Lower Manhattan Arts Leaders Receive $100,000 American Express Grant

Lower Manhattan Arts Leaders, the recently formed consortium of 11 downtown arts organizations that baned together in an effort to sustain themselves in the harsh economic climate, is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from American Express in support of the group's Fall Downtown programming, according to a report in Variety.  

Proving that there really is power in numbers, the Lower Manhattan Arts Leader's fall festival, which began in August and runs through November 19 includes efforts by all participating arts organizations in the consortium: 3LD, HERE Arts Center, Soho Rep, The Flea Theater, Dixon Place, Access Theater and Blue Coyote Theater Group; the dance companies Dance New Amsterdam and Battery Dance Company; the independent media arts center DCTV; and the Children's Museum of the Arts. Produced with the intention of boosting the neighborhood in addition to showcasing work, the festival offers free or low-cost arts events at the different participating theaters and headquarters.

The grant from American Express will be used to develop and promote Fall Downtown programming, which includes performances of Taylor Mac's latest, "The Lily's Revenge," at Here and "The Oldsmobiles" at the Flea.

Said Kristin Marting, Artistic Director of the HERE Arts Center in a previous interview with Charles Isherwood in the New York Times, "We wanted to make clear...the size of our collective cultural and economic impact on the neighborhood, so that when people think about cutting funding for the arts they think about what they're losing on a deeper level...I think we need to pay more attention to the artistic and cultural work that goes on in every neighborhood in this city," Ms. Marting said. "We are part of what makes New York unique. It's amazing the mixture of experiences you can have in a night. We are in danger of losing a lot of the fabric of our neighborhoods as they become more expensive, and arts organizations are on the front line."

Seconds Nello McDaniel in the New York Times feature, director of the consulting group Arts Action Research "It makes a tremendous amount of sense and also says a lot about the strength of these organizations...Not so long ago the mind-set was a sort of castle-island. If you were a theater or dance organization, you built a moat to protect your turf, and the thought of sharing or reaching out was antithetical."

Read Charles Isherwood's full profile here.