Another East Village loss: Incubator Arts Project

Incubator Arts Project to Close
by Patrick Healy, The New York Times, April 16, 2014

City Comptroller report: NYC's low-income students lack arts education

Arts Education Lacking in Low-Income Areas of New York City, Report Says
by Vivian Yee, The New York Times, April 7, 2014

Recommended: Cynthia Hopkins in "A Living Documentary"

Cynthia Hopkins
as her sassiest character in A Living Documentary
(photo by Jeff Sugg)

Whatever enrages, disturbs, and/or frightens me most becomes the subject of my work.

-- Cynthia Hopkins, from her Artist Statement

More intimately enraging, disturbing and frightening than global climate change--a topic Cynthia Hopkins treats in This Clement World--is the abject condition of the serious theater artist attempting to live a healthy life and make meaningful work in New York City. The multiple award-winning Hopkins takes on this issue in her new performance, A Living Documentary, this week at New York Live Arts.

In this quasi-fictional, quasi-autobiographical "documentary," Hopkins transforms herself into a series of comedic characters--veterans of the performing arts scene, for better or for bitter--whose behavior and words maintain a sizzling tension between what's off-putting and what's wise, what's over the top and what's completely down to earth. Their varying points of view on the possibility of a sustainable arts career shape up into a pretty interesting seminar. It's a more bracing kind of career seminar than you might ever imagine attending, with generous helpings of profanity and poignant musical interventions from this irresistible singer/composer.

For her ninety-minute show, Hopkins has adopted the sustainable strategy of simplicity. First, it's a solo. That saves a lot of cash right there. There's recorded music--played on an ancient cassette recorder to boot--and a set and props that look as if they were pulled from her apartment and/or some thrift shop. That's enough when the mission is to call bullshit on the external arts gatekeepers and overseers as well as the internal sabotage agents that conspire to keep artists fearful, passive and broke.

My favorite character, her hilarious motivational speaker-type--rocking rhinestones and a jet black halo of feathers--exhorts us to "act like you're worthy of a prosperous life...act like you're a woman of dignity...even if you're not a woman!" Hopkins knows that while one part of us is smirking, the other part is likely absorbing, that the clown's job has always been to slip around the guards and Make. That. Delivery.

A Living Documentary runs through Saturday with performances at 7:30pm. For more information and tickets, click here.

March 6, 6:30pm -- Come Early Conversation: The Truth Behind A Living Documentary. Moderated by Paul Lazar

March 7 -- Stay Late Discussion: No-nonsense - Discussing the Economy of Art-Making. Annie-B Parson in conversation with Cynthia Hopkins

New York Live Arts
219 West 19th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), Manhattan
(map/directions)

"Go forth where?" An artist challenges Levi's

In this 2011 video, citizen-artist LaToya Ruby Frazier uses her power as an artist to throw serious questions (and shade) at jeans manufacturer Levi's.

What is the responsibility of an artist to her community? In this film, artist and activist LaToya Ruby Frazier discusses the economic and environmental decline of her hometown—Braddock, Pennsylvania—the city that the clothing company Levi's used as inspiration and backdrop for a major advertising campaign in 2010. Having photographed in Braddock since she was sixteen years old, LaToya's black-and-white images of her family and their surroundings present a stark contrast to the campaign images of "urban pioneers" and slogans such as "everybody's work is equally important." In a performance developed in collaboration with the artist Liz Magic Laser, LaToya carries out a choreographed series of movements on the sidewalk in front of the temporary Levi's Photo Workshop in SoHo. Wearing a costume of ordinary Levi's clothes, the artist's repetitive and relentless motion ultimately destroys the jeans she's wearing. 

LaToya Ruby Frazier (b. 1982, Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA) lives and works in New Brunswick, New Jersey and New York, New York.

Bankruptcy approved for Detroit. Now about that art....

Fate of Detroit’s Art Hangs in the Balance

by Randy Kennedy, The New York Times, December 3, 2013

Join Shay Wafer and Camille A. Brown on Facebook today, 3-4pm EST

Shay Wafer, 651 Arts ED

You know what? We really should talk about how Black arts organization and business can survive and thrive in today's economic climate.

