WHAT DOES A CITY BUILT FOR ARTISTS LOOK LIKE?

At a moment when New York is rapidly changing, we want to gather artists, cultural workers, organizers, and community members to think together about a central question:

The session will take place over 90 minutes and is intended as an open exchange between the arts community and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

6:00 – 6:30 Arrivals and mingling
6:30 – 8:00 Conversation and listening
8:00 – 9:30 Afterglow with some refreshments

The evening will also include opportunities for audience members to respond, ask questions, and contribute ideas in conversation with one another and with Commissioner Vij.

We hope to frame this not simply as a forum for revisiting concerns we already know well, but as a genuine opportunity to imagine futures, propose new structures, and articulate ambitious ideas for what New York could become. Commissioner Vij has expressed a sincere interest in listening to artists’ and art workers’ concerns, and we encourage everyone participating to think expansively and constructively about what kinds of policies, spaces, systems, and forms of support artists need in order to truly live, work, experiment, and remain in this city.