“Since devastating budget cuts to arts and culture were announced in November, our institutions have rallied to roll them back. Today we are pleased to see that our advocacy efforts, and the efforts of our partners in the City Council, in labor, tourism, workforce development and in the greater cultural advocacy community, have resulted in many of those cuts evaporating in the Mayor’s planned Executive Budget. We want to thank Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and Commissioner Laurie Cumbo for heeding our calls to stop the bleeding and for acknowledging the important place arts and culture have in the fabric of our great city. As a result of these restorations, our small, medium and large institutions in all five boroughs will be able to stave off further cuts to programming, operating hours and jobs. However, our work is far from done. We urge the Mayor, the City Council and our advocacy partners to fight even harder to restore all cuts, to baseline arts funding and to renew the "add-on" to the DCLA budget that both sides of City Hall agreed to in years past. Today is a great day for arts and culture. Let’s make sure tomorrow, next year, and the decades to follow are even greater.”
