ARTS DAY IN ALBANY
By HAA member, Yvette Heyliger
June 14, 2007
The mission of the Harlem Arts Alliance is to nurture the artistic growth and organizational development of artists and arts organizations. This mission is served by the ongoing implementation of three program strands: Artists and Arts Organizations Advancement, Special Projects and Advocacy and Education.
Under the banner of Advocacy and Education, HAA “seeks to elevate arts and culture, specifically in Harlem, and on a national level in general; to build support for the arts on city, state and federal levels and include strategic alliances with other similar organizations engaged in advocacy efforts.”
To this end, this past Spring, on a brisk March morning at 7:00 am, members of the Harlem Arts Alliance representing visual, performing, literary and craft artists, as well as arts organizations, boarded a bus departing from the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building to attend Arts Day in Albany. Held on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, Arts Day in Albany, a day especially set aside to lobby for the arts in our State Capitol, was hosted by the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations. One of the primary purposes of the day was to ask Governor Eliot Spitzer for an increase in New York State Council on the Arts funding to $54 million, or just $2.80 per New York State resident.
About the significance of this day, Linda Walton, HAA Executive Director said, “The arts are an essential ingredient in our lives and to the quality of life in Harlem and its surrounding communities. Artists, arts organizations, arts enthusiasts and advocates have been invited to join in this effort which will present a unified voice for the arts in Albany. The presence of HAA members will raise the visibility of the Harlem Arts Alliance, ensuring that our unique voice is heard by our legislators, as well as show enthusiastic support for arts funding for Harlem and for New York State Council on the Arts.”
It was a great day for the Arts, graciously lead by Senator Serphin Maltese and attended by Senators who endorse an increase in funding to NYCSA, including Senator Thomas Duane and Senator William Stachowski, as well as Harlem’s own Senator Bill Perkins. Senator Maletese presided over the testimonies delivered in the Hearing Room by a panel of selected members of the NY State arts community. This diverse panel included Voza Rivers, Chairman of the Harlem Arts Alliance and Executive Producer of New Heritage Theatre Group.
Mr. Rivers delivered a compelling plea to increase NYSCA funding, saying in part:
“We believe that the NYSCA budget should be significantly increased by the state legislators to $54 million dollars. Our state legislators should explore long-term funding strategies for NYSCA rather than concentrate on short-term solutions.
Significant changes are occurring in arts funding. Changes signaled in part by recent large reductions in government funding. Also philanthropic support for the arts is more restrictive than it was a decade ago. Such changes have had the predictable result which is that art organizations are increasingly hard pressed to find additional support for their programming.
One of our greatest challenges is how to exist in the next decade. Even with a reliable staff, effective partnerships with other presenting partners, quality performances that encourage and support new works while preserving classic works; it is not enough without increased support. In a very short time institutions like ours will become extinct. However something can be done to prevent this from occurring.
Increased support to NYSCA will help support the essential work of arts organizations with a dual objective of enhancing the quality of work and the capacity of organizations to present to the public, in such a way, that both the integrity of the art presenters and the viability of the institutions are sustained. Please support this initiative for increased funding for NYSCA and keep arts and culture alive and flourishing in New York.”
Mr. Rivers’ remarks were enthusiastically supported, especially by Harlem Arts Alliance members, and this was noted by our legislators. Harlem Arts Alliance was in the house!
After testimonies were heard,
Senator Maltese announced a resolution proclaiming March 6, 2007 as “Arts Day” in the State of New York. This resolution was presented to Judith Weiner, the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations (AONYSAO) and Veronica Claypool, AONYSAO board member, managing director, Theater Development Fund, and member of HAA.
Senator Maltese was clearly pleased with the enthusiastic turn out and dubbed us “citizen advocacy lobbyists.” He explained that as citizens, we have a great deal of power and he supported us in the use of that power by visiting the offices of our legislators and assemblymen throughout the day to lobby for increased funding for NYSCA. At the very least, he said, we should be sure to sign the Visitor’s Log in each office and to include a note asking each legislator to increase NYSCA’s funding or thanking them for their continued support of the arts. HAA members followed through with this charge and also left calling cards which said, “400+ Strong.” These calling cards described the size of HAA, included our mission and programs and invited the recipient of the card to become a member.
Students from the Program in Arts Administration at Columbia University's Teachers College attended Arts Day in Albany, as well. These students were part of a new course entitled "ADVOCATES FOR THE ARTS FOR THE FUTURE" which is designed to give students a hands-on experience advocating for the arts in New York through practical projects with Harlem Arts Alliance and the New York City arts and political community. The course was taught by
Joan Jeffri, Director of the Research Center for Arts and Culture with Linda Walton and Voza Rivers (HAA), Sherre Wesley and Judith Weiner (AONYSAO) serving as advisors/mentors. The students undertook a series of efforts, investigating and assessing the Harlem cultural landscape through artist focus groups and interviews with local arts organizations and elected officials. Their findings were presented in December at HAA's monthly meeting and at a meeting convened at HAA office for funders, arts organizations, and elected officials. The course, which began in the Fall of 2006, culminated with the student's traveling to Albany, a fitting conclusion to the 'in-depth experience in the research and practice of advocacy" that the students gained as a result of taking this innovative course
Aleathia Brown, HAA member and curator for several of HAA events,
organized a meeting between the visual artists present and Black
Dimensions in Art, Black Dimensions in Art is an organization whose purpose is to stimulate interest in the creative expressions of Black artists through educating the public about the contributions of past and present Black artists; provide exposure, exhibitions and sales opportunities for Black artists; and encourage black youth in the practice and appreciation of the arts. The purpose of the meeting was to connect the “upstate” artists (ex. Troy, Schenectady, and Albany) with the “downstate” artists (the five boroughs of Manhattan and Westchester). This networking forum (particularly focused on artists of color) was the first step in building an alliance between Harlem Arts Alliance and Black Dimensions in Art. We look forward to this partnership bearing fruit in the near future.
“The Well,” an open pavilion in the Legislative Office Building, was the center of activity throughout the day with exhibits, booths and performances. Harlem Arts Alliance had an exhibition booth and in addition to other NY state arts groups, yours truly, HAA member
Yvette Heyliger, had the opportunity to perform a monologue from my play,
What Would Jesus Do?
What Would Jesus Do? was written as a result of a grant from New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Program, so I know first hand the importance of this funding and its impact on my work as an artist. Receiving an individual artist grant made it possible for this one artist to contribute one play about HIV/AIDS to NY State residents in my community of Harlem (and beyond) where a difference could be made in HIV education and prevention through theatre. Reading a monologue from the play was very meaningful for me, as I appreciated the "full-circle" moment that was represented by my having this opportunity on Arts Day.
Increasing arts funding for NYSCA is very important to sustaining the arts. Being awarded a NYSCA grant says that you, as an artist or arts organization, have something of value to offer to the residents of the great state of New York and especially to your very own community, in this case, Harlem. Art is far reaching in its effect and in its ability to be of service to the citizens of our state (and ultimately our nation). As a "citizen advocacy lobbyists,” Harlem Arts Alliance members are doing their part to insure that more artists and arts organizations, have that opportunity.
Arts Day in Albany has prompted HAA Chair and Executive Director to create a "Harlem Arts Advocacy Day" to occur on an annual basis, with the first event taking place in the Fall of 2007. Keep an eye (and ear!) out for future announcements.
See you on the bus next year!
