Artist Count in NYC Promises Real Benefit

MALC would like to applaud a recent NYC initiative to create a meaningful count of the number and variety of artists in that city. The ICSCS (Institute for Culture in the Service of Community Sustainability) survey began in October of last year, funded with a two year grant from the Rockerfeller Foundation, to measure the economic impact of artists and artists’ activity on the financial vitality and city planning needs of New York City. This would be the third survey of its kind, following the example of Massachusetts and Minnesota, to give a factual basis for the need to focus resources on building and supporting the creative economy, an often overlooked segment that is usually excluded from economic and health legislative initiatives.

“If they don’t understand the numbers, they don’t respect it, and they don’t nurture it,” he said. “And when you undermine art, you undermine the future of the world and every human being.” Russell Simmons, quoted in recent ICSCS WSJ online story.

ICSCS’s mission: ICSCS supports development of public policy that articulates and strengthens art’s central role in civic life and enhances cultural, environmental, and community sustainability.

We encourage you to bookmark the ICSCS website and explore its many resources.
http://www.artspolicynow.org/