Statement of Coco Killingsworth, Chair, Cultural Institutions Group, on the Appointment of Council Member Carlina Rivera as Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations
NEW YORK, NY - January 18, 2024
“We are very excited that Council Member Carlina Rivera, a longtime friend and advocate of the arts and cultural community in New York City, has been appointed Chair of the Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations Committee. We congratulate Chair Rivera and would also like to thank Council Member Chi Ossé for his leadership over the last two years chairing this committee.
This is a critical time for arts and culture funding in New York City. Just this week, after restoring cuts to police, fire, libraries, parks and sanitation, the Mayor proceeded to announce devastating cuts to our city’s most prominent drivers of economic activity – our museums, botanical gardens, performing arts spaces and cultural spaces in all five boroughs.
We need a champion for not only the economic power of arts and culture but the millions of New Yorkers that depend upon their arts and cultural institutions as a lifeline in their communities - at-risk youth, low-income families and all New Yorkers. We are highly confident that Chairwoman Carlina Rivera, a proven warrior for arts and culture in her own community for many years, will be among the most effective champions of arts and culture in this critical year and help us restore and increase funding for our institutions and program groups.”