AN EXCITING NEW YEAR The Alliance wishes to extend a New Year's greeting to all our friends and colleagues in the cultural community. Although 2002 was a difficult year for a great number of cultural organizations, much progress was made in our sector. We are pleased that City officials worked diligently to limit the severity of the expense budget cuts, restoring $2.3 million of the announced reductions to the Department of Cultural Affairs budget. Moving forward we must continue to encourage City government to maintain its commitment to the arts, especially in terms of capital budget support. As a reminder, we are re-printing the budget cycle roadmap that we published in our November, 2002 newsletter. There is no question that 2003 will be another year of challenges, but we are also presented with great opportunities to shape our own destiny. Randall Bourscheidt President, Alliance for the Arts WINTER FESTIVAL 2003 On January 9, The New York Times will carry an important guide to Winter events in parks and at cultural organizations. "The City of New York Guide to Winter Festival 2003" was prepared by the Alliance, in conjunction with the Departments of Parks and Cultural Affairs and the Mayor's Office. The Winter Festival guide is a pull-out section and contains valuable information on cultural events of all kinds occurring in the five boroughs between January 11 and February 2, 2003. The guide is available online at www.nyc.gov/winterfest. CULTURAL LIFE IN LOWER MANHATTAN The Alliance and other members of the cultural community welcome the bold and compelling plans for Lower Manhattan, as elucidated by Mayor Bloomberg in a speech he gave to the Association for a Better New York on December 12, 2002. His remarks are a testament to the energy and commitment to rebuild the Trade Center site and improve Lower Manhattan for generations to come. We expect it to truly be a "Downtown for the 21st Century." Specifically, we applaud Mayor Bloomberg's recognition that Lower Manhattan's cultural life be a crucial component of its future success. As he said in his speech, the area will be known for "businessmen negotiating on Exchange Place in the afternoon...novelists and artists arguing at cafes, looking out across the East River at night." The centrality of culture in his remarks is inspiring to all the members of the cultural community. In defining the role of culture in the development blueprint for Lower Manhattan, Mayor Bloomberg said: "Cultural institutions can animate a neighborhood and define a community. Together, if we could build large-scale performing arts centers people would be on the streets 24/7. Museums--some helping to interpret the World Trade Center memorial and some devoted to already-defined missions--would give further impetus to visit New York's heartland. And smaller arts centers would provide much-needed studio and rehearsal space for performing and visual artists, and offer a focus for the dynamism and creativity that define the best this city has to offer." Many in the cultural community hope that recognition of the importance of culture will ultimately inform City funding in all five boroughs. The Alliance and its constituents look forward to supporting the administration and relevant City agencies in making Lower Manhattan a vibrant destination for New York City. (The full text of the Mayor's speech can be accessed online at www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2002b/vision_for_lower_manhattan.html) KEY FINDINGS OF THE CAPITAL STUDY This month, the Alliance will be publishing a groundbreaking study of the economic impact of capital spending by the cultural sector in New York City. A survey of 78 cultural organizations conducted by the Alliance for the Arts with the Department of Cultural Affairs reveals that about $300 million was spent on cultural capital projects in FY 2001 alone. The Capital Study will be available online and in print later this month (details at www.allianceforarts.org). ONLINE CULTURAL GIFT DIRECTORY A SUCCESS! As we noted in our December newsletter, the Online Cultural Gift Directory has successfully launched with more than 300 New York City cultural organizations--many offering tickets, subscriptions, classes and opportunities for contributions from a special section of the Alliance's Web site. The program was promoted through advertising in the National and Arts sections of The New York Times several times in December. Based on reports from participating cultural groups, and increased traffic to the Alliance Web site, we will continue this free service to the field. Organizations can be added to the directory at any time. We are planning further promotions, not only of gift-giving but of memberships, donations and volunteer opportunities.