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Culture Stories & Features

Beat the Heat: Museums Are Cool Places
The Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management has issued a heat advisory for New York City, and you can beat the heat by visiting a local museum to stay cool.  Check out the National Museum of the American Indian, open from 10 am – 5 pm.  Admission is free.  For a list of other museums and cultural venues offering free and suggested admission, please click here.

Fiscal 2009 Cultural Development Fund Reporting
Reporting for Fiscal 2009 grant recipients is due as soon as possible after the close of the Fiscal Year.  Funded organizations are required to submit a full report to the Department of Cultural Affairs.  Report forms are available online and must be submitted immediately.  Organizations that do not submit reporting by the August 3, 2009 deadline may be required to return Fiscal 2009 funds and will be ineligible for support in Fiscal 2010.
Find out more information and download a reporting form.

Department of Cultural Affairs Projects Recognized at the 27th Annual Awards for Excellence in Design
The Public Design Commission recognized the Department of Cultural Affairs for four projects at the 2009 Awards for Excellence in Design on July 1.  Commissioner Levin accepted on behalf of the agency for the winning projects, which include three artworks commissioned through the Percent for Art program.  Winners include Inside Out, an artwork by Richard Artschwager at the Riverside Health Center; The Shapes Project, an artwork by Allan McCollum in collaboration with Marpillero Pollak Architects at Elmhurst Library; The Opposite of a Duck, an artwork by Janet Zweig at Glen Oaks Community Library; and Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Visitor Center, designed by Weiss/Manfredi.
Read the press release

Mayor Bloomberg Announces Free Cultural Events and the Return of Summer Streets
Mayor Bloomberg was joined by Commissioner Levin to announce free cultural events taking place in New York City this summer.  The Mayor also introduced the expansion of Summer Streets, a series of car-free street festivals at 14 locations throughout the five-boroughs – through September.  A complete listing of more than 1500 free events can by found by visiting the NYCulture Calendar at nyc.gov/nyculture or nycgo.com.  Find out more information about Summer Streets at nyc.gov/summerstreets
Read the press release

Cultural Data Project Arrives in New York State
The Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, private-sector grantmakers, and cultural advocacy groups have joined together to bring the Cultural Data Project (CDP) to New York State.  The CDP is an online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organization by allowing users to track their own financial and programmatic performance over time, and to perform benchmark comparisons.  CDP responds to concerns shared by cultural organizations of all sizes and disciplines, offering organizations a series of tools to understand and assess their operations, and streamlining the process of applying for grants from participating grantmakers.  Throughout the week of June 15, CDP staff will hold demonstration and discussion sessions about this important new resource.
Find out more information
See a complete list of demonstration and discussion sessions on the New York State Cultural Data Project and RSVP instructions

Pick up Poem In Your Pocket at Citystore!


Poem In Your Pocket day 2009 has ended, but now is the perfect time to find a poem for next year!  The book features 200 classic and contemporary poems by more than 100 poets, from Claude McKay to Edna St. Vincent Millay.  You can tear out a poem and carry it with you to read and share with others.  Click here for more information.


Mayor Announces New Initiatives to Help NYC Nonprofits
Mayor Bloomberg announced new initiatives to help the City's cultural, health and social service nonprofit organizations survive the economic downturn and continue to "contribute profoundly to the heartbeat of our city." These initiatives provide opportunities to reduce organizations' fixed costs, improve the City's contract procedures, and build new partnerships to strengthen nonprofit organizations.  This assistance will help ensure the vitality of the City's more than 1,400 cultural organizations, which employ more than 40,000 New Yorkers.
Read the press release
For more information visit NYC.gov/nonprofit

New Access to Working Capital and Capital Improvement Loans for Nonprofit Organizations
The NYC Capital Access Revolving Loan Guaranty Program provides access to financing for nonprofit cultural organizations by guaranteeing up to 40% of qualified loans. Organizations will be able to apply to lenders for working capital and capital improvement loans guaranteed in part by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, to help smooth cash flow for operations and small capital purchases.
For more information

Mayor Bloomberg Announces Affordable Culture in New York City
Mayor Bloomberg today outlined dozens of examples of free and low-cost, family-friendly cultural activities occurring throughout the City, and encouraged New Yorkers to take advantage of them. New York City’s museums, parks, theaters, public libraries, recreation centers, Business Improvement Districts, and other venues offer many attractions, including special holiday events, with a free or suggested admission cost.  Visit the NYCulture Calendar  or call 311 and find affordable culture in your neighborhood today!
Read the press release

Eye on Culture

New York City is home to more than 500 galleries; 375 nonprofit theater companies; 330 dance companies, 150 museums, 96 orchestras, 38 Broadway theaters, 24 performing arts centers, five zoos, four botanical gardens, and an aquarium.  Start exploring today!

Wave Hill
Workshops, art exhibits, performances and garden tours.
Click here to find programs for the entire family.   

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
P.S.1 Young Architects Program '09: Afterparty
New architecture at P.S.1 from June 28 - September 28, 2009
Learn more about P.S.1 exhibitions and events.

Brooklyn Book Festival
September 13, 2009
Free themed readings and lively panel discussions featuring a diverse array of authors from Brooklyn and around the world.
Click here for more information about this free festival.

The Waterpod
August 4, 2009 – October 12, 2009
See how artists are creating future pathways to sustainability on this eco-barge.




 



Cultural Affairs
June 27-Oct. 11, 2009
Plot 09: This World and Nearer Ones
Art on Governors Island, commissioned by Creative Time.
 
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