Arts advocates struggling, too

Alliance for the Arts, WNET, Municipal Art Society in Talks
by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, August 8, 2011

Dance/NYC: advocating arts activism

From Dance/NYC -- February 24, 2011

Dear Friend,

It is up to us - dancers, managers and audiences - to explain the value of dance in NYC to public policy makers not only locally but nationally. Strengthen your grant agencies:

National Endowment for the Arts

The urgency for federal advocacy was heightened this past week when the House of Representatives approved an amendment offered by Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI-7) to cut FY11 funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by $20.6 million. This was on top of the $22.5 million funding reduction already recommended by the House Appropriations Committee.

The wide majority of New York State Representatives voted against the amendment - see list below. The vote was extremely close (217-209) and only five additional votes would have made the difference.

Please visit our partners at the Performing Arts Alliance to learn more and send a personal message to your Representative. Sending thank you notes to the Representatives who voted against the amendment is also helpful for securing their support going forward.

New York State Council on the Arts

Joining the New York City Arts coalition and sister groups statewide, Dance/NYC continues to advocate a restoration of $2.8 million of a cut to New York State Council on the Arts' (NYSCA) Aid to Localities, which is the source of its grants funding to arts groups. Visit the new Arts NYS Coalition Web site (www.ArtsNYS.org) to see the proposal, write your legislators and learn more about how you can make your voice heard in State budget proceedings.

How to Be an Advocate

Dance/NYC will address the role of dance advocacy at our annual symposium this Saturday, February 26. We are offering a free breakout session on How to Be an Advocate with Amy Fitterer, Executive Director of Dance/USA and Brandon Gryde, Director of Government Affairs; as well as a panel on Dance and Diplomacy with Maura Pally of the US Department of State. For more: http://dancenyc.org/news-room/news-and-announcements.php?id=159
Hoping to see you this weekend, and onward for dance in NYC!

 Lane

Lane Harwell
Director
Dance/NYC

NEW YORK

Timothy Bishop (D-NY-01) N
Steve Israel (D-NY-02) N
Peter King (R-NY-03) Y
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY-04) N
Gary Ackerman (D-NY-05) N
Gregory Meeks (D-NY-06) N
Joseph Crowley (D-NY-07) N
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-08) N
Anthony Weiner (D-NY-09) N
Edolphus Towns (D-NY-10) N
Yvette Clarke (D-NY-11) N
Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-12) N
Michael Grimm (R-NY-13) N
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-14) N
Charles Rangel (D-NY-15) N
José Serrano (D-NY-16) N
Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) N

Nita Lowey (D-NY-18) N
Nan Hayworth (R-NY-19) Y
Christopher Gibson (R-NY-20) N
Paul Tonko (D-NY-21) N
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY-22) N
William Owens (D-NY-23) N
Richard Hanna (R-NY-24) N
Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY-25) Y

-VACANT- (NY-26) --

Brian Higgins (D-NY-27) N
Louise Slaughter (D-NY-28) N
Tom Reed (R-NY-29) Y

Dance/NYC's mission is to sustain and advance the professional dance field in New York City-serving as the voice, guide and infrastructure architect for all local dance artists and managers. The organization achieves this mission through three core program areas: advocacy and research, audience engagement and professional development. Visit www.dancenyc.org to learn more about our programs.

Dance/NYC examines impact of reorganized NYSCA

A Message from NYSCA Chairman Danny Simmons, December 3, 2010

From the New York City Arts Coalition: NYSCA Issues and Upcoming Hearing

Dance NYC Testimony to New York State Assembly, December 13, 2010

Ax falling on NYC arts groups

Arts Groups See Bloomberg’s Budget Plan and Shudder

by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, May 14, 2010

Advocate for the arts now!

New York City Arts Coalition and Center for Arts Education

welcome you to an ARTS ADVOCACY WORKSHOP

Thursday, February 11 (9am-11am) 

Location:

Center for Arts Education
225 West 34 Street, Suite 1112, Manhattan 

Presenters:

Norma Munn--Chair, New York City Arts Coalition 
Doug Israel--Director of Research & Policy, The Center for Arts Education 

This workshop is aimed at those who have not taken part in advocacy or feel they need to improve or refresh their skills and information. It will focus on the City and State processes, and will also provide current information about both the City and State budgets and legislative issues impacting on the cultural sector.

Attendees will be given opportunities to ask questions, and explore their concerns.

If you, or your organization has not been actively involved in advocating for more public funding, or addressing legislative issues, in the past few years, this is an opportunity to quickly learn how to do so both effectively and credibly. Remember, you are your own best lobbyist when it comes to what you want legislators to hear. No one knows better than you what you do and its value.

You, or another staff member, are welcome, but you must RSVP by email to information@nycityartscoalition.org no later than March 9. If you have questions, or need additional information, please contact Norma Munn at npmunn@nycityartscoalition.org or call 212-246-3788.

New York City Arts Coalition
212-246-3788

An appeal from the NYC Arts Coalition

The New York City Arts Coalition's lease will not be renewed at the end of July, and I am really becoming very anxious.

I have been looking for space for two months, and find brokers uninterested because the space is so small, and we don't have a lot of money.  We need about 550-600 sq feet of useable space and we need some of that space to be private office space. However, I am as flexible as we can be.

Locale: flexible, but anything that is on the western side of Manhattan is far easier transportation for everyone working here.

I need to keep the rent around $1600-1800 per month, unless it includes cleaning and security, in which case I can go a bit higher.

A two-three year lease is OK.  We have been subletting since 2000, and we are accustomed to sharing.   (We make good neighbors.)

This is a real plea for help.  All efforts deeply appreciated.

Norma

Norma P. Munn
Chairperson
New York City Arts Coalition
351-A West 54 St.
NYC  10019    212-246-3788
npmunn@nycityartscoalition.org