651 ARTS Executive Director Shay Wafer will discuss the arts and sustainability with choreographer Camille A. Brown in an open Facebook chat today, 3-4pm. You're invited to join in with your questions, observations and ideas.

As 651 ARTS enters its 25th year of dedication to the performing arts of the African Diaspora, we are thinking about sustainability over the next 25 years. There have been conversations about the future of Black organizations and how we can create new business and economic models. Inevitably, a conversation on sustainability always includes the question of individual contributions and earned income: How de we create and/or grow these revenue steams?

We would love to hear from folks why they contribute to an arts organization, or if they don’t, why not. What would inspire or encourage them to do so?

For more information and to participate in today's chat, click here. 

Budget problems threaten Pittsburgh's August Wilson Center

Pittsburgh Center Honoring Playwright Finds Itself Short on Visitors and Donors

by Trip Gabriel, The New York Times, November 23, 2013

Rich man, poor artist: Nobelist Stiglitz on income inequality and the arts

The Public Theater's PUBLIC FORUM

presents

JOSEPH STIGLITZ ON THE RICH AND POOR

Monday, December 9 at 7pm

Joe's Pub at The Public

Featuring Nobel Prize-winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz on income inequality and what the artistic community can do about it

Followed by a conversation between Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC, Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, and Public Works Director Lear deBessonet

The new Public Forum Solo series is designed to bring great artists and theater audiences into contact with America’s most vital thinkers. In this event, Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University gives a talk about the most pressing issue of our time, and some of New York’s most socially engaged artists respond to his ideas about what the creative community can do to help.

Tickets for this event go on sale on October 31. For tickets and information about other current Public Forum events, click here.

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street (just below Astor Place), Manhattan
(map/directions)

********

PUBLIC FORUM presents the theater of ideas. Curated by Jeremy McCarter, this series of conversations and performances features leading voices in politics, media, and the arts. Alec Baldwin, Anne Hathaway, Cynthia Nixon, Sam Waterston, and former NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman have hosted its programs, which have featured the insights of Kurt Andersen, David Brooks, David Byrne, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Tony Kushner, Rachel Maddow, Wynton Marsalis, Francine Prose, Salman Rushdie, David Simon, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Sondheim, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the culture writers of New York Magazine, and young veterans of the war in Afghanistan - plus performances by Christine Baranski, Matt Damon, Holly Hunter, Wendell Pierce, and Vanessa Redgrave, among others. Current Forum programs include Public Forum Drama Club, Public Forum Duets, Public Forum Solos, and the Public Forum Podcast.

Save Detroit's art

The Agony of Suspense in Detroit
Detroit Institute of Arts Copes With Threat of Art Selloff

by Randy Kennedy, The New York Times, October 2, 2013

New York City Opera at the brink

For City Opera, the Talk Turns to a Shutdown

by Michael Cooper, The New York Times, September 26, 2013

DNA update (as of September 12)

SEPTEMBER 12 Update from Dance New Amsterdam

Dear DNA Community, Today we have reached an agreement with our landlord, Fram Realty, that allows DNA to remain at its current location through mid-October, after which DNA has agreed to leave 280 Broadway.  However, Fram Realty has agreed, in good faith, to continue to listen to any viable proposals DNA presents to it. Our agreement is being documented and submitted to the Bankruptcy Court for approval. Classes and rentals will be running through October 13. Know that we continue to work on a solution to support the DNA teachers, students,  artist,  audiences,  etc.; but as of yet,  we have not been able to secure a partner or find another solution that would allow us to meet DNA's business responsibilities and remain at 280 Broadway. The DNA Community is more than a 280 Broadway space; it exists regardless of where we work, dance, teach, create, and perform. For our part, we will help keep the lines of communication open between teachers, students, artists, and community supporters while looking for ways to keep our programs alive.  In the meantime, please come take class and rehearse! With great respect and awe, Catherine A. PeilaExecutive/Artistic Director

For InfiniteBody's earlier post on the DNA situation, click here.

More tension around Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit Institute of Arts Could Lose Regional Tax Funds
by Randy Kennedy, The New York Times, August 20, 2013

Detroit cannot sell its art treasures

Michigan Attorney General Says Detroit Museum Could Not Sell Art
by Graham Bowley, The New York Times, June 14, 2013

(How) Do we value dance and dancers?

