Cover Back Spine: (TBA) Front NYC DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANNUAL REPORT 2015 31 CHAMBERS STREET NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10007 (212) 513-9300 WWW.NYC.GOV/CULTURE BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR NYCulturalAffairs @NYCulture ANTHONY SHORRIS, DEPUTY MAYOR @NYCulture TOM FINKELPEARL, COMMISSIONER PMS 1505 Knock out NYC Department of Cultural Affairs 2014 - 2015 LETTER FROM THE MAYOR, FIRST DEPUTY MAYOR & COMMISSIONER PART I: FISCAL YEAR 2014 RECAP PART II: FISCAL YEAR 2015 IN REVIEW NEW INITIATIVES 12 DIVERSITY INITIATIVE 13 IDNYC 14 AFFORDABLE REAL ESTATE FOR ARTISTS (AREA) 16 SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE ARTS PROJECT 16 CULTURAL PLAN 17 TURNAROUND ARTS 18 INTER-AGENCY CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS 19 DIGITAL DCLA 20 CULTUREAID 24 ONENYC 26 PROGRAM SERVICES 28 CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS GROUP 32 CAPITAL PROJECTS 37 PERCENT FOR ART 42 COMMUNITY ARTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 45 MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS 46 SENIORS PARTNERING WITH ARTISTS CITYWIDE (SPARC) 50 COUNCIL INITIATIVES 52 PART III: AGENCY PORTFOLIO, FY15 CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND AWARD RECIPIENTS 56 CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND PANELISTS 61 CAPITAL ALLOCATIONS: CONSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT PURCHASES 62 SENIORS PARTNERING WITH ARTISTS CITYWIDE (SPARC) RESIDENCIES 65 CULTURAL AFTER-SCHOOL ADVENTURES (CASA) AWARD RECIPIENTS 66 MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS RECIPIENTS OF DONATED GOODS 70 DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS STAFF 86 PHOTO CREDITS 88 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 89 4 5 Letter from the Commissioner New York embodies art and culture. Our painters, writers, ways of connecting every New Yorker to the extraordinary botonists, dancers, sculptors, actors, zoologists, singers, benefits –personal, social, economic, and educational – that musicians, directors, designers, and so many others working accompany engagement with quality cultural programming. here make our city an unparalleled center of creative This report provides a closer look at DCLA programs that activity. have helped to sustain and grow local arts programming throughout the city for decades, along with new programs It’s also true that art makes New York, that the forms of and initiatives designed to provide New Yorkers from every expression that are brought to life in our city define us in community equal opportunity to engage with the cultural many ways. It’s our universal embrace of this creativity and life of our city. And thanks to the enthusiastic support and free expression that makes New York a beacon for the rest commitment of a huge range of partners from across sectors of the world, an inclusive center of dynamism, innovation, and disciplines, we’ve already made substantial progress on and energy. And we understand that it’s absolutely essential these priorities. for residents in every neighborhood to have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to this vital component Our cultural community is made stronger and richer when of our civic fabric. This is why our guiding principle at the we make a real effort to include voices representing the full outset of our administration can be summed up in a simple breadth of our city. We look forward to continuing the work phrase: art and culture are for everyone. outlined in this report ensuring that culture continues to be a powerful, accessible, progressive force in our communities From day one, we’ve been working with representatives for generations to come. of our city’s diverse communities to identify priorities regarding access to arts and culture and explore news Tom Finkelpearl Apollo Theatre Commissioner Amatuer Night, Manhattan 6 7 PART I Fiscal Year 2014 Recap 8 9 Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in January 2014 with a mandate to establish new ways for government to work for all New Yorkers. He appointed Tom Finkelpearl as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) to connect the City’s arts and cultural sector to this broader vision. Commissioner Finkelpearl, who served as President and Executive Director Fiscal Year of the Queens Museum from 2002 until his 2014 Budget appointment, brought to the Agency a deep Recap understanding of the role culture plays in building strong communities. In the first months of the new administration, Final Expense Budget: $156,120,588 the Agency’s baseline funding was preserved, Cultural Institutions Group: $113,720,809 stabilizing this critical source of support for the city’s nonprofit groups. DCLA also allocated tens Programs Services: $32,179,525* of millions of dollars for new capital projects CASA Initiative: $5,100,000 at cultural organizations in all five boroughs, Agency Operating Budget: $5,120,254 and joined the Mayor to announce new funding and a renewal in the City’s commitment to provide high quality arts education for public school students. DCLA continued to work with *$28,462,296 Cultural Development Fund; its partners in and out of City government to $3,717,229 City Council Member Designations expand access to the City’s cultural resources