Testimony to New York City Council Committee on Finance Hearing on the Mayor's Fiscal Year 2011 Executive Budget, at City Hall - June 7, 2010

by Randall Bourscheidt, President of Alliance for the Arts

Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to speak about the Fiscal 2011 budget for Cultural Affairs.

I am well aware of the terrible economic situation in which we find ourselves and the consequent pressures on the City budget. The point I would like to make today is not about principle or equity, because I know that you as the people's representatives are constantly striving to do the right thing.

Rather, I hope only to remind us all of the intrinsic importance of the arts to the fabric and spirit of our city, to remind us that the arts are not just another needy sector but an engine of recovery. The arts are a home industry in New York. As a Cultural Affairs Commissioner I served under, Henry Geldzahler, used to say, "The arts are to New York City what wheat is to Kansas." Let's just look at some of the numbers this industry accounts for:

• $21 billion in total economic impact on the City

These were the numbers in 2005. They increased significantly as New York recovered from the losses of Sept 11--but they have declined somewhat during this terrible recession. Almost 20 percent are laying off workers, according to our newest study, The Recession & the Arts II. To the question Why does this matter? I have an answer which is also a number: More than 26 million people visit nonprofit cultural institutions, large and small, in New York--more than the combined total of Broadway and live sports events.

I am here today to ask the Council to work with the Mayor to restore as much as possible of the Cultural Affairs budget. To suggest this is not to ignore the budget crisis but to remind us of the power of the arts industry to help the city work its way out of the recession.

This is a conversation between friends. We know that both the City Council and Mayor Bloomberg are strong friends of the arts and want to do the right thing. We wish to respectfully remind all the parties to the budget negotiations that the cultural industry pays its own way. (The fact that the sector returns $900 million in taxes to the City while the Cultural Affairs budget today is $158 million underscores that fact.)

Of course, the arts not only contribute to the economy. I lead with that because we are talking about the budget and the larger economic forces affecting it. They not only strengthen the economy, the arts are also the reason young workers chose to move to and stay in New York. The arts are the source of hope and inspiration for hundreds of thousands of school children, who may face economic and other challenges. The arts stabilize whole neighborhoods and bring a sense of belonging to many groups around the city, ranging from the elderly to immigrants to the lesbian and gay community.

Let me also add a word on behalf of the public libraries. Although they are first and foremost centers of learning, they are unique sources of community cohesion. They are also the most efficient way to bring the people, young and old, into contact with one of our most important art forms, literature. Libraries are the sister institutions to museums, theaters, historic houses, zoos and botanical gardens.

There are more than one thousand active cultural organizations in New York City. Collectively, they and the public libraries contribute to the city's quality of life. This quality of life is as important to the city as a good diet, shelter and opportunities for work and relaxation are for a healthy individual.

I am here today to ask you to do what you can to improve the budget next year for Cultural Affairs. Every citizen and resident will benefit from whatever you can do to restore this budget. And we will avoid sending a negative signal to the world which looks to New York for cultural leadership and vitality and is attracted by the arts in the tens of millions.