Creatives Rebuild New York held a variety of convenings in partnership with established leaders in the field. The goal of these convenings was to raise awareness with a variety of audiences about the importance of supporting artists’ lives and livelihoods. In addition to these co-hosted convenings, we participated in conferences and events across the country and abroad.

In 2024 and 2025, CRNY was fortunate to partner with Center for an Urban Future (CUF) on two policy forums in Albany focused on the critical importance of the creative economy in New York State. 

Upstate’s Creative Spark: Harnessing the Arts to Boost Economic Vitality in Cities Across NY State

March 5, 2024

This policy symposium explored what’s needed to keep upstate’s creative spark going and bolster artists and cultural organizations in communities across upstate New York. The symposium coincided with the release of CUF’s report, Upstate’s Creative Spark: How the Arts is Catalyzing Economic Vitality Across Upstate New York, and highlighted how economic revitalization in upstate cities has created jobs, transformed hard-hit downtowns, sparked small business growth, and even reversed years of population decline. More information and a recording of the event can be found at: https://nycfuture.org/events/upstates-creative-spark-harnessing-the-arts-to-boost-economic-vitality-in

Integrating the Arts into New York State’s 2025 Policy Agenda

February 25, 2025

This policy forum focused on New York State’s growing arts and culture sector and booming artist population. Discussions explored the growing power of the arts as a catalyst for thriving communities statewide and examined ways that officials can more fully integrate the arts into the state’s policy agenda. More information and a recording of the event can be found at: https://nycfuture.org/events/integrating-the-arts-into-new-york-states-2025-policy-agenda

On December 17, 2024, the Mellon Foundation co-hosted a Funder Briefing with CRNY to share our work, reflect on its impact, and look to the future. Presentations and discussions centered the importance of artist-powered processes and successful interventions within our program design, the impacts of these initiatives on artists’ lives and livelihoods, and explorations of future investments informed by CRNY’s impact evaluation findings and policy advocacy initiatives. 

Watch the full event below (remarks begin at 12:27), or review the Funder Pathways briefing document CRNY prepared for those in attendance.

On February 12, 2025 CRNY co-hosted an event with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to highlight how the creative community and its workforce can drive a healthy economy across New York state and the nation. The goal of the convening was to reframe a discussion about the creative economy to focus on artists and creative workers as the main drivers of the economy while highlighting their essential labor in communities as contributors to community health and wealth. 

Watch the full event below, or visit the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s event page for additional details including agenda and speakers. You can also read a recap of the event on CRNY’s blog as well as reflections by panelist Gustavo Herrera, CEO of Arts for LA, in his piece Reframing Creative Economy Advocacy.