Support Cultural Democracy for NYC

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

New Yorkers have an unparalleled opportunity in The Cultural Plan for All New Yorkers now being developed by CREATENYC.org. Every New Yorker is invited to contribute ideas.

We call on all New Yorkers to support two key ideas that would make a huge difference for our city, protecting the right to culture and building the infrastructure of cultural democracy:

  • a New Public Service Jobs Program, putting artists and others to work for the public good; and

  • a Cultural Impact Study, requiring decision-makers to assess potential damage to cultural fabric and community before taking action, just as they now assess environmental harm through Environmental Impact Studies.

These are two of ten ideas put forward on November 19, 2016, by the people-powered U.S. Department of Arts and Culture in Standing for Cultural Democracy: The USDAC’s Policy and Action Platform, created to amplify ideas that can advance social healing and bring us closer to a future grounded in equity and engagement; full cultural citizenship, belonging without barrier; and deep respect for the right to culture—expression, participation, recognition—underpinning any just and caring society. Download a summary or the full platform with examples, resources, and tools here.

The NYC Field Office of the USDAC is urging every New Yorker to take three steps:

  1. SIGN THIS PETITION urging the City of New York to incorporate a New Public Service Jobs Program; and a Cultural Impact Study in its Cultural Plan.

  2. ATTEND CREATENYC events in all NYC boroughs, and speak up for a New Public Service Jobs Program; and a Cultural Impact Study

  3. SHARE Standing for Cultural Democracy: The USDAC’s Policy and Action Platform with CREATENYC through the contact link on their website, urging that the Cultural Plan incorporate its values.

The first step is to sign this petition.

To: NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
From: [Your Name]

We stand together to uplift the public interest in culture and culture in the public interest by urging that the following policies and actions be incorporated in the Cultural Plan for All New Yorkers currently in development:

INSTITUTE A NEW PUBLIC SERVICE JOBS PROGRAM. Twice before—in the 1930s with the Works Progress Administration and the 1970s with the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act—this country’s response to widespread unemployment led to public service jobs. The WPA and CETA put thousands of artists and creative workers (along with those in other sectors) to work in strengthening cultural infrastructure and social fabric, giving all Americans access to social goods that the marketplace deems a privilege for those who can afford them, saving costs and improving lives.

We call for publicly funded public service jobs programs that address cultural fabric as well as physical infrastructure; expanding Percent for Art Ordinances to include artists in residence, community-engaged projects, and creative social cohesion activities led by artists; and using existing public service jobs to employ artists to strengthen cultural fabric and advance social goods.

ADOPT A CULTURAL IMPACT STUDY. Community development policy is marred by a widespread proclivity to see communities of color and low-income communities as disposable in the face of economic “progress.” Longstanding neighborhoods and cultural and social fabric are demolished to make way for new freeways or sports stadiums. Longtime residents are displaced by gentrification. The disturbing fact is that culture has no legal standing in such decisions, no grounds for protection.

We call on all agencies and organizations with public planning responsibility to adopt a Cultural Impact Study (CIS) for every project with potential negative cultural impact, assessing impact on cultural fabric just as do Environmental Impact Studies with respect to the natural environment.

Additional information about both of these initiatives can be found in Standing for Cultural Democracy, the USDAC's Policy and Action platform here: www.usdac.us/platform