In October 2012, the Social Justice Artists' Collaborative (SJAC) conducted a survey on arts practices and support networks to capture information about sustainability. This report highlights information about individual artists and arts organizations working toward social justice in New York City as well as the networks we utilize for support.

1. ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
STAYING RESILIENT IN CHALLENGING TIMES
Report Findings by Survey Design by the
Irini Neofotistos, Senior Program Officer, Union Square Awards
Amanda Warco, Research Intern, Union Square Awards

2. About SJAC:
The Social Justice Artists’ Collaborative (SJAC) was launched in 2010 as a
passionate call out for a grassroots network dedicated to building the power
and sustainability of individual artists, small to mid-size arts organizations
based in New York City, and creative communities invested in change.
SJAC is now a growing progressive collective of people and organizations
that comes together to learn, share, dialogue, connect, and evolve the
capacities of arts and cultural practitioners to thrive on our own terms.
Our goals are to:
• Build community among arts organizations and artists engaged in social
justice;
• Strategize around challenges and explore long-term solutions;
• Create new sustainability models;
• Offer platforms and venues for sharing best practices and innovations; &
• Foster new partnerships and creative fusions.

3. About the survey:
To learn what issues are affecting us most as a community, SJAC
recently conducted a survey of artists and arts organizations across
the City. This report shares what we found.
This survey was released by the SJAC and received 157 responses
between October 11 and 31, 2012.
Outreach was done by SJAC work group members who shared it with
others through social media, the SJAC outreach email list, and their
networks.

4. KEY FINDINGS
Bridging Arts and Social Justice
Arts and social justice work raises visibility, gives voice and creates
engagement and interaction.
Important to those doing this work is uniting communities, empowering
individuals, developing opportunities to create and express, and providing
access to the arts.
Resources and Networks
Being connected to others with similar values is important. A vast majority
confirm they are connected to others that share their values.
While most respondents have the tools needed to be effective and know
where to turn to for needed resources, a significant number do not have a
support network they can rely on.

5. KEY FINDINGS
Financial Resources
Respondents found skills or resource sharing, individual donor engagement
and grassroots fundraising to be effective sustainability approaches.
70% of respondents have accessed grants to support their work. Of
those, half report they no longer have access to resources they have relied
on in the past.
Top 4 Challenges
Accessing Financial Resources
Reliable Support Networks
Time and Capacity
Framing and Promoting Work

6. THE RESULTS

7. HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITHIN THE
ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY?
32% of respondents
80%
chose more than one
70% response
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
artist arts other service provider funder
administrator
157 responses

8. HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITHIN THE
ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY?
Other Identities
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
activist organizer educator

9. PLEASE INDICATE YOUR ARTISTIC DISCIPLINE:
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Visual Arts Media/ Theater Literature/ Conceptual/ Music Dance Other
New media Creative Performance
writing Art
Other Disciplines 46% of respondents
6% chose more than
4%
one response
2%
0%
Multi-Disciplinary Poetry
157 responses

10. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING TERMS DO YOU
MOST IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PRACTICE, IF ANY?
I.E., YOU WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE USING
THEM TO DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE.
Social Change -3% 93%
Community Arts -7% 89%
Social Justice -5% 85%
Public Art -14% 79%
Social Practice -10% 76%
Other
12%
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Disagree Agree
130 responses

11. I USE MY PRACTICE AS A WAY OF CREATING:
The top two areas of agreement are that respondents use their practice as a
way of community building and responses to social issues.
Mostly Agree:
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Community Responses A Broader Civic Call to Beauty Visibility for
Building to Social Definition of Engagement Action Myself and
Issues the Arts Others
Agree Somewhat Disagree
130 responses

12. I USE MY PRACTICE AS A WAY OF CREATING:
Split Opinion:
Healing -14% 88%
Outreach Tools -16% 80%
Political Expression -24% 70%
Organizing Tools -24% 68%
Training Opportunities -25% 68%
Political Education -25% 69%
Political Engagement -24% 68%
Rehabilitative Tools -34% 56%
Other -4% 12%
-40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Disagree Agree
Political Education, Political Engagement and Rehabilitative Tools were the most
contested terms with larger numbers of respondents choosing “Somewhat Agree” or
“Disagree.”
“Other” responses included conversations, dialogue, attention, connection, and
expression.
130 responses

