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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Cynthia Carrion, Director of Government and Community Affairs at El Museo del Barrio
5:30:28
ยท
3 min
Cynthia Carrion from El Museo del Barrio testified about the museum's importance to the Latinx community in New York City and the challenges it faces. She emphasized the need for increased funding and support for cultural institutions, particularly in light of potential federal funding cuts.
- El Museo del Barrio, founded in 1969, remains crucial for representing Latinx art and culture in NYC.
- The museum faces funding challenges, with nearly $1 million in multi-year funding at risk due to proposed eliminations of NEA, NEH, and IMLS.
- Carrion requested inclusion in the Coalition of Theaters of Color and support for various city council initiatives to help meet community demands and expand programming.
Cynthia Carrion
5:30:28
Hi.
5:30:29
Good afternoon.
5:30:30
Thank you, Councilwoman Rivera and and members of the committee.
5:30:37
I'm Cynthia Carreon.
5:30:38
I am the director of government and community affairs at El Museo del Barrio.
5:30:43
El Museo was founded in 1969 with a visionary group of artists, parents, educators, and activists who recognized the need for a space dedicated to Latinx art and culture, one that would reflect the voices, histories, and creative expressions of our community.
5:30:59
More than fifty years later, our mission remains just as urgent.
5:31:03
The same needs that inspired our founding, cultural responsive education, community centered arts programming, and equitable access to the arts echo even louder today.
5:31:13
As New York City's Latinx population continues to grow, so too does the demand for institutions like ours to provide spaces and representation, learning and empowerment.
5:31:24
We are unapologetic of who we are and who we serve.
5:31:28
Earlier today we heard about this being unprecedented times.
5:31:32
Like many of our peers, the proposed elimination of the NEA, NEH, and IMLS leave nearly 1,000,000 in multi year funding in limbo for El Museo.
5:31:45
Just to reiterate, going after culture is going after community.
5:31:51
El Museo's work extends far beyond exhibitions.
5:31:54
We are a hub for community, education, engagement, and economic activation.
5:32:00
Our programming reaches thousands of New Yorkers each year through programming such as Three Kings Day Parade, Dia de los Muertos, Super Sabados, Uptown Bounce, which we do together with the Museum of City of New York, but also our bilingual arts education.
5:32:16
Now more than ever, in a time where things like El Museo de Barrio, just in its name, can be a target.
5:32:25
Despite however, despite strong demands for our programming, our current capacity limits our ability to meet the New York, the demands of New York City public schools.
5:32:35
Although we host over 300 school groups yearly, 250 remain on our wait list due to limited operating days.
5:32:43
Again, we stand with our colleagues in asking for the city to support our inclusion in the coalition of theaters of color.
5:32:51
Our state of the art theater is underutilized gem in East Harlem, and this support would help us bring unrepresented artists to ensure East Harlem has access to dynamic theater and programming.
5:33:03
Again, as a cultural institutional group, and Lucia del Barrio is part of a network of 34 institutions, again, we axe up the 75,000,000 baseline increase to the Department of DCLA, but also key city council initiatives such as CASA, SU CASA, Art as a Catalyst for Change, Cultural Immigrant Initiatives, and the Coalition of Theater of Colors.
5:33:27
Our schools, our community needs us now than ever.
5:33:29
Thank you.