The tulips are in bloom, Broadway is coming back and the pandemic slowdown in America seems to be in sight.
But for many artists who are still trying to recover from a year of lost or reduced income, normal is still a long way off.
Now a New York Foundation for the Arts program is accepting applications for $ 1,000 in cash for New York-based creators with disabilities who have struggled as a result of the pandemic. The Barbara and Carl Zydney Scholarship for Artists with Disabilities is open to literary, media, music, performing and visual artists aged 21 and over in each of the five boroughs.
The new program is named in memory of Barbara Zydney, born and raised in New York who teaches visually impaired children in the city’s public school system, and her husband Carl, a fellow patron of the arts.
“It brings together three things that were important to the Zydneys: their love for New York, their passion for the arts and Barbara’s commitment to working with people with disabilities,” said the announcement on the foundation’s website.
About one in five adults in New York is disabled, according to the New York State Health Department.
While there are no readily available statistics specifically measuring the impact of the pandemic on disabled artists, visual, performing and other artists have had a devastating year. Employment in the city’s arts, entertainment and recreation sectors fell 66 percent from December 2019 to December 2020, according to a February report by the New York State Comptroller’s Office. It was the biggest decline in the city’s economy.
Applications are accepted until Tuesday, June 15, 5 p.m. Qualified applicants will be selected by lottery and informed of the status of their application on July 24th.
For a full list of guidelines, see the foundation’s website.
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