“We want inviting, colorful, vibrant, and thriving communities — that starts with the arts.”
NEW YORK, NY — Today, Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, testified at the New York City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs’ Preliminary Budget hearing about the critical role cultural organizations play in providing all students with arts education. Olsen urged Councilmembers to protect funding for arts and culture and ensure no student loses access to arts education opportunities. Full testimony linked below.
In her testimony, Olsen noted that, “The Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Development Fund are essential resources for NYC’s arts education community, enabling hundreds of organizations to deliver essential arts education services across all five boroughs. These programs… cultivate not only the next generation of arts workers and audiences but prepare our city’s young people with the skills necessary to enter the 21st-century workforce.”
Olsen urged Council Members to extend at-risk funding for arts instruction and to protect against looming federal cuts to organizations that provide students access to arts education, noting, “Investing in arts education is an investment in our future. Therefore, I urge our City to take decisive action to ensure that all students have access to high-quality arts education.”
Last week, Olsen testified before the Committee on Education’s Preliminary Budget hearing, where the Council learned that, “approximately 300 schools still lack certified arts teachers, a persistent issue for over a decade, leaving thousands of students without dedicated arts instruction.” Now, lawmakers have an opportunity to help address the persistent arts education access gap by protecting funding for the arts in this year’s budget.
About NYC Arts in Education Roundtable:
The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is a service organization working to improve and advance arts education. The Roundtable is a community of arts education practitioners dedicated to sharing information, providing professional development, and communicating with the public to promote our work in schools and beyond.