Bronx cultural organizations receive boost in funding
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,18 JANUARY 17-23, 2020 BTR
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BY JASON COHEN
Culture and arts organizations
in the borough received
a fi nancial boost as 2019 came
to a close.
The NYC Department of
Cultural Affairs recently
announced $51.3 million in
grants to support cultural
programming at 985 organizations
as part of its 2020 annual
funding cycle.
Some of the local organizations
that received money
were: Bronx Arts Ensemble,
$344,688, Bronx Children’s
Museum, $35,800,
Bronx Council on the Arts,
$298,120,
Bronx Documentary Center,
$139,020, Bronx House,
Inc. $93,020, Bronx Opera
Company, $71,800, Bronx
River Alliance, $24,560,
Bronx River Art Center, Inc.,
$181,700 and BronxArtSpace,
$16,000.
“With additional grant
funds from DCLA, we were
able to fund more art community
projects more fully,”
said Viviana Bianchi, executive
director Bronx Council
on the Arts.
“This increased funding
Dancers in the Black Iris Project, which recently received grant money
from the city. Photo Courtesy Matthew Murphy
will also allow us to award
more BRIOs (Bronx Recognizes
Its Own awards) to even
more artists. We are very
grateful for this increased
support, and hope that funding
continues at this level or
higher in the years ahead
so that BCA can continue
strengthening the cultural
ecosystem of the Bronx,” she
added.
One of the recipients in
the borough was Jeremy Mc-
Queen, an award-winning
choreographer, who started
The Black Iris Project in 2016,
which is a ballet that celebrates
diversity and black
history.
He won $5,000 from Bronx
Recognizes Its Own (BRIO),
which provides support to
artists who create works in
the literary, media, visual
and performing arts.
McQueen spoke to the
Bronx Times about the
money. The funds will help
form the creation of a new
ballet, The Storm, which centers
on the disruption caused
by tumultuous hurricanes
that have taken place in the
United States over the last
15 years and the Middle Passage.
“The Black Iris Project
from its inception has been
about creating movement
within the Black community
that has housed diversity, justice,
equity and inclusion,”
McQueen said. “Communities
of color are not often
ones that can always afford
or have access to high quality
performing arts experiences.
The work I do as an educator
and choreographer with The
Black Iris Project has specifi -
cally made it possible for various
communities of color to
have access to live art and to
see themselves in the art that
is shared onstage as a source
of inspiration.”
Another winner was Ivan
Velez Jr., a comic artist that
received close to $11,000 for
three community engagement
grants, “New Work,”
“Arts Fund” and “Community
Arts” and an artist residency
called Su-Casa. SUCASA
is a program that aims
to enrich the lives of senior
citizens through the arts.
This grant will help fund
programming and events and
provide art supplies, advertising,
and fi nancial support
for larger events.
“I’m an individual artist
who has used my grant funding
mostly to support my art
instruction programs and
celebrations,” Velez said.
“I’ve also been able to create
art events for the community
where other artists can meet
and create together, as well
as inspire people who would
not normally consider themselves
artists to participate
and create.”
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