Late Tuesday (6/8) on the New York Observer website, Rachel Morgan writes, “If city budget planners have their way, there will be less Shakespeare in the Park, shortened museum hours and thousands of layoffs throughout the city. It is all part of a potentially damaging-and ill-advised-attack on the New York art scene that could leave arts in the city with $30 million less in funding at a time when private donations are drying up. The New York Observer today begins a campaign to reverse those cuts, or at least lessen their severity. … ‘These cuts are too much and too deep,’ says Norma Munn, chairwoman of the New York City Arts Coalition. ‘There will not be recovery for a significant amount of art groups.’ … While it’s difficult to determine the exact number of layoffs that could stem from the budget cuts, since arts groups employ many part-time and temporary workers, Ms. Munn estimates 1,500 to 1,600 jobs in small and midsize arts groups will be eliminated if the budget is approved. … As part of its campaign, The Observer is running public-service advertisements urging a restoration of the cuts, and sponsoring billboard ads, from Fuel Outdoor, that highlight the arts’ economic impact in New York.”
Posted June 9, 2010