Mayor de Blasio appoints Tom Finkelpearl as the and to demonstrate that in New York City, art new CommissionerMayor Bill de Blasioof the and culture are for everyone. announcesDepartment the appointment of Cultural Affairs.of DCLA The Commissionerannouncement wasTom made Finkelpearl at the Queens at the QueensMuseum Museum, in April, April 2014.2014 10 11 PART II Fiscal Year 2015 In Review 12 13 New Initiatives DIVERSITY INITIATIVE New York City is the most diverse city in the As part of the initiative’s launch, in January country by many measures. Yet studies show that in and February 2015, DCLA convened a series of the U.S., arts and cultural organizations often don’t conversations about diversity led by Darren reflect the richness of the communities they serve. Walker, President of the Ford Foundation; Maya Recognizing this as a critical issue for sustaining the Wiley, Counsel to Mayor de Blasio; Arnold Lehman, future of the arts in New York City and connecting Director of the Brooklyn Museum; Commissioner all New Yorkers to the City’s extraordinary cultural Finkelpearl; and others. These kickoff events at assets, DCLA launched a major initiative in January Ford Foundation in Manhattan and BRIC in Brooklyn 2015 to promote diversity among the staffs, drew representatives from over 400 organizations, boards, and audiences of cultural organizations. and demonstrated the shared commitment to The initiative launched with a survey of DCLA- making real progress on this fundamental issue. funded cultural groups to examine race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, and other factors to set a benchmark understanding of where the cultural community’s strengths are and where we can work together to promote best practices of more inclusive institutions. The long-term goal is to strengthen the cultural sector as a whole by cultivating organizations that will encourage future diverse generations to seek careers and fulfillment in the arts. Opposite page: National Dance Institute’s in-school performance, Manhattan Right: Poets & Writers, Inc., Connecting Cultures Reading, 2015 14 15 IDNYC On January 15, 2015, the City launched IDNYC, arts centers, zoos, and botanical gardens (for a municipal identification card available to a complete list of CIGs, see page 33). This all residents of New York City above the age partnership promoted the important message of 14, regardless of immigration status. The that our cultural resources are integral to city card serves as valid, government-issued ID, life and that they are open to all New Yorkers. In the First 6 Months of providing access to City buildings such as The immediate and overwhelmingly positive IDNYC: schools and courts, proof of identification response to the promotion confirmed our in interactions with police, and a range of residents’ desire to connect more with culture: innovative benefits. DCLA partnered with the by the end of June 2015, more than 265,000 Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) residents signed up for an ID, and used to offer one of the card’s most popular them to redeem more than 30,000 cultural 365,000+ features: free one-year memberships at all memberships. New Yorkers 33 organizations in the Cultural Institutions signed up for Group (CIG) including museums, performance cards “The municipal ID is a powerful tool to bring more New Yorkers out of the shadows and into the mainstream. It is now also a key that opens the door for hundreds of thousands of more New Yorkers to our 30,000+ City’s premier assets in culture, science cultural memberships and entertainment. The Municipal ID Card were redeemed embodies the values we cherish most about inclusivity and equality, and these memberships are another step forward in providing greater access and opportunity for our people.” - Mayor Bill de Blasio September 2014 The Urban Advantage Middle School Science Initiative’s annual Science Entrance to Folk City, an Expo at the American exhibition at the Museum of the Museum of Natural History, City of New York, Manhattan Manhattan 16 17 AFFORDABLE REAL ESTATE FOR our communities. This research, which DCLA is ARTISTS (AREA) happy to participate, will provide a powerful “We know that New York is the city it is new way of understanding the role culture In his 2015 State of the City address, Mayor today in part because of the contributions plays in New York and how it can contribute to de Blasio acknowledged the great value artists from generations of artistic visionaries a more just and equitable city. bring to the vibrancy and cultural vitality who at one point struggled to make ends of New York City, and affirmed the City’s meet…These folks bring joy to everyday commitment to attract, retain, and support New Yorkers; and inspire young people to creative workers. To that end, the Mayor pursue their natural talents in professions CULTURAL PLAN that often don’t promise a big paycheck.” pledged to build 1,500 units of affordable In May 2015, Commissioner Finkelpearl joined housing for artists and 500 below-market Mayor de Blasio as he signed legislation artist work spaces over the next decade, and - Mayor Bill de Blasio State of the City Address, February 2015 initiated by NYC Council Members Jimmy Van a taskforce was formed to identify pipeline Bramer and Stephen Levin, to create the first projects to meet the mandate.