13. I USE MY ART AS A WAY OF CREATING OR
SERVING:

14. PLEASE ELABORATE ON YOUR CHOICES ABOVE OR
SHARE OTHER LANGUAGE YOU USE TO
CHARACTERIZE EITHER YOUR WORK OR PRACTICE.
Individual responses that were especially interesting, challenging or
representative:
“Our mission is to celebrate our culture through the arts and educate people about our diversity.
Cultural identity is very important to an individual formation in life. The arts can give people a great
motivation in other fields.”
“Feel that it is important to manage artist currently incarcerated, to help motivate and prepare them to
be self sufficient and come come to make legal money to support their families.”
“The choices seem to frame publicly presented/socially engaged work within a binary frame of either
"romantic" art practice that occurs in the public sphere (beauty, sublime, grandeur, ego, et al) v. the
social practice school. Both are problematic. I would like to see categories from another set of
questions, like the categories one would ask bankers or lawyers or deep sea divers.”

15. PLEASE ELABORATE ON YOUR CHOICES ABOVE OR
SHARE OTHER LANGUAGE YOU USE TO
CHARACTERIZE EITHER YOUR WORK OR PRACTICE.
“I prefer the concept of community engagement to outreach to reflect mutually beneficial
collaborations. I also think of my work as part of broader efforts to engage people in the decision
making that has in impact on their lives. And I think of my work as cross sector and holistic -
recognizing how culture is integrated throughout our communities.”
“Art responds to social, community, and personal issues but is also responsive to community and
individual needs. The practices and outlets created cultivate a more equitable and just
society, particularly where those resources do not otherwise exist. I have some resistance to the terms
healing, therapeutic or rehabilitative. As a conscious person, I feel responsible to name, connect, and
address what is not right in a way that is challenging, engages, and visions/creates something
new, effective, and just. That process by its nature creates personal and collective healing. Lastly, while
it is true that arts can create powerful tools for outreach, organizing, education, they are not a means to
an end. If the art is meant to produce those outcomes then some of its power is lost. Connection to
community and the process of creating or sharing in a collective way is critically important.”

16. DESCRIBE THE COMMUNITIES YOU WORK IN AND/OR
IDENTIFY WITH.
Immigrants, African- LBGTQ, 1
4 American, 6 3
Youth, 18
Latinos, 6
People of Artists, 15 Seniors, 5
Color, 11
Asian, 3 Women, 1
1

17. DESCRIBE THE COMMUNITIES YOU WORK IN AND/OR
IDENTIFY WITH.
Specified Need or Issue Area
International, 3
Educators, 2
Incarcerated/
Families of
Incarcerated, 3
AIDS/HIV, 4 Low-income/
Underserved
Communities, 22
Homeless, 6
Occupy
Movement, 2
Local
Neighborhoods, 1
3 Other
nonprofits, 2
Disabled, 2
SurvivorsAbuse,
1

18. WHAT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS OR NETWORKS ARE YOU
CONNECTED TO WITHIN IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Types Included: Arts Councils
CBOs
Churches
Community Boards
Community Gardens
Elected Officials
Galleries
Grassroots Organizations
Libraries
Museums
Non-profits See Appendix A for list
Schools of organizations cited.
Senior Centers
Social Service Agencies
Union Organizers
YMCAs

19. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR WORK AND HOW IT BRIDGES ARTS
AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Main Theme #1: “To raise visibility and give a voice.”
Main Theme #2: “To create engagement and interaction.”
Other prevalent themes:
– uniting communities
– empowering individuals
– opportunities to create and express
– providing access to art.
See Appendix B for
clarifying quotes.

20. ARE THERE SHARED CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE WORK
THAT HAPPENS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND
SOCIAL JUSTICE? IF SO, BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SOME
COMMONALITIES.
There was a wide range of answers to this question with similar
themes emerging as in the previous question, such as
• Creating a voice for the voiceless
• Offering new perspectives
• Bringing together people within and across communities
• Sparking conversations
• Creating respect, empathy and understanding
• Advocating for change
• Self determination and expression
• Tell a story
• Educate

21. RANGING FROM "OFTEN" TO "RARELY" PLEASE ANSWER
THE QUESTIONS BELOW:
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
I am connected I have I have the tools I know where to I have a support
to others that opportunities to needed to be turn to for network(s) that I
share my values grow and effective needed can rely on
develop resources
Often Sometimes Rarely
It is important for people working at this intersection to connect with others sharing their
values. The vast majority of respondents report being connected to others that share their
values.
While most respondents report that they have the tools needed to be effective and they
know where to turn to for needed resources, a significant number report that they rarely
have a support network to rely on.
84 responses

