Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by David Freudenthal, Director of Government Relations at Carnegie Hall
3:34:47
ยท
3 min
David Freudenthal from Carnegie Hall testified on the importance of arts education in New York City schools, highlighting the unique ecosystem of cultural partners supporting public education. He emphasized the significant private investment made by cultural institutions like Carnegie Hall in supporting arts education programs.
- Carnegie Hall spends $10 million annually on arts education, serving 54,000 students in 350 schools with 550 educators.
- Freudenthal underscored the request for $75 million in baseline funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs to support the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) and their educational work.
- He emphasized the need for arts teachers in every school and robust arts education, echoing the calls made by the Arts and Education Roundtable.
David Freudenthal
3:34:47
Chair Joseph, thank you very much for the opportunity to testify.
3:34:52
David Freudenthal from Carnegie Hall.
3:34:56
Just by way of context, Carnegie Hall, a member of the CIG, as you've heard from me and us before, has a deep commitment to work with the city council and with the city's many human services agencies.
3:35:09
We have deep partnerships with a dozen agencies.
3:35:13
None more central to our work than DOE and arts office.
3:35:22
I come today really to underscore the testimony that you've heard from these extraordinary colleagues and students and educators.
3:35:31
I mean, I've to say, about the importance of arts education in our you know, to our schools in our city.
3:35:39
Just you know, to old credit, I could not get in to this hearing.
3:35:44
I was waiting outside for a while because you packed the house.
3:35:48
So apparently this is a popular issue.
3:35:49
A lot of people care about it, you know, so it's good that you're holding it.
3:35:54
I guess, you know, my testimony captures the asks are of the field, and I want to underscore Kimberly Olson and the Arts and Education Roundtable's call for the ways that the city council can help to ensure arts teachers in every school and robust arts education in our system.
3:36:20
It makes the case very well.
3:36:22
I just note from the testimony you heard today, I think it really calls to how unique New York's ecosystem is.
3:36:31
What other city has this many private cultural partners with this deep commitment to our public school system?
3:36:39
I mean, no one else has this.
3:36:41
And you know, we're all raising private money and doing all we can.
3:36:45
It's a massive private investment in our city's schools that is incentivized and needs the public support for this to occur.
3:36:52
Carnegie Hall is spending $10,000,000 a year on this.
3:36:55
The city is not putting in anything near what we're raising on this work.
3:37:02
We're serving like 54,000 students.
3:37:07
We're in three fifty schools, five fifty educators.
3:37:10
I mean, just some numbers on, you know, on what we're doing.
3:37:13
All of our partners, you know, are all across the city are doing extraordinary work in this space.
3:37:21
And I do want to I appreciate that in the earlier testimony with the city agencies, there was a lot of inquiry about the CIG's role in this work.
3:37:33
Carnegie is proud to be with CIG.
3:37:36
To underscore that support for the CIG helps us to do and to the cultural community, through cultural affairs, also helps us to do this work and underscore the request on cultural affairs for $75,000,000 baselined.
3:37:52
And I used my time.
3:37:53
Thank you all very much.