As the Democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral election approaches, the city’s Comptroller Brad Lander, one of 11 candidates in the running, unveiled his arts and culture platform on Thursday, May 19, in the East Village’s 4th Street cultural district.
Standing in front of an enormous mural painted by Raúl Ayala, Lander read through his eight-page arts plan, which includes a “cultural prescription program” that would allow doctors to “prescribe” art to promote holistic health; increased funding opportunities for individual artists and small groups; and a deputy mayor position for Arts and Cultural Life.
Lander is the favorite among 11% of voters for the primary as compared to 35% for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and 23% for New York State Representative Zohran Mamdani, according to an Emerson College poll released this week. Hyperallergic has reached out to the Cuomo and Mamdani campaigns for their official arts and culture plans.
In the wake of dramatic federal funding cuts for arts and culture, including mass National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant cancellations, Lander wants to boost support for the city’s artists and creative groups, including those from the LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. Lander told Hyperallergic that his advocacy for “a vibrant arts scene” is part of what makes him the “antidote” to the Trump administration. Local organizations have already asked the city for higher baselines for culture in the 2026 budget.
“New York City already provides dramatically more funding for artists and arts organizations than the federal government does,” Lander told Hyperallergic. “So it’s a critical time to step up to provide some additional resources to fill in the gaps and to hold on to our values.”
Lander said he wants to undo funding cuts and delays in nonprofit contracts under Mayor Eric Adams, which he said have destabilized cultural institutions. He also wants to improve lease terms for creative spaces to address displacement; increase the membership of the Cultural Institutional Group (CIG) receiving funding from the city, which currently includes primarily major museums and organizations; and boost public school art programs.
Lander previously discussed elements of his plan during an arts and culture forum with other mayoral candidates in February. During the conference, Mamdani emphasized the importance of affordability for artists in the city and reiterated his plans to build more affordable housing. Mamdani also said he would prioritize preventing New Yorkers from being “priced out” of the arts and securing more funding for arts education in public schools.
Lander initially planned to share his culture policy announcement yesterday on a public sidewalk, but the event was moved to a private backyard after an individual with a megaphone shouted at the candidate, asking him why he “divested from Israel” and “defunded the police.” Lander supported the movement to defund law enforcement in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, but during his mayoral run, he has advocated for boosting police recruitment. Lander, who is Jewish and reportedly identifies as a “progressive Zionist,” has also been openly critical of the Netanyahu-led Israeli government and the occupation of the West Bank.
Among the entourage of New York City arts figures who accompanied Lander during this announcement, including Fourth Arts Block Executive Director Ryan Gilliam and Tony Award-winning actress Nikki James, was ArtBuilt executive director and film producer Esther Robinson, who told Hyperallergic that she has known Lander for decades.
“Every [art] project is a combination of magic and math,” Robinson told Hyperallergic. Robinson is supporting Lander, she said, in part because organizations like ArtBuilt, which offers affordable studio rentals at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, could not exist without government partnerships. She added that Lander’s budgetary experience made him the right candidate.
Caron Atlas, director of the advocacy organization Arts and Democracy, agreed that a thriving New York City arts scene would only come through collaboration with the city. Lander’s familiarity with budget flows, Atlas opined, suggests he understands both the gravity of NEA losses and how to address them.
“If the arts are always a marginal thing fighting for itself, we’re not going to survive and thrive,” Atlas told Hyperallergic.
