2024, our final year as an organization, is already under way. In many ways it feels like just yesterday that we were on the precipice of initiating our Artist Employment (AEP) and Guaranteed Income (GI) programs. As I reflect on the two-year anniversary of our program launch on February 14, I can hardly believe how much has happened between then and now—and all that we’re looking forward to completing before we sunset. 

The last quarter of 2023 was a season for gathering, sharing, reflecting, and learning. Our AEP and GI programs convened 16 regional gatherings across New York State for artists and organizational leaders to share their experiences, foster new connections, and celebrate their resilience in solidarity with one another. These gatherings allowed hundreds of program participants to reflect communally on the impacts, nuances, successes, and challenges that guaranteed income and artist employment bring about. 

This reflection process extended to our GI and AEP working groups, a series of conversations among a dynamic group of researchers, funders, advocates, and administrators who are designing and running guaranteed income and artist workforce initiatives across the country. 

The takeaways we’ve amassed from both these working groups and our regional gatherings inform exciting research partnerships with Hester Street Collaborative, Museum Hue, SUNY Empire State, and Urban Institute for the Artists Employment Program, and with Indiana University, NYU Cash Lab, CUNY, Appalachian State University, and Washington University of St. Louis for the Guaranteed Income for Artists program.

Artists are at the helm of our ongoing policy, advocacy, impact, and research initiatives. We’re proud to elevate CRNY artists in the chorus of voices advocating for change. In that spirit, I had the opportunity to appear on The Capitol Pressroom to talk about guaranteed income and employment for artists in New York, and we recently screened a new short film featuring some of our artists at the NEA’s summit  “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities.” We were also thrilled to co-release an educational course on guaranteed income with CreativeStudy, Art.coop, and Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund, available for free. 

We’re excited to continue our impact evaluation work and continue to engage with artists and artist groups to propel our learnings into action. As GI payments have begun to end, and as AEP partnerships continue on through June 2024, we look forward to the work—and the joy—that’s ahead.