Creatives Rebuild New York would like to thank the team of creatives and producers who brought the Art Takes Work film and campaign to life, including Neglakay Productions, J. Quazi King, BenjaminChapman, LevLane, Fenton, and all six of the artists featured in the film: Betty Bastidas, Edward Cazares, Leslie Diuguid, Jasmine Murrell, Emma Stricker, and Will Wickham.
Show your support for artists across New York State by taking the following actions:
AMPLIFY THE CAMPAIGN
- Share the campaign video on Instagram or Facebook.
- Tell the world what it takes to create art by adding the “Art Takes [Blank]” graphic to your Instagram story and filling in the blank with your own descriptive word(s).
- Post a photo of yourself engaging with your art or survival job on Instagram using the hashtag #ArtTakesWork, and tag us at @creativesrebuildny for a chance to be featured on our stories.
JOIN THE COALITION
Do you want to receive updates from Art Takes Work campaign partners about future actions, events, and opportunities to be in community with artists and cultural workers? Sign up here to stay informed about our work:
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CONTACT NYS ELECTED OFFICIALS
Establishing a statewide Creative Economy Strategic Plan is the first step toward comprehensive policies that support the lives and livelihoods of artists and creative workers. There are two ways that this can be enacted: through the Governor’s Office or through the State Legislature. Tell Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Jose M. Serrano (Chair, NYS Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation), and Assemblyman Al Stirpe (Chair, NYS Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce, and Industry) that you demand the creation of this plan! We’ve provided sample language below, but a personalized letter is always more impactful. Feel free to add your own testimony or experiences.
- Send a message to Governor Hochul here. [Sample language]
- Email Senator Serrano here.*
- Email Assemblyman Stirpe here.*
* Please note that pop-ups must be enabled on your browser, and you must be logged in to your email account.
LEARN ABOUT POLICIES THAT SUPPORT ARTISTS
New York Isn’t New York Without Artists is a step-by-step playbook for lawmakers at all levels of government to reference as they enact policies that empower artists, a labor force integral to the state’s economy but one that is often on the edge of hardship and economic uncertainty. Artists and creative workers require additional resources and labor protections to continue working and serving communities statewide. Improved policies for artists can help to improve conditions for all workers in the state.
The Playbook includes nineteen timely and actionable recommendations that span a range of policy areas, including housing and financial security, labor protections and job quality, workforce development, economic development, and arts and culture policies. This range is intentionally expansive, inviting policymakers to acknowledge creative workers not only as critical constituents but also as central to New York’s identity and economy: the cultural sector accounts for nearly $144 billion in economic activity and is powered by 450,000 jobs.
Outreach for this campaign was strengthened by a coalition of arts advocacy and service organizations across New York City and State, each of which is dedicated to supporting artists’ lives and livelihoods in unique ways. Learn more about each below.
ACE! Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy is an advocate and storyteller for the outsized leveraging power of the creative economy. By encouraging multi-institutional collaboration, best practice sharing, and building awareness of the importance of arts and culture, we are creating a higher quality of life for and building our community at large.
ArtsNYS is New York’s statewide arts advocacy and service organization. We champion the arts as essential to vibrant communities and a thriving creative economy, providing statewide programming and advocacy networks that foster public awareness, generate resources, and support equitable growth in New York’s arts and cultural sector.
Asian American Arts Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building.
The Black Artist Collective (BAC) is dedicated to supporting and amplifying the voices of emerging and established Black and Brown artists through dynamic programming, professional development, and fiscal sponsorship. Based in Syracuse, we use art as a powerful tool for advocacy, intervention, and interruption, challenging inequities and amplifying diverse voices in the cultural landscape.
Dance/NYC’s mission is to advance the knowledge, appreciation, practice and performance of dance in the metropolitan New York City area, embedding justice, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of its work. Committed to addressing disparities in the field, it envisions a just and inclusive dance ecology where resources, opportunities, and impacts are fair for all artists, cultural workers, and audiences.
The Entertainment Community Fund fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan.
Freelancers’ Union advocates for the 64 million independent workers across the country, providing resources, benefits, and support to help freelancers thrive. From pushing for legislation to offering essential benefits and community, Freelancers Union creates solutions to ensure freelancers are secure and successful in their work.
IndieSpace provides radically transparent, responsive and equitable funding, real estate programs, professional development, and advocacy to the indie theater community (individual artists, small budget orgs and indie venues) in New York City.
Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY is a citywide alliance that supports community culture as an integral part of thriving and equitable neighborhoods. We strengthen networks and cultural hubs; further peer learning; and share recommendations for reimagining New York City, created by artists, cultural groups, and residents.
New York Folklore supports folk and traditional artists, community cultural experts, community-based cultural organizations, and academic and public sector folklorists across New York State.
New York Foundation for the Arts‘ mission is to empower artists in all disciplines, as well as cultural workers, to achieve success on their own terms by providing critical support, resources, and opportunities. Established in 1971, NYFA envisions a world where artists thrive in the practice and expression of their creative work, a world that celebrates and supports them.
New Yorkers for Culture & Arts works with a broad based coalition of arts workers and cultural organizations to build a future in which every New Yorker has support to engage in the community-strengthening, soul-nourishing power of culture.
NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is a nonprofit service organization working to improve and advance arts education in New York City schools, communities, and beyond. We are a community of arts education practitioners committed to sharing resources, providing professional development, and communicating with the public to promote arts education.
Rochester Artist Collaborative‘s mission is to empower artists by providing them with the tools, resources, and opportunities necessary to thrive creatively and professionally.
Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, collaborates with contemporary artists and cultural institutions to experiment and engage with one of the world’s most iconic urban places. Times Square has always been a cultural district and place of risk, innovation and creativity, and the arts program ensures these qualities remain central to the district’s unique identity.
Tribeworks is a worker-owned and artist-run cooperative employer of record committed to building the solidarity economy through support of creative workers. With payments, community, and employment enablement, our goal is to help artists stay focused on their craft.
