At a conference held at the Museum of Modern Art on April 4th, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the creation of a new office to provide support for nongovernmental organizations, especially those in the arts. The aim is to help these groups cope with the increasingly high costs of survival in New York City. According to the Timesarticle, the office will "will help such groups navigate the real-estate market, obtain technical advice and attract financing."

Bloomberg's interest in helping the arts is motivated by the hope of maintaining NYC's position as the cultural capital of the US.

"We won't and can't be complacent," Mr. Bloomberg said, adding that he was determined not to cede New York's status as a world cultural center. "In the creative sector, as in so many other areas, at one time New York City didn't have to compete with other cities...Now we do. Other cities are quickly learning the benefits of being a creative hub."

Bloomberg isn't alone in this concern. In fact, some of the other conference participants (including Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall) also mentioned the increasing technological abilities of countries across the globe (India, China, South Korea) as posing a creative threat to New York's status. (Though, I would worry a little less about this since NYC is not necessarily considered "the" cultural hub of the world, at least not in international opinion)

Other participants focused more on the local problems of the creative sector -- rising rents, rising transportation costs, low-to-nonexistent salaries.

The waning support for the arts needs to be reversed. And Bloomberg's new office, part of the city's Economic Development Corporation, might just be the way to begin this reversal (though, reading that there will be "at least two employees" gave me some pause).

One of New York City's most charming features is its rich cultural capital. Now, the "richness" just needs to be translated into actual funds. Fingers crossed that the new venture is a success!