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Dear Friends,
On the evening of Friday, May 2, 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) informed us that they were revoking $30,000 in recommended funding for BCA’s Longwood Art Gallery. We were relying on those funds to deliver this year’s three-part exhibition series, The World We Want To Live In. Having already held two out of three exhibitions, this decision is a financial blow to us and comes on the heels of the installation of our third and final exhibition of the year, Transformative Impact.
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Since 1981, the Longwood Art Gallery has been a pioneer of showcasing artists whose work has been underrepresented by mainstream venues. We’ve had our setbacks before, including when we had to leave our first home in 2002, the constant threats to public funding, or even when we had to leave our second home last summer! It’s true, the NEA’s decision hurts. But through perseverance, determination, and community support, we’ve always found a path forward. We will not be stopped from fulfilling our programs and we will continue to advocate for Bronx artists and cultural organizations through these difficult times. | | | I regret that we’re also at risk of losing an additional $40,000 in NEA funding for our beloved Bronx Memoir Project (BMP). Through workshops led by professional writers, artists of all backgrounds who use poetry, essay, and personal narratives to tell their stories about the Bronx. As one artist put it, “The people of The Bronx have grown used to other folks talking about us, defining who we are and how we’re living. It’s time we tell our own stories, define ourselves, and bring the people into the light.” It goes without saying that a $40,000 cut to BMP could seriously impact how we offer this program in the future. | | |
You can help us stabilize the Longwood Art Gallery and BMP by donating to BCA, by sharing this message with your community, or by joining us at the opening reception of Transformative Impact on May 28, 2025, when we’ll be thinking about a world we want to live in together.
In gratitude,
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Viviana Bianchi
Executive Director
| | The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Coalition of Theaters of Color; the Cultural Immigrant Initiative; City Council Member Eric Dinowitz; and NYS Assemblymember Michael Benedetto. Also supported in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Booth Ferris Foundation, the Altman Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Amazon, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Tiger Baron Foundation, the Claire and Theodore Morse Foundation, the New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Con Edison, Webster Bank, and BronxCare Health System. | | BCA is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. | | | | |
