THE ALLIANCE IN THE NEWS
Artists Damian Woetzel, Larry Keigwin and Basil Twist spoke about their involvement with the Alliance for the Arts in an interview with WNBC News. They describe the Alliance's research indicating the economic importance of the arts to New York City as well as its advocacy work and new Web sites. Click here to read the transcript of the interview, Celebs Work to Keep Arts Alive in Difficult Times.
To see more examples of the Alliance in the press, click here.
THIS MONTH ON NYC-ARTS
Though thousands of immigrants in New York call the city home, they often still maintain the culture and traditions of their native countries in their new communities. Immigrants Heritage Week festival (April 17-23) is a celebration of those practices and traditions that add to the national character of the United States, making it the diverse home that it was originally intended to be. In this week-long, citywide cultural extravaganza, events celebrating the music, dance, film, art and written word of foreign countries are held at cultural institutions around the five boroughs. To see a full list of immigrant heritage week events, click here.
MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES NEW HELP FOR NONPROFITS
In an effort to help nonprofit groups, including cultural organizations, survive the recession, the City has announced a variety of initiatives, ranging from speeding up payments on City contracts to increasing a bridge loan fund and matching business executives with nonprofit managers. Noting that there are 40,000 nonprofit organizations in New York--an estimated 2,000 are cultural--providing almost half a million jobs, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg indicated that the thrust of these initiatives will be to reduce fixed costs, to strengthen nonprofit management, and to streamline the business dealings with the City of New York for those which have contracts with City agencies. A full description of the initiatives is available at www.nyc.gov.
STATE BUDGET INCLUDES ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR NYSCA
The FY10 budget for the New York State Council on the Arts includes $3.5 million and $250,000 for stabilization in addition to Governor Paterson's executive budget allocation of $38.9 million, for a total of $42.7 million. The organization's operations budget is $5.5 million.
It is projected that NYSCA will also receive approximately $400,000 from the federal stimulus package for the purposes of regranting. NYSCA is currently developing a process for the distribution of these funds, which must first be approved by the National Endowment for the Arts. NYSCA expects to announce guidelines in April with a grant deadline of late May. Updates will be posted on NYSCA's Web site, www.nysca.org.
NYC NONPROFIT ENERGY SURVEY
In an effort to offer nonprofit organizations in New York City greener, less expensive energy, the Department of Cultural Affairs is conducting a 10-question survey to assess the needs of the field. For more information and to complete the survey by the April 20 deadline, click here.
MONEY MANAGEMENT SEMINAR OFFERED FOR ARTISTS
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council is offering a free six-week seminar on money management and personal finance for individual artists beginning May 12. The seminar will help develop financial awareness through practical training in money management. Experts in the field and guest artists will lead the workshops and address issues that are relevant to artist-specific needs. Visit LMCC's Web site for more information and to register.
22ND ANNUAL ARTS ADVOCACY DAY
Nearly 500 arts advocates from around the country met with their representatives in Washington DC during Arts Advocacy Day 2009 to call for a budget of $200 million for the National Endowment for the Arts next year. Americans for the Arts, the organizer of the event, provided members of Congress with copies of the 2009 Congressional Arts Handbook, which includes information on important issues affecting the arts. For more information, click here.
Frank Alvarado has been appointed executive director of the Brooklyn Music School. He is currently vice chair of the Ethical Community Charter School.
Virginia Johnson has been appointed artistic director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and will begin this year. She was formerly the founding editor in chief of Pointe, a ballet magazine.
Debby Silverfine has been named director of the Voelker Orth Museum in Flushing. Previously, she was deputy director at the New York State Council on the Arts.
Melissa Smey has been named director of the Miller Theatre at Columbia University. Previously, she was the theater's acting director and general manager.
Eduardo Vilaro has been appointed artistic director of Ballet Hispanico, effective August 1, 2009. He is currently founder and artistic director of Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago.
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