How does the current climate affect our lives and artistic work, and vice versa? What creative insights and understandings, structures and alternatives, have manifest during this time of financial challenge. 

Movement Research held its third annual town hall last evening at Joyce SoHo, hosted by Diana Crum (MR's Development Manager) and MR's Artist Advisory Council and moderated by Dana Whitco (Director, Center for Creative Research). The roughly three-hour discussion forum encouraged artists to share perspectives on the impact of the US recession on their personal and professional lives. Offering an overview of the evening's theme, choreographer Kathy Westwater spoke of "living in the worst economic environment of our lifetimes" but also noted that the arts have often flourished in times of economic crisis. "Does that create an opening for us?" she wondered.

In a structured forum--five minutes per speaker--Jen Abrams, Ilona Bito, Daria Fain, Jill Sigman and Enrico Wey shared varied experiences and ideas. These ranged from remarks on how both trust and fear are lodged in our kidneys and the necessity of changing our paradigms (Fain) to Occupy Wall Street as "performance score" (Bito) to a cautionary tale of how landing an apparently stable Broadway gig--thereby becoming "one of the 1%"--doesn't necessarily promote well-being (Wey).

Sigman--decrying the prevailing scarcity-mindedness of artists--redirected our attention to "what we do have" and described how a sudden awareness of the ongoing potential in trash led to her notable series of site-specific works, The Hut Project built around all kinds of recycled, re-purposed garbage. She spoke of how this new approach shifted her attention from conventional dance audiences and their expectations to people who share her values, who care about the same things. She found herself to be "not interested in meeting budget projections" but connecting to existing subcultures such as dumpster-diving meetup groups. She pondered how to "choreograph your values." Abrams--a co-creator of the bartering organization for artists, OurGoods--also chose to turn away from conventional channels of exchange and validation where, she says, artists experience a paucity of respect and acknowledgement. "How I know that my work is valuable is through the relationships I have forged with colleagues."

Underlying all of these sharings, and the subsequent contributions by others in attendance, was an often internalized conflict of values. In a money-driven society, artists feel pressured to fit their work--how they define it, package it, promote it--into a narrow, consumerist framework in which their only value, and the purpose of their creative labor, lies in growing into a strong economic engine for their communities. Fain noted our society's fixation on "stars." She said of more process-oriented artists, such as the ones drawn to Movement Research, "We're not perceived to be affecting culture."

The conversation circled back to issues of getting paid vs. not getting paid-- there are bills to pay, after all, and they can't be bartered away--and the fear of asking for what you need and deserve. How many artists feel empowered to ask about pay before they commit to a project?

Side discussions with Dance New Amsterdam's Catherine Peila during the break and, afterwards, with Peila and Fain led me to the conclusion that none of the opportunities hidden in crisis will be seized until dance artists reclaim a power ceded to others--presenters, funders, media--the power to name their own work and uphold their own values. I wish there had been time to begin this process last night. Perhaps Movement Research or some other community organization can hold a forum to create new language and tools to make this transformation possible.

Hmmm....an Idea Party! Good idea!

Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) announces...

In partnership with OurGoods, we have launched Connect the Blocks, an initiative to help dance makers and artists learn to share and barter resources in an increasingly competitive economic climate. The notion is that, by finding ways to share resources, we can accomplish more together than we would by staying in continued competition for scarce resources. 

Upcoming Connect the Blocks Idea Parties--Wednesday, October 10 (6:30pm) and Thursday, October 25 (6:30pm)--will be facilitated meetups where participants brainstorm practical solutions to artistic and production challenges.

Location: Downtown Art, 59-61 East 4th Street, 7th Floor, Manhattan

RSVP: rsvp@fabnyc.org
Get more information on these two idea parties on Facebook here.

Help the cause. Tweet this message today:

Get practical solutions to artistic & production challenges at Idea Party http://ow.ly/eg2l6 @FourthArtsBlock @OurGoods #connecttheblocks

Catherine Peila on why DNA--and your support--matters [AUDIO]

Catherine Peila, Executive and Artistic Director of Dance New Amsterdam, discusses the current challenge for this educational and presenting organization and the action that community supporters must take to help ensure its survival and future.

