June 30, 2022
Christina Picciano and Sphynxx Deity to Work in Partnership with The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center as Recipients of Creatives Rebuild New York’s Artist Employment Program
White Plains, NY
Christina Picciano and Sphynxx Deity and The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center announced today that they received an Artist Employment Program (AEP) grant from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY). Designed to support employment opportunities for artists, the program is funding 98 collaborations involving a dynamic group of 300 artists employed by community-based organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments across New York State. CRNY has awarded a total of $49.9M in funding to support artists’ salaries and benefits, with an additional $11.7M in funding provided to the organizations holding employment.
“If we are to truly rebuild our amazing state, we must celebrate artists’ contributions not only to the economy but to what makes us human,” says Creatives Rebuild New York's Executive Director Sarah Calderon. “The incredible work being funded through CRNY’s Artist Employment Program underscores the importance of direct support for both individual artists and the organizations that hold their employment.”
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Christina Picciano will work with The LOFT to use music and advocacy to empower the community and address social justice issues, "As a queer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist I’m thrilled for this opportunity to devote myself full time to my two greatest passions in life, music and LGBTQ+ advocacy," says Christina. |
| Sphynxx Deity will work with The LOFT using elements of visual and digital arts to empower and raise awareness of social justice issues with the community, "I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be a representation of the impact/value Arts and Culture can have in New York State," says Sphynxx Deity. |
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The LOFT will receive $402,800 to support the collaboration, including artists’ salaries and benefits. Scott Halvelka, Deputy Director for The LOFT will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Employment Program,"Since its inception in 1983, The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center has utilized the arts as an integral means to carry out the center’s mission. Our community center has a longstanding tradition of celebrating LGBTQ+ contributions to the arts and we routinely incorporate arts programming to facilitate collective care. The LOFT thanks Creatives Rebuild New York for this incredible opportunity to collaborate with local, queer artists Sphynxx Deity and Christina Picciano. Our work together will utilize their artistic practices as a tool toward achieving social justice and improving emotional health and wellbeing for our local LGBTQ+ communities."
Artist Employment Program recipients were selected through a two-stage process by a group of twenty external peer reviewers alongside CRNY staff. From an initial pool of over 2,700 written applications, 167 were shortlisted for interviews with reviewers. To view the list of 98 Artist Employment Program participants, visit https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/participants/.
For more information about Creatives Rebuild New York’s Artist Employment Program, please visit creativesrebuildny.org.
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