New York – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer announced $3,187,500 in funding for over 77 cultural groups across the city through the New York City Council Cultural Immigrant Initiative.“Immigrant experiences are central to the fabric and history of New York City and today, over three million foreign-born New Yorkers from all over the world call this city home,” said New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Cultural expression through art, music, dance, and more celebrates this vibrant diversity of experiences and stories – and allows us to share and appreciate that diversity together. The New York City Council Cultural Immigrant Initiative will provide local organizations the resources they need to keep these traditions alive in our communities.”“This year we have literally doubled down on the success of the Cultural Immigrant Initiative,” said Majority Leader and Cultural Affairs Chair Jimmy Van Bramer. “By increasing funding streams to immigrant organizations and cultural groups that are often overlooked in the cultural funding process we are empowering more New Yorkers and increasing access to the arts in every neighborhood. Everyone in every corner of our City, regardless of their economic or ethnic background is entitled to world class culture that makes our City great. This $3.2 million is a commitment to our City’s immigrant communities and the renowned cultural groups that make New York City the Cultural Capital of the World.”The New York City Council allocated $3,187,500 in the Fiscal Year 2016 budget to support cultural organizations providing programming focused on the cultural history and traditions of immigrant communities in New York City, and to increase access to unique cultural offerings centered on immigrant heritages. A list of organizations funded through the Cultural Immigrant Initiative can be viewed here.“This Council recognizes the integral role immigrants play in the vibrancy and success of New York City, and we are committed to providing them with valuable experiences that allow them to identify as New Yorkers. The Immigrant Cultural Initiative provides residents of this City, regardless of their ethnic background, with an opportunity to enjoy and understand the full range of arts and culture this city has to offer,” said Finance Committee Chair Julissa Ferreras.“New York draws its strength from the diverse cultures from across the world that call our city home,” said Cultural Affairs Acting Commissioner Edwin Torres. “Our city is made stronger when we more fully understand and celebrate our fellow New Yorkers. We are proud to support cultural organizations that explore the immigrant communities that help make New York the vital, inclusive place it is.
We look forward to working with City Council to provide additional opportunities to support programming that reflects the neighborhoods we serve.”“Since the economic crisis, small organizations like ours have been struggling with funding cuts from private corporations and foundations. That’s why for us the creation of the Cultural Immigrant Initiative by the City Council has been so important in order to be able to continue serving our community, specially the Hispanics in Queens, after 37 years. It has allowed us to program FREE performances in our local Park and bilingual theatre/dance workshops for children, youth and seniors,” said Angel Gil Orrios, Artistic/Executive Director of Thalia Spanish Theatre.“I can’t underscore enough the value of a grant like the cultural initiative to a growing cultural organization like Braata Productions. With funding being cut for arts in many areas, it is encouraging to see that the city council and particularly Councilman Van Bramer saw the importance of cultural programming to the arts landscape of New York so he/they saw it fit to earmark funds specifically for this purpose. With the funds from the Cultural Initiative we were able to have the an inaugural staging of a Folk Festival which is the only festival of its kind showcasing the range of folk traditions from across many islands of the Caribbean,” said Andrew Clarke, Founder and Artistic Director of Braata Productions.“The funds received through the Cultural Immigrant Initiative helped us to accelerate our growth and reach a broader audience, especially in areas where our community is artistically and culturally underserved. The value of this fund goes beyond just monetary; it shows that this city, this Council, our local representative care about the arts, our cultures and immigrants. They have gone beyond mere promises and delivered something that allows immigrants to preserve and celebrate their heritage,” said Esau Chauca, Founder of Ayazamana.“On behalf of TOPAZ ARTS and Co-Founding Director Todd Richmond, we are enlightened and encouraged by this award from NYC Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and the Cultural Immigrant Initiative. This award comes at an opportune moment during TOPAZ ARTS’ 15th Year, allowing us to continue to support artists that give voice to the cultural experience through contemporary dance, performance, and visual arts. Since 2000,Topaz has provided a creative and affordable space for our community, enriching lives of artists and audiences, connecting through art both locally and internationally – this award allows us to continue to bridge diverse cultures within our neighborhood of Woodside, Queens,” said Paz Tanjuaquio, Co-Founding Director, TOPAZ ARTS, Inc.###