BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES CHANGES IN NYC ARTS FINANCING

Declaring that they had wearied of their annual dance over arts financing, New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC’s City Council have announced that they would make more money available to arts groups, award it on a merit basis, and widen a peer-review process to level the playing field, reports the New York Times‘ Robin Pogrebin. Beginning in the 2008 fiscal year, arts groups on land not owned by the city will compete for $30 million in financing from the Department of Cultural Affairs. This year, arts groups competed for a pool of just $3.8 million from the department, with an additional $20 million distributed through other budget channels. “What we’re trying to do is make this a fair process, make it merit-based,” Bloomberg said, adding that the decision would affect some one thousand cultural groups.