Queens pol aims to make open culture permanent

By Jacob Kaye

Queens councilmember is looking to make the city’s Open Culture program a fixture of New York City streets.

City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer is spending part of his last months in office pushing for the city to pass Open Culture 2.0, a bill that would make the temporary Open Culture program, which allows for performances and rehearsals to take place on open streets, permanent and year-round.

"By making the Open Culture program a permanent fixture in New York City, we will not only provide an additional lifeline for our artists, performers and vital cultural organizations, it will also create an exciting new norm for diverse performances throughout the city,” Van Bramer said.

The bill was introduced in the City Council last week and will appear before the council’s Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup relations on Tuesday.

Open Culture 2.0 would also expand the eligibility requirements for participating art organizations and include a reporting requirement to assess the program’s efficiency.

The new bill would also expand the number of streets available to the program. If passed into the law, the bill would allow for all open streets to host the Open Culture program and would require a minimum number of Open Culture streets per Community Districts.

The temporary program, which was created during the pandemic as performance spaces were forced to shut down, has been utilized over 450 times, according to Van Bramer.

"The Open Culture Program has been a much needed lifeline, not just for the smallest performing arts organizations and the independent artists of this city, but for the communities they serve who find a safe respite, an opportunity for joy and a space for connection through the live arts of the Open Culture Program,” said Aimee Todoroff, the managing director of The League of Independent Theater. “It is imperative that the Open Culture Program is made permanent, is expanded, and is supported by robust city funding and outreach."

The bill will be heard in committee at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, as part of the committee’s hearing on the reopening of culture in New York City post-pandemic.