NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
News on Networking Cultural Heritage Resources from across the Community
September 17, 2001

The Status of the Arts in Manhattan
Report from Robert Lynch, Americans for the Arts
http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/attack/

[I'm forwarding this report on the condition of arts organizations and
personnel in New York City. David Green, davidninch.org]

THE STATUS OF ARTS IN MANHATTAN

To: Our Friends and Colleagues
From: Robert Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts
Date: September 14, 2001

To help keep you informed and in touch during this time of national crisis,
Americans for the Arts will share with you the status of arts organizations
in New York, the ways in which you can help, and ways the arts are being
used to help in the nation's recovery. We will provide updates via e-mail
as well as on our new website section, "Attack on America":
www.AmericansForTheArts.org/attack/. Visit the new section and read a
statement made by Robert Lynch, president and CEO, on Tuesday's tragic
events.

The Staff of Americans for the Arts

All staff from our DC and New York City offices were unharmed by the
attacks. Both offices are open and ready to help in any way we can.

New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)

The staff, all of whom are safe, are meeting to take inventory of other arts
groups in the area who may have been effected. Bill Ivey, chairman,
National Endowment for the Arts, is connecting with NYSCA regarding funds
that they are making available.

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council

John Haworth, board member, has informed us that all staff is safe. The
council was preparing for a dance festival onsite. The dancers had not yet
arrived and the tech crews, just beginning to show up, were able to make it
to safety. The council has also accounted for all the artists, except for
one, who participated in and whose studios were featured on the ARTventure
tour of Lower Manhattan. The council's offices and studios were destroyed.
NYSCA will be providing immediate office space for the council.

No other arts organization was affected to the extent of the Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council.

Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations
The staff, all of whom are safe, are looking at ways to help the arts
organizations affected in Manhattan.

American Express Foundation
All of our immediate colleagues at American Express-including Ann Wickham
and Beth Salerno-are fine. (Their offices are across the highway from the
World Trade Center).

Business Committee for the Arts

The offices are at the foot of the 59th Street Bridge in Long Island City
and were directly across from the Towers. The staff, having had the
unfortunate experience of seeing the second plane hit and the resulting
events unfold, are safe but stunned.

The Cultural Community

New York City's cultural institutions have decided to persevere, despite
this week's events and subsequent false bomb threats (Metropolitan Museum of
Art and the Museum of American History). At the urging of Mayor Rudolph W.
Giuliani and Schuyler G. Chapin, the commissioner of cultural affairs, many
of the city's premier museums opened their doors. Meanwhile, all 23
Broadway productions performed Thursday night after a moment of silence and
a dimming of the marquee lights in recognition of the victims.

The Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera are both staging special
performances to benefit victims, families, and the relief effort. The
flurry of activity in theaters, opera houses and museums represented a
concerted effort by political and cultural leaders to return the city to
some semblance of normalcy.

Resources and Contributions

Organizations throughout the nation have responded in a variety of ways to
Tuesday's tragedies. For information on charities and resources available,
visit the following organizations' websites:

http://philanthropy.com/free/update/update.htm
http://www.independentsector.org/media/Sept11_statement.html.
www.charitywave.org

This has been an extraordinary couple of days for everyone. For me it also
serves as a reminder of how important our work is in our collective attempt
to foster things that make the world a bit more beautiful and help foster a
bit more dialogue, and that help keep us all a bit more human.

We will remain in close contact and have designated Anne Canzonetti,
202.371.2830 or e-mail hroweartsusa.org, to respond to any questions,
concerns, or related information.

One last note, we wanted to provide you with the toll-free number for the
American Red Cross for those of you who would like to donate blood. You may
call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to find a blood donor center near you.

*

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