investments in the cultural institutions given the unprecedented times that we're in.

2:40:55

Thank you.

Laurie Cumbo

2:40:56

Thank you.

2:40:56

We are looking for unprecedented partnerships.

2:41:00

And we are going to look forward to some unprecedented investments and collaborations together, which we have been doing.

2:41:08

And so I look forward to more of it.

Carlina Rivera

2:41:10

I was going to say my favorite thing about unprecedented times is setting a new precedent.

Laurie Cumbo

2:41:15

That's right.

Carlina Rivera

2:41:15

There you go.

Gale A. Brewer

2:41:15

There you

Carlina Rivera

2:41:16

go.

2:41:16

A $45,000,000 baseline and then room to grow.

2:41:21

That's that's at least, at least.

2:41:22

Okay.

2:41:23

Let's go to council member Brewer, please.

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