22. DESCRIBE OR LIST ANY ACTIVITIES THAT YOU UNDERTAKE
FOR YOUR OWN WELL-BEING OR SELF-CARE.
Eating well and making home
cooked meals.
Exercise
“It is a constant struggle.” Yoga
Prayer/Mediation Creating art.
Reading/Writing
Time with Family and Friends
Connecting with like-minded
individuals

23. HOW DO YOU SUPPORT YOUR PRACTICE IN TERMS OF
FINANCIAL RESOURCES?
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Grants Artist Fees/ Residencies to Sales/ Donors
Consultations and Services
Employment Commissions Employment Other
Honoraria Develop Work Earned Income Related to Practice Unrelated to Practice
Often/Sometimes Rarely
80 responses

24. ARE THERE FINANCIAL RESOURCES THAT ARE NO LONGER
AVAILABLE TO YOU?
51% of those responding to this question
60% reported losing foundation support.
50%
40%
30%
51%
20%
10%
12% 12% 12%
0%
Foundation Lost Government Individual
Support Job/Income Grants Donors
41 responses

25. EFFECTIVENESS OF SUSTAINABILITY APPROACHES.
Most Effective:
• Skill or Resource Sharing – A third of respondents indicate this as
the most effective. 33% or respondents found it effective and 29%
found it somewhat effective.
• Individual Donor Engagement was found effective for 23% of
respondents and somewhat effective for about 40% or respondents.
• Grassroots Fundraising was found effective for 13% of respondents
and somewhat effective for 40%.
Under Utilized or With Mixed Reviews:
• Online Crowd Funding was reported to be the least used overall.
Only 4% of respondents found it effective, 25% found it somewhat
effective, and 17% found it not effective.

26. WHAT ARE SPECIFIC ISSUES OR CHALLENGES YOU
FACE THAT CURRENT NETWORKS ARE UNABLE TO
RESPOND TO?
1) Funding –
By far the most frequently mentioned challenge was sustainable financial
support. Many respondents mentioned not having health care as a
specific financial concern and several respondents spoke about the
burden of applying for grants and meeting their administrative
requirements. Several respondents spoke about the misunderstanding of
their work and the reluctance of artists and funders to get involved in
work with a political/social justice dimension.
2) Network/Community –
The second most frequently mentioned concern was a lack of a network
to turn to for advice, resource sharing and support.

27. WHAT ARE SPECIFIC ISSUES OR CHALLENGES YOU
FACE THAT CURRENT NETWORKS ARE UNABLE TO
RESPOND TO?
3) Lack of Time –
Several people mentioned not having adequate time and being
stretched too thin to accomplish all the necessary work.
4) Publicity/Promotion –
A number of respondents struggle with publicizing and promoting
their events especially when they often have to reframe their work
for various audiences.
Other:
Shared rehearsal and performance space and shared legal
assistance.

28. SJAC IS GROWING. WHAT CAN WE COUNT ON YOU FOR?
• 26 respondents said they would offer resources to the collaborative or
its participants including –
• Leading workshops about food politics, environment, animal and people
communities, the politics of transportation or the politics of the built
environment, etc.
• Resources from Arts & Democracy and NOCD-NY - not financial, but
materials, approaches, workshops, and lessons learned
• Sharing information with social networks
• Collaborating on projects.
• Providing event/meeting space.
• 19 respondents could host future events
• 29 respondents are interested in joining the work group to further
shape the collaborative
• 54 are interested in participating in future networking opportunities

29. WORK GROUP MEMBERS
The organizations & individuals that have shaped the Social Justice Artists’
Collaborative are:
Clarla Eliana Godoy Languna - Art for Change
Charles Rice-Gonzalez & Arthur Aviles - Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!)
Erin Gleason - Crown Heights Film Festival
Meghan McDermott - Global Action Project (GAP)
Michael Primo - Hip-Hop Theater Festival
Shannon Brunette - Lambent Foundation
Kay Tekada & Prachi Pa - Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC)
Jessica Green - Maysles Institute
Sandra Garcia-Betancourt - Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA)
Karen Demavivas - NYFA Immigrant Artist Project
Kemi Illesanmi, Petrushka Basin, Rise Wilson - The Laundromat Project
Irini Neofotistos & Iris Morales - Union Square Awards
Beatriz Gil, Leenda Bonilla, Carlos Martinez, Elizabeth Hamby, & Hatuey Ramos
Fermin Individual Artists

