The Future of Education, Arts, and Culture in New York City: A Conversation with the Mayoral Candidates and New Yorkers of all Ages

August 08, 2013 | marcus@ya.org

                                             

New York, NY, July 25, 2013 Teachers College, Columbia University and Young Audiences New York (YANY), and One Percent for Culture will host The Future of Education, Arts, and Culture in New York City: A Conversation with the Mayoral Candidates and New Yorkers of all Ages on Tuesday, July 30th at 6:00 p.m. at the Joyce Berger Cowin Center at Teachers College, 120th and Broadway in Manhattan.

The event will be a conversation about the future of education and the role that education, the arts, and culture will play in shaping New York's future. Mayoral candidates will respond to questions and present their view on the arts, culture, and education as a foundation for creating a smarter, more livable, and more economically competitive city. Kurt Andersen, the host and co-creator of Studio 360 on public radio and Leonard Lopate, host of WNYCs The Leonard Lopate Show, will serve as moderators. 

Support for culture and education are perennial headline issues in mayoral elections in New York City, which has the largest municipal school system in the country and is arguably the cultural capital of the nation across numerous disciplines. Teachers College has masters and doctoral programs in art and art education, as well as an interdisciplinary masters program in art administration that combines the arts, education, business and law. For more than 60 years, Young Audiences New York has inspired children through the transformative power of the arts, by providing comprehensive, school-and community-based arts instruction to under-served New York City students in grades pre-K through 12 across all five boroughs. One Percent for Culture has a coalition of over 500 businesses and nonprofit organizations who have joined with prominent leaders from the business, civic, and cultural communities in seeking an increase in city funding for culture to one percent of the municipal expense budget.

Who: Confirmed candidates: Sal Albanese, Ceceilia Berkowitz, Hilda Broady-Fernandez, Adolfo Carrion, John Catsimatidis, Randy Credico, Bill de Blasio, Anthony Gronowicz, Jack Hidary, Abiodun Laurel-Smith, John Liu, George McDonald, Christine C. Quinn, Erick Salgado, William Thompson

Invited candidates: Neil Grimaldi, Walter Iwachiw, Joe Lhota, James McMillan, Carl Person, Anthony Weiner

What:A forum about the role that education and the arts play in shaping New York Citys future. Live tweeting at the event will use the hashtag #ArtsEdCultureNYC.

Where: The Joyce Berger Cowin Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, 120th and Broadway in Manhattan.

When: Press Call is at 5:00pm. Forum Begins Promptly at 6pm. Candidates Interviews are throughout the Forum.

One Percent for Culture, Teachers College, and Young Audiences New York are nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations that do not support, oppose or endorse candidates for elective office

About One Percent for Culture: One Percent for Culture is a nonpartisan, grassroots, five-borough campaign whose mission is to demonstrate the value of culture to New York City. The campaign will generate support for an increase in the city's financial commitment to the nonprofit cultural community, including artists of all disciplines, to a full one percent of the municipal expense budget. www.oneforculture.org.

About Young Audiences New York: YANY unlocks the power of the arts to educate and inspire all young people of New York both in school and in life. With an emphasis on collaboration, YANY partners with New York City schools to design a customized blend of residencies, performances, family activities and professional development that will best meet the needs of their communities. YANY believes that arts education fills a critical need in our schools' curriculum, one that creatively engages students and prepares them for a rapidly changing world full of challenges and opportunities. www.yany.org.

About Teachers College, Columbia University: Teachers College, Columbia University, is the oldest and largest graduate school of education in the United States, and also perennially ranked among the nations best. Its name notwithstanding, the College is committed to a vision of education writ large, encompassing our four core areas of expertise: health, education, leadership and psychology. www.tc.edu