Listen here. [7:26:00]

For complete background information, see my previous post on DNA's Five Year Recovery Plan.

Donate to DNA now

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Click here to support Dance New Amsterdam:

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DANCE NEW AMSTERDAM ANNOUNCES
FIVE YEAR RECOVERY PLAN

Current Situation Still Challenging
Immediate Needs Totaling Nearly $150,000

NEW YORK, September 12, 2012 – On the heels of winning a 3-year battle to renegotiate new lease terms which substantially reduce its monthly rent obligations, Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), NYC’s foremost progressive dance education and performance center, releases the outline of its 5-year Recovery Plan. The announcement coincides with the opening of its 2012-2013 DNA PRESENTS Season and the introduction of strengthened educational offerings. Initiated by Executive and Artistic Director Catherine A. Peila, the plan is already actively being implemented and outlines key initiatives the organization is taking to achieve financial stability within three years and create income surplus within five years. Shaped by community concerns for public access and stability for artists’ careers, the plan incorporates cultural entrepreneurism and the economics of culture connected to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan/Tribeca. By serving more than 35,000 individuals yearly and providing over 650 arts-related jobs, DNA bolsters local businesses and greatly adds to the dynamic downtown cultural scene.

Since 2011, Michael M. Kaiser of the Kennedy Center’s DeVos Institute/Bloomberg Philanthropies has been working with the DNA team to offer greater insight into a successful turn around. Development of the plan included ongoing input from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, a broad spectrum of key business representatives and cultural advocate Paul Nagle. State Senator Daniel Squadron, aligned with state and local elected officials and strategic cross-sector advisors, was also included in the conversation.

"DNA has been an integral part of Lower Manhattan's recovery, and critical to our neighborhood's emergence as one of New York's burgeoning cultural centers. In June, we reached an agreement to ensure that DNA remains in its home in ourLower Manhattan community. And now, DNA deserves another round of applause for continuing to work to forge a strong, viable, and dynamic path forward withtoday's strategic plan," said Senator Daniel Squadron. "I'm proud to stand with DNA, and the many community-based cultural organizations that make New York so great. Thank you to DNA for your invaluable work, and to all of our partners who helped make this strategic plan a reality."

The plan identifies four major strategic objectives:

1. Lower monthly lease costs and negotiate a settlement on arrears (achieved)
Peila announced on June 1, 2012 that new lease terms lowered DNA’s rent by an average of $30,000 per month through 2020. Additionally, the renegotiation resulted in the forgiveness of rent arrears debt.

2. Practice effective business operations

Under Peila’s direction, DNA has responsibly reduced general operating and programming expenses from $3.6 million to $2.3 million annually. The organization has implemented programmatic and curatorial changes and strengthened educational offerings. These restructured production and education programs expand artist services and include fitness, teen and children’s programming. DNA has also implemented energy efficiency measures and initiated restructuring plans to bring on new upper management hires with diverse cross-sector skill sets. The plan also puts keen emphasis on increasing thenumber of board embers by two to three times.

3. Build capacity through key partnerships to increase earned revenue and contributed income

Since 2008 DNA has built various strategic partnerships to generate additional streams of revenue and provide artists with increased access to services. Beyond these partnerships (Lower Manhattan Arts League, Tribeca Performing Arts Center/BMCC, the New Museum, and the National Museum the American Indian), DNA is working with elected officials, Community Board 1, community members, peer organizations, local businesses and artists from all five boroughs to establish additional opportunities for growth and community engagement. These local, national and international partnerships will provide an actively nurturing platform for dance, from DNA’s signature Simonson Technique© to ballet, contemporary and experimental dance. DNA artists and students are seen in performance spaces such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Joyce Theater, La MaMa, MoMA and Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. Increased revenues will be used to further incubate existing and future generations of live performance artists.

4. Restructure the existing debt burden to create manageable payment schedules

DNA’s success in lowering the monthly facility lease payments means it is now in a position to move forward on restructuring its debt through a mixed model of refinancing, forgiveness of contributed investments and increased revenues. Under Peila’s leadership the organization has already cut deficits by $1.2 million and increased individual and philanthropic giving by 45% and earned income by 25%.

