Roundtable Updates
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Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Polly Kahn Newland
The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable remembers and honors the legacy of Polly Kahn Newland, who passed away on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Polly Kahn was a brilliant, wise, and unwaveringly kind leader in arts education, consistently serving as a trusted mentor, confidante, and friend to countless colleagues throughout her career. Her boundless energy, intellectual curiosity, and generous spirit left an indelible mark on organizations like the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, where she served as a Founding Board Member. The Roundtable plans to share a tribute to Polly at our upcoming Face to Face Conference taking place at Shepard…
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Face to Face 2025 Report
In 2025, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable hosted the 32nd annual Face to Face Conference. The Roundtable continues its efforts to evaluate and document the participation in, experience with, and outcomes of the annual conference. This report summarizes data, comments and suggestions obtained from various evaluation instruments, including: Read the report by clicking on the view link or by reading it in PDF form below.
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The Roundtable Releases FY 2025 Annual Report
On behalf of our staff and Board of Directors, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is thrilled to release our FY 2025 Annual Report. This extensive report features year-end highlights, insight into our audience and Board, a sneak peek into what’s ahead, and much more. We are so proud to share this with you and continue our service to New York’s intrepid arts education community. Scroll down to view the complete report as a PDF or browse it digitally at the link below.
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Creative Compass: Mapping Arts Education in NYC Public Schools – Vendor Information Form
RESPONSES NOW DUE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2025 Calling all NYC Public Schools arts vendors! The Roundtable requests your participation to create a database of arts and cultural partners via “Creative Compass: Mapping Arts Education in NYC Public Schools.” KEY INFORMATION Survey Open Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025Survey Close Date: Extended to Friday, December 19, 2025 Note: Due to staff and system capacity, there will be one opportunity annually to update this information — exact time of year to be confirmed. The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is proud to partner with The Arnhold Foundation, Quadrant Research and NYC Public Schools…
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Testimonial Letter to the New York City Council Committee on Children & Youth- September 18, 2025
Oversight – Afterschool Expansion and DYCD’s Concept Paper Hon. Althea Stevens, Chair Thursday, September 18, 2025 Thank you for holding this oversight hearing on Afterschool Expansion and the Department of Youth and Community Development’s (DYCD) Concept Paper. My name is Kimberly Olsen, and I am the Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable — a nonprofit arts service organization working to improve and advance NYC arts education in partnership with thousands of arts educators and more than 350 arts organizations each year. I’m here as part of the It Starts with the Arts coalition to advocate for the…
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Register Now: City Council Oversight Hearing – Afterschool Expansion and DYCD’s Concept Paper (9/18/2025)
On Thursday, September 18th at 1pm ET, the NY City Council’s Committee on Children & Youth will host an Oversight Hearing on Afterschool Expansion and DYCD’s Concept Paper, chaired by Council Member Althea Stevens. Note: The hearing is currently scheduled to take place at 250 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 – Hearing Room 2, 8th Floor. Following the historic commitment to create “After School for All” in NYC, the Department of Youth & Community Development released a concept paper earlier this year along with a call for feedback to assist with the development of an upcoming RFP for contracts to…
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Become a Face to Face 2026 Sponsor
What is Face to Face? Virtual Dates: March 30 – April 2, 2026In-Person Dates: April 8 – 9, 2026Location: Shepard Hall, City College of New York (160 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031) The Face to Face Arts in Education Conference is the largest, most comprehensive arts education convening in New York State. In 2026, our annual flagship conference will start with a week of virtual professional learning workshops and conclude with a two-day conference expected to serve more than 600 arts educators and administrators. Conference Sponsors will have a direct impact on our ability to bring together arts education…
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It Starts With the Arts 2025 Campaign Breakdown
By law, city government officials needed to pass a balanced budget by June 30th for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). With support from our partners at CMW Strategies, we wanted to uplift some top-line arts education-related highlights and updates: Update on Campaign Priorities City Council Initiatives We thank our representatives in government, especially Speaker Adrienne Adams as well as CM Justin Brannan, Keith Powers, Rita Joseph, and Carlina Rivera, for their recognition of the importance of arts education in our schools and communities. The Roundtable looks forward to working with you and our partners…
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The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Elects Two New Board Members
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Kimberly Olsen, kolsen@nycaieroundtable.org NEW YORK, NY – The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is pleased to announce the election of two new members to the Board of Directors: Nancy Kleaver and Jolene Wang. Board Co-Chair Traci Lester welcomes newly elected Board Members, “We are excited to welcome Nancy and Jolene to the NYCAIER Board of Directors. During this unprecedented time when the arts education sector is fighting for its survival, bringing these two experienced leaders onto the Board is a vital step in the organization’s ongoing growth and sustainability.” “We’re thrilled to welcome Nancy and Jolene to the…
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Call for Proposals: Face to Face 2026
The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is now accepting proposals for sessions and panels for Face to Face 2026. The conference is scheduled to take place between March 30 – April 9, 2026. The 2026 conference will be a hybrid experience with both virtual and in-person offerings. The in-person conference venue is Shepard Hall, City College of New York, 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031. Key Dates This RFP seeks proposals for 90-minute conference sessions to be formatted as: All conference presenters will be offered a $100 honorarium and full registration to the conference (virtual and in-person).…
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Help Us Ensure Arts is Part of Universal Afterschool in NYC by July 11th!
