NYAE ANNUAL APPEAL
Dear Friends and Members of NYAE,
I think about you all often and have no words to smooth over the rough road that 2020 has been. For the New York Artists Equity Association (NYAE) it is has been a period of quick-witted adaptation and boldfaced change in response to the impossible. Like you, we stumbled as the ground gave way beneath us, caving in response to a worldwide pandemic, the reemergence of xenophobia and racial discrimination and the violent push/pull of political change. As new social, political, and economic structures asserted themselves, we regained our footing. Our legacy as egalitarian art world stewards became our raison d’etre. With a sense of urgency, we demonstrated with tangible actions the ideal upon which our organization was founded in 1947— that artists can and should help other artists in their time of need. We are proud to say that in spite of the vagaries of 2020, our association provided more professional opportunities and resources for artists than it did the year before while expanding and improving our operations.
In addition to increased program offerings, NYAE further aided our community by providing artists with information about COVID-19 resources, holding benefits and charity drives such as the NYAE Spring Flash and Equity and Justice, and much more. Though getting anything done in 2020 was near impossible, we insured that becoming a NYAE member would be easy and worthwhile. We revamped our membership tier structure to offer current and future members with a flexible program of engagement tailor suited to their accomplishments, aspirations and budgets. For the first time, NYAE also began offering a never-expiring lifetime membership.
New York Artists Equity’s trustees and staff would like to thank our wonderful community and membership for their continuing support and engagement. For over 70 years, NYAE’s benefactors have been essential for our ongoing mission to ardently safeguard and steward emergent art practices and the professional development of artists. Our growth this year would not have been possible without you.
As 2021 approaches, we are reaching out to ask you to consider investing in NYAE with a fully tax-deductible year-end gift.
We are preparing to launch even more opportunities, exhibitions, and programs along with our newly expanded services, both in the gallery space and online. With your help, we enter the New Year grateful for the lessons we learned in 2020 and steadfast in our belief that our collective future is infinitely bright.
On behalf of the NYAE team, we sincerely wish you a Happy Holidays and a prosperous 2021!