NYC POC Led Arts Entities Launch HueArts NYC Digital Map & Directory And Call For City Fund To Close Cultural Equity Gap

February 17, 2022

More than 400 artists from Harlem to Hollis entities founded, led, and served Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all People of Color (POC) announce the launch of HueArts NYC.

The only citywide effort to bring greater cultural equity, visibility, and support to POC cultural institutions and initiatives across NYC’s five boroughs.

The launch includes a first-of-its-kind digital map and directory, and a call for leaders of NYC’s cultural community to create a $100M fund to support POC-led arts entities and to address gaps in cultural equity across the city.

Following an extensive series of surveys, interviews, and community conversations with POC arts community leaders, HueArts NYC has released “Mapping a Future for Arts Entities Founded and led by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and All People of Color in New York City,” its ‘brown paper,’ outlining the unique contributions, assets, and challenges of POC arts entities in the face of persistently limited resources and support.

The report includes six key findings, and six recommendations NYC policymakers and philanthropic leaders can take to radically shift cultural equity across the city.

“For decades POC leaders in our arts community have advocated for policy changes that would make the difference between our POC-led arts entities surviving or thriving,” said Kemi Ilesanmi, Executive Director of The Laundromat Project, a project partner of HueArts NYC. “An initiative like this is far overdue, and so is receiving the meaningful support equal to the contributions we make in keeping New York so vibrant and special.”

Accompanying the release of the brown paper is a first-of-its-kind digital map and directory spotlighting more than 400 POC arts entities serving NYC neighborhoods, and capturing critical information about the work, people, communities, and opportunities that POC arts entities offer that shape NYC’s cultural fabric and that helps fuel NYC’s creative economy.


“Having this data compiled and visualized in this way is a critical starting point for the city to understand our needs and for our communities to connect with and support each other,” said Rasmia Kirmani, Interim Executive Director at Hester Street, the HueArts NYC project partner that created the design for the map and directory, website, and brown paper. “This is the first time we are organizing together, across all five boroughs, and utilizing technology to move the conversation forward in a practical and tangible way.”

HueArts NYC has shared the findings of the HueArts NYC brown paper in a letter addressed to Mayor Eric Adams, asking for inclusion of the recommendations in his vision for the future of NYC arts and culture.

The letter to Mayor Adams, HueArts NYC Map and Directory, and the HueArts NYC ‘brown paper’ are available at hueartsnyc.org.

“So often we hear that NYC’s policymakers and philanthropic leaders can’t find or are unfamiliar with Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all People of Color arts organizations when it’s time to make critical decisions that impact our present and future. HueArts NYC changes that,” said Stephanie A. Johnson-Cunningham, Executive Director of Museum Hue, also a HueArts NYC project partner. “Now, we have a platform that centers our arts organizations’ contributions to the city’s arts landscape and creative economy, a map of where we are in every community, and clear recommendations to address our needs. This will help our city’s political, philanthropic, and cultural leaders increase collaboration and financial support for our arts organizations and will have a measurable impact on neighborhoods in all five boroughs.”

NYC arts organizations are invited to submit their information to the HueArts NYC Map and Directory.

Entities are chosen according to criteria that ensure featured organizations are founded by, led by, and directly serving Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all people of color. The map and directory will be updated bi-annually.

“When you consider how much money disproportionately goes to NYC’s predominately white institutions compared to the creative outputs by people of color and our community organizations, you get a better understanding of why our institutions sometimes fail to thrive,” said Libertad O. Guerra, Executive Director of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center and HueArts NYC Advisory Committee member. “It’s not from lack of effort, it’s due to lack of support. HueArts NYC is our effort to make sure all of NYC understands where we are, what we do, and how they can support us. Whether that is coming through the door, sharing information about our work on social media, or proposing a policy that will level the playing field in ways that will make a real difference for our POC entities, artists, cultural workers, and communities of color.”

Key findings of the HueArts NYC brown paper include:

  1. POC arts entities are deeply embedded in their communities, and often relied upon to provide more than just arts programming.
  2. POC arts entities are often connected to a sense of place and neighborhood, but rarely have a truly stable space of their own.
  3. POC arts entities are resourceful and resilient in the face of a long history of structural racism, chronic under-investment, and limited financial support.
  4. The dearth of data and metrics on POC arts entities in NYC is significant and remarkable, creating barriers to truly comprehensive field knowledge, visibility, and impact.
  5. Increased staff capacity and ability to support artists are urgent and fundamental priorities for POC arts entities.
  6. POC arts entities face extra layers of challenges to secure adequate funding in comparison to predominantly white-led arts institutions.

The six recommendations for leaders of NYC’s policymaking and philanthropic community include:

  1. Create a designated $100M fund for POC arts and cultural entities
  2. Establish a substantive baseline budget line for POC arts in the City’s annual budget
  3. Invest in place as a long-term strategy for POC art stability and thriveability
  4. Foster career- and community-building among arts professionals at POC arts entities
  5. Consistently collect data that further knowledge and promotes equity in the arts
  6. Invest in higher and sustained visibility for POC arts entities in NYC

The HueArts NYC Advisory Committee includes POC arts leaders from across the NYC cultural community including:

  • Amy Andrieux, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts
  • Mahen Bonetti, African Film Festival, Inc.
  • Andrew Clarke, Braata Productions
  • Diane Fraher, American Indian Artists Inc.
  • Lisa Gold, Asian American Arts Alliance
  • Libertad O. Guerra, The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center
  • Lorna Harris, Visionary GPS
  • Jerron Herman, Independent Artist
  • Jordyn Jay, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts
  • Swati Khurana, Independent Artist
  • Sade Lythcott, National Black Theatre
  • Kyoung Park, Kyoung’s Pacific Beat
  • Charles Rice-Gonzalez, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance

In the coming months, HueArts NYC will continue collaborating with Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all People of Color arts entities to present a fuller picture of the artistic activities led by POC-arts organizations across New York State.

The initiative will also assist in the creation of programs that center POC-led arts entities.

HueArts NYC has been made possible through support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Council, the Ford Foundation, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

For more information and to access the HueArts NYC ‘brown paper,’ Map and Directory, visit hueartsnyc.org.

HueArts NYC

HueArts NYC celebrates the resilience and resourcefulness of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all people of color arts entities.

Despite our unique contributions to the local, national, and international creative economies, billions of dollars have been invested in NYC arts and cultural institutions, with only a small percentage trickling down to POC-led entities.

We are advocating for greater visibility, and are demanding meaningful, systemic change that leads to greater cultural equity across NYC, starting with those who set public policy and philanthropic priorities in NYC who have historically, consistently, and substantially supported predominately white-founded and-led arts entities.

Learn more, discover more than 400+ POC-led arts entities on our premier digital map and directory, and get involved at hueartsnyc.org.

Photo credit: hueartsnyc.org.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SUPPORT US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles