1. YOUR PERSONAL CONNECTION
How have you personally benefited from the arts or creative expression during the COVID-19 pandemic? What local cultural experience are you excited to participate in soon?
Creativity has been essential to everyone during these challenging times.
The Arts are an important part of my life and have helped my family and me find moments of fun and connect with each other. Every Saturday night is “family music night” in my home where I play the guitar, my wife Natalie often takes out the fiddle, and we sing together. To me, music is a time to smile, be silly, and find joy. Throughout New Haven, there have been many opportunities to enjoy the arts, consider the talent within our community, and reflect on what we all have experienced over the past years. From murals on Orange Street and State Street to concerts on the green to neighborhood arts events, it’s been inspiring to see the ways artists have expressed themselves throughout this past year.
2. ECONOMIC RECOVERY
How will you leverage the creative sector to help the local economy recover and grow?
Greater New Haven’s nonprofit arts organizations support 5,667 FTE jobs and $135M in economic impact, creating a strong economic ripple effect throughout our region.
Our team in City Hall has initiated multiple efforts to respond to the economic impact of the pandemic through the arts. Spearheaded by the Director of Cultural Affairs, Adriane Jefferson, we have invested $1 million into Arts and Cultural programming this summer to support local creatives to express themselves and share their talents with the greater community. Additionally, as we work on the Cultural Equity Plan, our goal is to ensure both the City and many arts organizations provide equitable arts opportunities and inclusive settings to support both economic and creative growth in our city.
3. CREATIVITY + YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
How will ensure that creative outlets are accessible and affordable to all children and families in your community?
The arts increase academic achievement, cultivates identity, and develops the whole child.
The Arts funding referenced above is specifically intended to be inclusive of people of all ages and backgrounds. Our intention with the multiple different grant opportunities is to make the bar low for barriers to entry and access to the funds, to ensure that those organizations and individuals that may typically be left out of traditional grant funding have an opportunity to access funds. In addition to the funding specific to the arts referenced above, we have also invested an additional $1.5M in youth programming this summer. A portion of this funding is focused on family and youth arts programming, pop-up festivals, and “reunions” as we begin to reopen our city.
4. CREATIVE JUSTICE
How will you support BIPOC, LGBTQ, and low-income residents through arts and culture?
The pandemic has deepened existing race and class inequities locally and nationally. Arts and cultural experiences can bridge these divides to acknowledge the strength in our differences.
Equitable recovery is going to be key to ensuring we can build our city back better. Partnering with organizations in the arts and culture sector to help boost up our BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and low-income communities will be part of revamping our entire city. I know a lot of artists that work multiple jobs to keep the lights on. Our work guided by the Cultural Equity Plan and utilizing existing Cultural Affairs Department funding and American Rescue Plan funding is helping support many organizations and prioritizing those that might typically be forgotten. Additionally, the team assembled to guide our Cultural Equity Planning is comprised of people from many different lived experiences and backgrounds so as to ensure more voices are at the table. Finally, our City has joined Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) to allow us to reflect on existing structural racism and systems in place that prevent us from providing equitable services city-wide. This work will help us continually improve our ability to support all in our city.
5. INVEST IN THE ARTS
How will you invest in arts and culture in your community? Will you allocate at least 1% of our American Rescue Plan grant to help your local creative sector recover?
Local funding is key for a vibrant creative ecosystem, which is why the American Rescue Plan grants that all municipalities received prioritizes support for artists and cultural organizations.
Already, my administration has $1 million of our American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant into arts and culture programming and revitalization, including making grants available to sponsors who host movies and concerts in parks, cultural equity programming, neighborhood pop-up events, and other opportunities. We are undergoing a community engagement process to guide our decision-making for the use of additional ARP funds so there is a possibility, as guided by the community, that we may increase funding to the arts even more. As we continue to determine the allocation of the remainder of our grant, our administration plans to help our local creative sector not only recover but thrive in our post-COVID economy.
6. Your Priorities
In your first 100 days in office, what actions will you take to affirm the importance of arts and culture for your community?
The start of the term will set your administration’s tone and priorities.
Our team has prioritized the arts from the beginning and will continue to do so. Arts and culture are vital as an economic driver, as an opportunity for us to share ideas, call for justice, share our humanity, and grow as a community. Adriane Jefferson’s work as Director of Cultural Affairs and our team’s commitment to cultural equity are vital to the overall success of our community. We will continue to prioritize arts and culture with the spirit of inclusivity.