30. APPENDIX A: WHAT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS OR
NETWORKS ARE YOU CONNECTED TO WITHIN IN YOUR
COMMUNITY?
50/50 in 2020 Columbia University
ACNY Community Services Society
Actors Equity Association Cooper Union
Astraea Foundation District Committee for Participatory Budgeting
Barnard College Diversity Council at Kean University
Bella Abzug Leadership Institute Doors Youth
Betty Shabazz Center Ecology Station Brooklyn
BRIC Eldert Street Community Garden
Broadway Housing Communities Feminist Press
Bronx AIDS Services Flomenhaft Gallery
Bronx Artisan's Initiative Fresh Ground Pepper
Bronx Arts Group Gay Men's Chorus
Bronx Council on the Arts Greenlight District El Puente
Bronx Economic Development Groundswell Community Mural
Harlem Arts Alliance
Bronx Non Profit Coalition
Bronx Price Hendricks Martin Institute
HERE Arts Center
Brooklyn Food Conference
Hispanic AIDS Forum
Brooklyn Friends
Humans Rights Association
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
Independent School Diversity Network
Catskills Heritage Alliance INSPIRIT
Center for Urban Pedagogy Jewish Genealogy Society
Choral Consortium of NYC
Slide 1 of 2

31. APPENDIX A: WHAT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS OR
NETWORKS ARE YOU CONNECTED TO WITHIN IN YOUR
COMMUNITY?
NOMAA Third Wave Foundation
Jewish Voice for Peace Northern Manhattan Coalition for
Justseeds United Palace for Cultural
Immigrant Rights
La Union Arts
Odyssey House
Lavender Light Voice Male Magazine
On the Issues Magazine
Leslie Lohman Museum of Park Slope Food Coop West End Collegiate Church
Gay Contemporary Art People's Institute for Survival West Village Society for
LIC Artists and Beyond Historic Preservation
Longwood Arts Gallery Pepatian Women of Color Policy
Make the Road Pergones Theater Network
Man Up Campaign Pipeline Theater Company Women's Enews
Men Can Stop Rape Queer Urban Orchestra Word Up Bookstore
Mental Health Association of New Jersey SAG-AFTRA WOW Café Theater
Metropolitan Community Church SAGE
Morris Jumel Mansion Social Justice High School
Motel Room Studios Bushwick Campus
Mothers on the Move Start Small Think Big
Mountain Keepers Studio 889
Mural Arts The DreamYard Project
National Council for Research on Women The Feminist Art Project
National Organization for The House of Spoof Collective
Men Against Sexism The LGBT Center
New Brooklyn Theater The New Jim Crow
New York Foundation for the Arts The Point CDC
NOCD-NY The Tank Slide 2 of 2

32. APPENDIX B: BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR WORK AND HOW IT
BRIDGES ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.
“Working as an art therapist with under represented persons allows for communities
to be heard. Themes for the artwork includes communities perceptions (how they are
being seen and how they want to be seen) and advocacy. We exhibit artwork in the
community (e.g., pop up galleries, court buildings, and small shows amongst peers)
as a way to practice sharing their knowledge with others.”
“With each of our free programs, we strive to offer safe and creative platform for our
community members to share their voice and struggles. As a community, they now have
a space where they can share with the world their own stories through the creation of
original social justice theatre that brings focus and attention to issues they are affected
by.”
“Work with "At-Risk-Young People" using art to build a connection between them and
their community. Created intergenerational art programs where young people and
elders work together to create an art project, in a effort to close the gap between the
generations, so that they can talk to each other. Once they can hear and share what
the other's needs are, we can begin to work towards removing the social illnesses
running through our communities.”
Slide 1 of 2

33. APPENDIX B: BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR WORK AND HOW IT
BRIDGES ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.
“We give educators tools to engage in conversations about race with their students in
kindergarten through fifth grade. We use role-play to allow the participants to practice
what they would say if they were in certain real-life scenarios.”
“The location and time of my media/performances is intended to intersect with
demographics that may be at that location at that time; I find people who might not be
culture vultures to be a more interesting viewer than the galleristas.”
“Social Practice, is the utilization of an artist's art form welded with an intellectual, research and
experiment based production which seeks to make work that is relevant in the social realm.
Historically, I have vehemently asserted that artists need to regain their position at the forefront of
social, critical, and technological innovation, right alongside scientists and academics. I feel it is
critically important to reinvest our intellectual practice within the art realm, in order to dovetail the
innovation that art allows with the critically important aspects of the scientific and academic realms.
Without the innovation possible within the art mindset, science can be stifled by restrictive academic
dogma. Without the intellectual heft of science and academic importance, I feel art can be doomed to
social irrelevance. In this critical time in world history, without a concerted effort to unite innovators
across disciplines, I feel the incredibly complex issues and problems we are facing as a nation, as a
people, and as a planet will not be adequately addressed or properly and comprehensively solved.”
Slide 2 of 2