In 2015, Hester Street (HST) worked with the New York Community Trust (NYCT) and the New York City Cultural Agenda Fund to develop and facilitate an all-day workshop as part of the Cultural Advocacy & Equity Program. The program was launched in April 2015 to provide a cohort of 40 arts advocates the space, time, and resources needed to collectively generate ideas to improve advocacy coordination and foster a more equitable cultural ecosystem in New York. The workshop series brought together leaders from a wide range of NYC arts organizations, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Queens Museum, and the Public Theater.
HST led the final workshop of the 4-part series, which was focused on identifying ways that arts organizations could create collaborations with one another, with other community based organizations, as well as connect to City-wide land use and development initiatives. HST worked closely with NYCT to clarify projects goals, parameters and deliverables, and identify discussion topics. The workshop was based on an HSC developed curriculum, which included visual presentations, interactive discussions, breakout groups and mapping activities for 6 sessions. Topics included Creative Placemaking as a tool for Social Justice, City-wide Land Use and Development, Mapping Project Intersections, and Opportunities for Partnership Development.
