Let New York State electeds know that you support and prioritize POC arts communities.

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Let Mayor Adams know that you support and prioritize POC arts communities.


February 22, 2023

Governor Kathy Hochul
NYS State Capital Bldg.
Albany, NY 12224 

Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado
State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Senator José M. Serrano
335 E 100th St
New York, NY 10029

Assemblymember Daniel J. O’Donnell
245 W 104th St
New York, NY 10025

Assemblymember Robert C. Carroll
416 7th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Councilmember Chi Ossé
1360 Fulton St #500
Brooklyn, NY 11216

Dear Governor Hochul, Lt. Governor Delgado, Senator Serrano, Assemblymember Carroll, Assemblymember O’Donnell and Councilmember Ossé,

New York is known for its vast, diverse communities within its cities and counties across the state, all of which have contributed to the incredible arts and cultural landscape. However, Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all people of color’s creative and cultural practices have not been given the support needed to thrive and sustain themselves.  The arts entities and cultural institutions that primarily serve communities of color often lack funding to adequately operate.

While New York City often has an outsized influence on the arts and cultural conversations within New York State, there is an entire community of arts entities led and serving people of color that deserve as much attention and recognition for their unique contributions. They also require directed efforts and resources to help address their distinctive challenges and to thrive well into the future. 

This call is at the core of HueArts New York State (NYS). 

Today, Museum Hue will launch the HueArts NYS interactive map and directory, and our HueArts NYS Brown Paper report, we are calling for $100 million over 5 years in support of the work of arts entities across New York that are led by and serving Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all people of color. 

The HueArts NYS platform will proactively help members of the public and our policymakers easily identify where these arts entities are across New York’s Capital, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier, and Western New York regions. Our Brown Paper report offers a detailed exploration into the efforts that arts entities led by people of color have made to preserve the history, culture, and traditions of New York’s communities.

We’ve outlined clear recommendations that offer a collaborative path forward to support these organizations that have been overlooked and underfunded for far too long. Our five recommendations are: 

  • Create a designated fund for BIPOC-led arts and cultural entities, ensure greater equity in the distribution of state funds, and allow more arts and cultural entities led by BIPOC access to grant funds. 
  • Create career development opportunities for current and future BIPOC artists, art administrators, and leaders and support continued data collection initiatives.  
  • Require publicly-funded decision-making bodies to include BIPOC arts and cultural leaders to share decision-making power and establish a statewide history, arts, and culture passport program.
  • Invest in the long-term sustainability of entities rooted in “place” and local communities to continue supporting their communities. 
  • Foster relationships between BIPOC arts and cultural entities across the state and with sovereign nations.  

The full list of recommendations, along with powerful stories from arts and cultural leaders of color across New York State, are included in our report. These leaders have been generous to share the unique challenges their arts entities are facing. They also offer effective and efficient solutions for consideration in future policy and decision-making efforts. 

Because of each of your respective offices, leadership roles, and committees that often fund New York’s arts and culture, we know you understand why ensuring the future sustainability of these arts entities is critical to the success of our state’s economic future. We hope you will take the time to closely review and seriously consider this call for greater funding for, awareness of, and resources dedicated to the arts communities of color that contribute so much to the rich culture across our state. 

If you have any questions, please contact our Membership and Communications Manager, Amanda Thomas at amanda@museumhue.com at any time. 

We look forward to continued discussions and conversations with you on advancing our work together. 

Sincerely,

Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham
Museum Hue

 
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