Lisa Gold testifies on AAPI underfunding and lack of cultural space

Okay, good afternoon, Chair Williams, members of the Council.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Lisa Gold, and I'm the Executive Director of the Asian American Arts Alliance, or A4 for short.

For more than 40 years, A4 has worked to ensure greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American and Pacific Islanders, artists, and cultural organizations across all the disciplines.

And I'm really appreciative of you for holding this hearing today on Create NYC because I really do believe that the intentions of the plan were well-meaning.

But as we've all heard, the execution fell way short of expectations and what is truly needed to ensure equity and inclusion in the city's cultural sector, which was obviously the first issue that the plan sought to address.

So we work with a community of artists and arts organizations who receive far less than their equitable share of funding.

There are no AAPI-led or serving CIGs.

And from the CDF data last year, which I had to pull myself, it shows that only 5% of organizations who received those CDF grants were AAPI-led and serving.

We are 18% of the city population.

And of those who did receive grants, the average grant amount was 28% less than the average.

So I think that DCA should be.

and releasing this data so that we can track and ensure accountability to ensure that underserved communities, which you brought up again, thank you, are actually getting their fair share and getting the resources that they need.

And I also want to point out that I think that the local arts...

Council should also be held to the same standard so we can assure that individual artists are being treated equitably in the distribution of city-funded grants.

So the economic impact of the arts and all of the other health measures

is undeniable as we've heard earlier, and yet not all of our communities are benefiting from the city's economic and other development strategies.

For example, Manhattan's Chinatown does not have a single black box theater or public performance space or rehearsal space, and yet the city has managed to find nearly $4 billion to invest in the jail.

So I ask that the commission truly engage with communities, especially the members of the AAPI community, 1.5 million of us, to truly ensure equitable and inclusive arts and culture.

Thank you.