TIME SENSITIVE: Help Us Ensure Arts is Part of Universal Afterschool in NYC by July 11th! Following the historic commitment to create “After School for All” in NYC, the Department of Youth & Community Development released a concept paper and call for feedback to assist with the development of an upcoming RFP for contracts to operate Comprehensive After School System (COMPASS) Elementary and School’s Out New York City (SONYC) programs in public schools and other settings. The Roundtable believes it is imperative that arts be embedded throughout these programs to provide high quality, culturally-responsive enrichment and learning environments for young…
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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Applauds Mayor, City Council for Historic Arts Education Investment in FY2026 Budget
Historic embrace of arts and culture will support critical programming for students throughout the city for years to come NEW YORK, NY — On Friday, the New York City Council and Mayor Adams struck a deal on the FY2026 budget, which permanently restores and baselines $41 million for arts education in NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) and adds an additional $4 million for arts programs for the 2025-2026 school year. The budget also includes a permanent $45 million increase and $30 million one-year increase to the budget for the Department of Cultural Affairs, which the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable proudly fought to secure.…
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NYC Educators Urge Mayor, Council To Prioritize Arts Teachers As City Meets Class-Size Mandate
Letter signed by 120+ educators states clearly: “Without ensuring hiring across all subjects — including the arts — the City cannot achieve its goal of improving education outcomes for all students” NEW YORK, NY — Today, more than 120 educators across the five boroughs sent a letter to Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos, and the City Council urging them to prioritize arts teachers as the city prepares to hire an expected 3,700 new teachers to implement its new class-size mandate. Smaller class sizes will ensure every student has more personalized instruction and help improve the overall learning environment for students — but only if…
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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Rallies with Council Members, Teachers & Advocates To Celebrate Investment in Arts Education
Historic $41 million investment in arts education will support hundreds of thousands of students across NYC who rely on public funding for access to the arts NEW YORK, NY — Today, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable joined with Council Members Keith Powers, Eric Dinowitz, and Chris Marte, 2025 Tony Award-winner and Brooklyn teacher Gary Edwin Robinson, educators, artists, and students to celebrate $41 million for arts education that was restored and baselined in the Mayor’s FY2026 city budget. The historic investment will help level the playing field for NYC Public School students who lack sufficient arts instruction, and provide…
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2025 NYC Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire on Arts Education
As we approach the upcoming mayoral elections, it is clear that the future of public education in city schools is a top priority for parents and the general public. For this reason, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable seeks to provide our community with a deeper understanding of the views and positions of NYC mayoral candidates on a number of arts and education-related issues. In April 2025, the Roundtable sent a questionnaire to all mayoral candidates — designed to determine candidates’ positions on issues related to the delivery of arts education (including dance, media, music, theater, creative writing, and visual…
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Artist Salon Request for Proposals: Gathering for Good Trouble
CALL FOR ARTISTS – PAID OPPORTUNITY The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Task Force on Equity & Inclusion (TEI) is soliciting applications from artists of all disciplines and genres to share artwork that addresses the themes of gathering and/or good trouble for our upcoming Artist Salon: Gathering for Good Trouble on Thursday, December 11 at El Puente Brooklyn. This event is an opportunity for members of the greater arts in education community to share their artistic work in a supportive, welcoming setting and engage in meaningful exchange and dialogue with one another. Selected artists will be compensated at a rate…
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Federal Advocacy Update from the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable
The following letter was sent out to the Roundtable mailing list on Monday, May 5th. To stay up to date with weekly e-blasts about advocacy efforts, best practices, current trends, upcoming events, and more, please subscribe to the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable mailing list. As additional changes or resources become available, we are doing are best to add them into the letter below. Updates made after May 5th will be denoted in this blue. Dear Roundtable Community, On the heels of NYC’s historic investment in arts, culture, and arts education last week, the Roundtable is aware of organizations in…
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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Applauds Mayor Adams for Major Investment in Arts Education
Historic $90 million down payment on arts and arts education for the cultural capital of the world NEW YORK, NY — Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that this year’s city budget will permanently restore and baseline $41 million for arts education in NYC Public Schools and add an additional $4 million for arts programs for the 2025-2026 school year. The Mayor’s budget also made a historic $45 million increase to the baseline budget for the Department of Cultural Affairs. In response, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable issued the following statement: “Today’s…
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Testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Contracts Oversight Hearing on Examining Late Payments to Human Service Providers
Thank you to Chair Won, fellow Committee Members and Council staff, for your advocacy and championing of paying nonprofits on time. My name is Kimberly Olsen, and I am the Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable — a nonprofit arts service organization working to improve and advance NYC arts education in partnership with more than 300 arts organizations each year. I’m here as part of the It Starts with the Arts coalition, echoing the urgent need for timely payment and contracting. More than 700 cultural organizations worked in partnership with schools last year to bridge that gap,…
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Announcing the 2025 “It Starts With the Arts” Student Artists
As we continue this year’s “It Starts With the Arts” Campaign, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is thrilled to announce the selected artists from our citywide visual art competition to recognize and celebrate the talent of New York City students. All entries were inspired by the title “It Starts With the Arts”. We received nearly 100 pieces of art from students across the City in a variety of mediums: photography, sculpture, digital art, and more! Winning artists were selected by members of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Advocacy Committee made up of educators, teaching artists, and cultural workers. Winners for…
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Testimony to the New York City Council Joint Oversight Hearing on Ensuring Equity and Access in the Arts
Testimony to the New York City CouncilCommittees on Education & Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup RelationsHon. Rita Joseph, Chair // Hon. Carlina Rivera, ChairHearing: Joint Oversight Hearing – Ensuring Equity and Access in the ArtsTuesday, April 8, 2025 Thank you Chair Joseph and Chair Rivera, esteemed Committee Members, and Council staff for your championing of arts education. My name is Kim Olsen, and I am the Executive Director of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable. I’m here as part of the It Starts with the Arts coalition, echoing the urgent need to prioritize transparency in arts education across our…