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he arts in Central New York has become another victim of the pandemic, as museums and theaters across the area remain closed or have had to drastically cut the number of visitors. Individual artists have been severely impacted as well. It’s estimated that the sector has lost more than $55 million in potential revenue. The CNY Arts organization, in its ongoing mission to support, promote and celebrate the arts, culture and heritage in the area, has begun a fundraising effort. The agency serves Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego counties. When it gets New York state regional economic development funds, it also serves Cayuga County. Executive director Stephen Butler talked about the fundraising drive and the effect of the pandemic on the arts.
A Q&A With
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Stephen Butler Executive director of Syracuse-based CNY Arts appeals to individuals and organizations to help raise a half-million dollars by Dec. 31 for the arts sector, which is facing potential loss of more than $55 million due to the pandemic By Mary Beth Roach 34
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Q: Can you share the details of this initiative? A: In March, when the governor’s order came through to help flatten the curve, organizations needed to shutter. Of course, for the arts, that’s a huge impact because we live by people coming together to participate in the arts, whether it’s to go to an exhibit or go to a show. Immediately, our ability to generate revenue was lost and, of course, government became very constrained in its ability to provide funding during this time. We held a big regional Zoom meeting across seven counties. The arts sector representatives said, ‘CNY Arts do two things: Do a specific survey about this region. There are certain questions we want you to have in it. And secondly, be in touch with the foundations about us because we’re very imperiled.’ We did that survey. The aggregate data showed that with 20% of the field responded, there was actual and projected losses of $15 million. When we went back and looked at some of the other research about the size of the sector and created a formula, we really were looking at something close to potential $55 million actual losses and projected losses through the end of September. Furthermore, on average, those respondents said that by late October they would be running out of their cash reserves if there weren’t infusions of cash. So we met with our board and shared these statistics. We really needed to create a $1 million fund. That seems like a drop in the bucket. For our small agency, it was quite ambitious. It also DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021
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