CALL TO ACTION:

The plan’s four objectives are focused on stabilizing DNA’s finances and operations. DNA projects $2.1 million for 2013 programming and facilities operations. The loss of a large rental client has recently created an unexpected income gap for the organization. An immediate call to the community to meet DNA’s first target goal of $150,000 by September 15, with the larger goal set at $450,000by the end of the current fiscal year (June 2013) is necessary to keep programs running and meet strategic milestones. A multi-year target of an additional one million for the next three years and a benchmark constant income goal of $3.5 million during years four and five are also part of the plan to create a surplus.

“I’m incredibly proud of the progress DNA has made over the past four years; especially when the future looked dismal. Already, DNA has achieved more than expected without sacrificing our mission,” said Executive and Artistic Director Peila.  “Our success thus far is due to the stability of our creative and educational programming and the energy and commitment of DNA’s staff, students, artists, funders, audiences and partnering organizations. However, even after all this hard work the recent unexpected income gap could result in Lower Manhattan losing one of its few ‘public access’ cultural centers and incubator art spaces. We moved to Lower Manhattan to be a part of its revitalization. We call upon the philanthropic community and government representatives to join the community and ensure DNA meets our immediate goal - and to further support the long-term solutions in this strategic plan, propelling DNA to a place of sound fiscal health thus creating a stable environment for artist works and the birth of new ideas. ”

DNA’s Strategic Plan FY2013-2018, represents the organization’s commitment to offering the highest caliber of dance programming, continuing DNA’s 28-year tradition of supporting the life, career and longevity of dance artists. Upon accepting the leadership position in 2008, Peila began turnaround initiatives advised by Arts ActionResearch and supported by funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2010, as part of a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant, DNA attended the DeVos Institute of Arts Management Capacity Building Arts Advancement Initiate conferences. In 2011 Ms. Peila initiated further development of the 5-year plan working closely with Kaiser, local elected officials, DNA partners, while reaching out to funders and the community. The organization is not only developing a strong strategy to become financially stable but anchoring a downtown cultural campus that encouragesentrepreneurial spirit, provides a space for arts incubation and fosters collaboration.

###

About Dance New Amsterdam

Founded in 1984, DNA provides a community hub for the highest quality dance training, choreographic exploration and innovative performance, developing new audiences and bridging communities. It provides valuable opportunities for the aspiring, emerging and established artist, including daily classes, certification courses, commissions and artistic residencies, along with studio and administrative office subsidies. DNA encourages professionalism, entrepreneurial cross-disciplinary initiatives, community engagement and diverse artistic expression. It was the first nonprofit arts organization to move to Lower Manhattan after 9/11, serving as a renewing force in NYC's cultural landscape. To learn more about DNA and supporting its programs through charitable donations, visit www.dnadance.org

DNA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its 2012-2013 programming is made possible through the generosity of its supporters. As of July 2012, public funding provided by: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Private funding provided by: Bloomberg Philanthropies, with support from the Kennedy Center/DeVos Institute; The MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Jerome Robbins Foundation; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; and FJC, a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. In-kind support from: Arts & Business Council, Fox Rothschild LLP, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and Materials for the Arts. Additional support provided by our Advisors, Programming Partners, Neighborhood Partners, International Partners, and DNA’s community of individual donors. Dance New Amsterdam is part of The Lower Manhattan Arts League and its downtown festivals, made possible by generous support from The New York Community Trust – LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund. For a full list of DNA’s partnerships, visit www.dnadance.org.

Philadanco troupe in jeopardy

The Philadelphia Dance Company – National Treasure May Close
by Marsha Gilbert, Ballet/Jazz/Tap at Suite101, August 15, 2012

Turnaround for Harlem's National Black Theater

National Black Theater in Harlem Settles Disputes
by Felicia R. Lee, The New York Times, June 6, 2012

Jennifer Edwards on dance and money

Dance and Money: A Response to Lightsey Darst
by Jennifer Edwards, The Huffington Post, June 6, 2012