Archive News for 2009

Commissioner Levin and Commissioner Walsh Announce Art Handler Training Program

Cultural Affairs Commissioner Levin and Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Walsh today announced the selection of Bronx Council on the Arts Development Corporation (BCADC) to administer an Art Handler Training and Placement Program. BCADC will select fifteen individuals to receive training. The Program is funded through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help support workforce development, training and employment in the arts in New York City.
Read the press release

Third Annual Arts in Schools Report

On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, the Department of Cultural Affairs hosted the announcement of the third Annual Arts in Schools Report. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of arts education in New York City public schools and includes citywide data on student participation in arts programs during the 2008-09 school year. In 2007, the City developed ArtsCount to provide greater accountability and transparency for arts education. The report’s findings will be used by administrators and school leaders to continue supporting arts instruction in City schools.
Read the press release.

Commissioner Levin Cuts the Ribbon on Dramatically Expanded Materials for the Arts

On Tuesday, October 27, 2009, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin and MFTA Director Harriet Taub were joined by MFTA members, donors and friends at the annual Masked Marvelous event, to celebrate the 10,000 square foot expansion of MFTA's warehouse. The City-funded project includes a dedicated processing space to help meet rising demand, and new classroom/workshop spaces that will enhance reuse and arts education programs.
Read the press release.

Chancellor Klein Announces New Arts Curriculum for New York City Public School Students

On Thursday, October 15, 2009, Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced the publication of Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: The Moving Image, a guide developed by the Department of Education in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Film, Television and Broadcasting, Tribeca Film Institute and Chase Bank that outlines expectations for the study of film, television, and animation from early elementary school through high school graduation. The Moving Image marks the fifth Blueprint Manual, in addition to music, dance, visual arts and drama, which were designed by the Department of Education’s Office of the Arts and Special Projects with input from the Department of Cultural Affairs to increase access to arts education in public schools.
More information

The 2009 Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture Handel Medallion Presented to Jessye Norman

On Tuesday, October 6, 2009, Mayor Bloomberg presented the 2009 Mayor’s Awards for Arts & Culture at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens. Awards recipients included the Big Apple Circus, Jaynemarie Capetanakis, H.T. Chen, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Vernon Reid, and the Thalia Spanish Theatre, in celebration of their outstanding contributions to New York City’s cultural life. The Mayor also presented the 2009 NYC Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest award for achievement in the arts, to Jessye Norman. The event was co-hosted by Bye Bye Birdie star John Stamos, and featured live performances by Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Musical Theater Ensemble, Cajun Cellist Sean Grissom, and Picaso, Jr. of the Big Apple Circus. Special guests included Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson of Carnegie Hall and actor Avery Brooks.
Read the release.

Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayors Office of Film Theater and Broadcasting Announce that the “Made In NY” Cultural Credit Program has donated more than $600,000 to NYC Cultural Organizations

On Monday, October 5, 2009, Cultural Affairs Deputy Commissioner Margaret Morton and MOFTB Commissioner Katherine Oliver announced that, through the "Made in NY" Cultural Credit program, NYC-based films and television series have donated more than $600,000 to local cultural organizations. The announcement took place at the premiere of Lifetime Television Network's new sitcom Sherri. This innovative public-private partnership brings together the film industry and New York City's cultural field, reinforcing the linkages between nonprofit groups and the commercial creative sector.
Read the press release.

Mayor Bloomberg Announces Five New Initiatives to Help Strengthen NYC’s Cultural Sector

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President Seth W. Pinsky today announced five initiatives to support artists and cultural organizations in New York City, as part of the Five Borough Economic Opportunity plan. Through these initiatives, the City will strengthen the arts workforce, promote cultural districts, and make more City-owned space available for creative projects.
For more information about these initiatives and their corresponding RFPs
Read the press release.

Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Levin Open the New Museum of Chinese in America

Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Levin and Museum of Chinese in America officials today unveiled the Museum’s new venue at 215 Centre Street in Manhattan. The 14,000-square-foot venue, designed by Maya Lin, dramatically enhances the Museum’s programming space. The official opening was marked by a traditional “Eye Dotting Ceremony”, in which officials painted the pupils of a festive Chinese dragon to symbolically bring life and good fortune to the Museum’s new home.
Read the press release.

Materials for the Arts Honored at the 5th Annual New York Innovative Theatre Awards

On Monday, September 21, 2009, Materials for the Arts (MFTA) Director Harriet Taub was presented with the Stewardship Award by Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin at the New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Hosted at New World Stages Theater, the awards ceremony recognizes New York City's Off-Off-Broadway community. MFTA was presented with the Stewardship Award for its role in providing free materials for use by New York City’s theater community.
Read the press release

Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin and NYC Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Announce the FY10 Cultural Development Fund Awards

The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the NYC Council, today announced the results of the Fiscal 2010 Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Awards. The CDF will support 884 cultural organizations in every borough. Awards are granted for public programs that range from exhibitions and performances, to classes and workshops, to public lectures and publications, to subsidized work space for artists and technical assistance.
Read the press release.
View a listing of FY10 CDF awards.

Mayor Bloomberg Issues Statement on Independent Budget Office Review of City’s Vastly Improved Arts Funding Process

Mayor Bloomberg issued a statement applauding IBO’s affirmation that DCLA’s open, competitive peer-review process has benefited cultural organizations across all 5 boroughs. In particular, DCLA, in partnership with the City Council, is recognized for improving access, attracting more applicants, funding more organizations, enhancing fiscal stability through multi-year awards for eligible groups, and achieving a new level of transparency and accountability. For the Mayor’s full statement, please click here.

Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Cultural Partnerships Creating Work Spaces for Artists and Providing Arts Programming for Older New Yorkers throughout the Five Boroughs

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced Age-Friendly NYC: Enhancing Our City’s Livability for Older New Yorkers, a new initiative promoting active aging in New York City. At the announcement, Mayor Bloomberg introduced new partnerships of the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of the Aging with the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Queens Council on the Arts, and the Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island, to place visual artists in studio spaces at targeted senior centers throughout the 5 boroughs. In addition, NYC Performing Arts Spaces (a program of Fractured Atlas) will select two musicians in the ConEdison Composers/Musicians Residency Program to be placed in residencies at a Department for the Aging-funded senior center in Queens. For more information about Age Friendly NYC, visit www.nyc.gov. To find cultural programming across New York City for individuals of all ages, visit www.nyc.gov/nyculture.
Read the All Ages Artist Residency Program Press Release
Read the Age-Friendly NYC Press Release

Cultural Data Project Arrives in New York State

The Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, private-sector grantmakers, ansd cultural advocacy groups have joined together to bring the Cultural Data Project (CDP) to New York State. The CDP is an online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organization by allowing users to track their own financial and programmatic performance over time, and to perform benchmark comparisons. CDP responds to concerns shared by cultural organizations of all sizes and disciplines, offering organizations a series of tools to understand and assess their operations, and streamlining the process of applying for grants from participating grantmakers. Throughout the week of June 15, CDP staff will hold demonstration and discussion sessions about this important new resource.

Space for Art

Space for Art is a collaboration of the New City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department for the Aging and the City's local arts councils supported by Mayor Bloomberg’s Age Friendly NYC initiative. Through the Space for Art program, artists provide programming at their senior center in exchange for free work space.
Age Friendly Initiative Press Release