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The Topic

The arts encompass virtually all forms of creative expression: music, theater, painting, sculpture, design, film and video, literature and, increasingly, the Internet.

The Context

New York City long has been considered the cultural capital of the nation, a draw to countless artists, writers, and performers. The city's Department of Cultural Affairs estimates that there are more than 1,200 nonprofit arts organizations in the five boroughs, of which at least 600 receive some kind of government support.

Reports

Mayor's Management Report
The Mayor's Management Report, released online, provides performance highlights and statistics for more than 40 agencies, as well as data on inquiries received by the 311 Citizen Service Center. (September 15, 2006)

Artists' Needs Unmet
New York's artists, composers, writers and other creative workers often lack health care and retirement plans "and are coping with financial instability generated by erratic employment and low incomes," according to a survey conducted by the Freelancers Union whose findings are explained in "Creative Workers Count: New York City's Arts Funding Overlooks Individual Artists' Needs." More than a third had significant gaps in health coverage, and three-quarters of those without health insurance avoided seeking needed medical care. (April 12, 2006)

The Arts As An Economic Asset
New York City is the center of the “creative economy” in the U.S., employing more than 300,000 people in advertising, publishing, fashion, film, television, and the arts. However, in recent years, the city has lost its share of some of these industries because of the rising cost of real estate and health care. “While creative activity may be the closest thing to a natural resource in New York City, it is also a little-understood and long-overlooked economic asset—and one that can no longer be taken for granted,” states this report by the Center for an Urban Future. (December 19, 2005)

Arts Education Funding
Ten of the top 25 charitable foundations that fund arts education are located in New York, according to this report from the Foundation Center. Arts organizations in the area also receive the bulk of national funding; more than a third of national foundation grants for arts education go to organizations in the Northeast. (October 20, 2005)

Rise of the Freelance Class
This report from the Freelancers Union is a survey of over 2,800 independent workers in New York City. While the median income of a freelance worker is $50,000 a year, 20 percent higher than the city's overall median, more than a quarter go without health insurance and less than half save money for retirement each month. Freelancers also tend to vote - 83 percent say they cast a ballot in local elections. (October 13, 2005)

Sites for Beginners

Bronx Council on the Arts

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

New York Foundation for the Arts

New York State Council on the Arts

Brooklyn Arts Council

Recommended Sites

MetOpera Database

Books

Broadway
by Brooks Atkinson

Loft Living: Culture and Capital in Urban Change
by Sharon Zukin

New York Modern: The Arts and the City
by William B. Scott and Peter M. Rutkoff

Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations
by Karen Brooks Hopkins and Carolyn Stolper Friedman

The Arts and the Creation of Mind
by Elliot W. Eisner