Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) is thrilled to announce its roster of Think Tank members—artists, culture bearers, organizers, administrators, researchers, and workforce development practitioners—who will join the CRNY staff and Leadership Council to establish the process for distributing funds to individuals through both guaranteed income and employment strategies for 2,700 artists across New York State.

Beginning September 13, the group will kick off a series of regular meetings through December to engage in co-learning, strategic conversation, and program design to envision a process that will address the specific employment needs and unique challenges that artists face in building a long-term sustainable livelihood. The Think Tank will be engaged in collective decision making to determine eligibility, application processes, and implementation. Eligibility requirements for the guaranteed income program will be released on November 1. 

CRNY Think Tank members include:

• Ali Rosa-Salas, Artistic Director, Abrons Arts Center
• Alma M. Carillo Lopez, Executive Director, Buffalo Arts Studio
• Almaz Zelleke, PhD, Professor of Practice in Political Science, NYU Shanghai
• Caroline Woolard, Independent Artist, Co-Founder of Art.coop, and Assistant Professor, Pratt Institute
• Chris Myers, Actor, Writer, Producer, and Educator
• Constantina Zavitsanos, Independent Artist
• Ed Murphy, Advocate, Organizer, Vietnam Veteran, and Workforce Development Leader
• Jared Owens, Multidisciplinary Artist
• Jean Cook, Music Workers Alliance
• Jeanette Jemison, Program Director, Friends of Ganondagan, and Member of the Snipe Clan of the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation
• Jeremy Dennis, Contemporary Fine Art Photographer
• Keiko Sono, Independent Artist and Founder of Forge Collective
• Lee Heinemann, Artist Relief & Initiatives Manager, United States Artists
• Marco Carrión, Executive Director, El Puente
• Marie E. Saint-Cyr, Visual Artist, Muralist, and Owner of Saint-Cyr Art Studio
• Melanie Greene, Dance Artist, Writer, and Organizer
• Naomi Zewde, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Economics at the CUNY School of Public Health
• Prerana Reddy, Independent Cultural Producer
• Ricky Flores, Photojournalist
• Ryan J. Haddad, Actor, Playwright, and Autobiographical Performer
• Sean McLeod, President & CEO New York Institute of Dance & Education
• Seyi Adebanjo, Director, Filmmaker, Cultural Worker, Educator, and Thought Leader
• Sol Aramendi, Socially Engaged Artist
• Dr. Stephen Nuñez, Lead Researcher on Guaranteed Income, Jain Family Institute
• Sylvia Diaz, Arts Education Coordinator, Arts Mid-Hudson
• Ted Berger, Board Member, Joan Mitchell Foundation and Executive Director Emeritus, New York Foundation for the Arts
• Tom Finkelpearl, Curator, Museum Director, and former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs of NYC
• Yanira Castro, Interdisciplinary Artist

As a commitment to both transparency and public discourse, key conversations and decisions made by the Think Tank will be shared publicly through email updates, blogs, social media, videos, and more. 

CRNY has recently added new staff members Maura Cuffie, Director of Strategic Initiatives – Guaranteed Income; Jamie Hand, Director of Strategic Impact and Narrative Change; and Christopher Mulé Co-Director of Strategic Initiatives – Artist Employment Program, to support Executive Director Sarah Calderon, the Think Tank, and the Leadership Council. Please explore the growing team’s bios and roles, and sign up to stay informed about this work. 

CRNY is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional support provided by the Ford Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).