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Mayor Bill de Blasio outlined a $25 million grant program to boost city artists battered by the coronavirus pandemic Thursday, as City Hall openly ripped a page from President Franklin Roosevelt’s playbook for battling the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The New York City Artist Corps — rolled out just days after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unveiled her plan for another FDR-inspired government work program, dubbed the “Civilian Climate Corps” — will pay artists for a range of projects this summer, including new murals, canvas paintings and to stage public performances.
“We want to give artists opportunity and we want this city to feel the power of our cultural community again,” said de Blasio during his daily briefing.
The Big Apple’s arts community is mostly made up of freelancers who were badly hurt by the massive economic disruptions caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 and resulting economic restrictions. The program, de Blasio said, will help as many as 1,500 artists.
It’s not the first time Hizzoner has pointed to the big-spending jobs and aid programs of yesteryear as inspiration for his own agenda.
De Blasio pointed to FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps as the inspiration for his $234 million City Cleanup Corps, which will temporarily hire 10,000 New Yorkers to clean streets and sidewalks, remove graffiti and participate in other beautification projects.
Both efforts will be funded by federal stimulus dollars from Washington.
Critics — including many candidates running to replace de Blasio — have blasted the mayor for spending so much of the money, instead of using the funds to bolster city reserves.
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