On
this section of the website we will feature
interviews with leaders in the arts education
and arts-in-education community from across
New York State. From classroom teachers
to policymakers, we will bring you the voices
of those who are working to ensure that
the arts are an integral part of the education
of every person in New York. By doing so
we hope to give you a sense of which way
'the wind is blowing' on current trends,
proposed policies, and thinking on the future
on the Arts in the schools.
June 2010

Recently
I had the pleasure of speaking with Assemblymember
Steve Englebright, a Democrat from the 4th
Assembly District of Long Island and chair
of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks,
Arts & Sports Development.
The arts have had a strong impact on Assemblyman
Englebright’s life for as long as he can remember.
NYSAAE:
During the hearing on the proposed budget
cuts to Arts & Culture on Wednesday, February
24th, you mentioned a museum visit from your
childhood; can you tell us more about that?
Assemblyman Steve Englebright (SE):
When I was about eight year’s old, my mother
took me to the St.
Louis Museum of Art, to visit an exhibition
of the complete works of van Gogh.
I recall that you could see many of the works
from a distance, and how they changed as you
approached them. His paintings drew you in
with their ‘turbulence frozen in the paint’.
It was an amazing experience.
This
was not Englebright’s only visit to that museum,
but certainly the most memorable.
NYSAAE:
Your mother was involved in the arts professionally,
correct?
SE: Yes, she was a dramatic
soprano and cellist. We moved to New Jersey
and then to Bayside / Queens when she received
a scholarship to study at Julliard.
NYSAAE:
Were you active in the arts yourself in school?
SE: Oh yes – I participated
in the ArtSquad in high school, which required
a portfolio review for admission, and a vote
of the current members… I imagine this was
my first election <grinning>. Of a student
body of over five thousand students this class
admitted only about 30, so it was quite an
honor to participate. It was this experience
that demonstrated to me first hand how important
the arts in public schools are.
NYSAAE:
Through your college years and early career
you turned your interests to geology and biology,
working as Curator of Geologic Collections
at SUNY at Stony Brook and as founding director
of the Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences.
Did the arts impact your work in those areas?
SE: The arts and my experience
with ArtSquad in school certainly impacted
my work in the museums. I was always involved
with building exhibits and with working with
students to build exhibits. I remember a ribbon
cutting ceremony attended by Governor Hugh
Cary, who was campaigning at the time – he
was so taken with the artwork that he needed
to be pried away by his staff to attend his
next event.
Before coming to the assembly I also served
as a field representative to review applications
to the NYS Council on the Arts Museum Aid
program.
Throughout
his career Assemblyman Englebright has found
ways to include the arts in every effort.
A special election first brought him to the
Assembly in 1992, and he has served as Chair
of the Tourism, Parks, Arts & Sports Development
for the past three years.
NYSAAE:
You are the sponsor of a bill currently under
consideration, A6783 which relates to stabilizing
the cultural education account and the local
government records management improvement
fund. If passed, this bill would provide a
much need increase in revenue to the cultural
education account which supports the NYS Museum,
Library, Archives and Public Broadcasting.
Can you offer any updates on this effort?
SE: We are hopeful that this
bill can be released from committee and make
it to the floor for a vote before the end
of this session. Of course it still needs
to make it through the Senate as well.
NYSAAE:
Another bill which you are the lead sponsor
of is A8938, which “directs the state education
commissioner to conduct an audit and report
on statewide compliance with state instructional
regulations for arts education and to establish
a remediation process for schools found to
be out of compliance.” Can you comment of
the outlook for this bill?
SE: Obviously as lead sponsor
this is something that I support. I am afraid
this bill faces an uphill fight as a matter
of timing. Given the fiscal climate I am concerned
that this effort will be deemed an unfunded
mandate.
NYSAAE:
Yet another challenge for this session has
been the budget process. As part of the Governor’s
most recent proposed budget, the NYS Council
on the Arts is facing a 40% reduction in funding.
As someone whose life has been impacted so
greatly by the arts, and as chair of the Assembly
Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts & Sports
Development, what are your thoughts on this
proposal?
SE: NYSCA has suffered disproportionately
through several rounds of cuts over the past
eighteen months, not only to funding levels,
but to staffing as well. As a state agency,
how is it that NYSCA employees are not covered
by the Governor’s pledge of no layoffs? How
can the agency fulfill its mission without
adequate staffing?
The NYS Council on the Arts was the first,
and set the standard for the nation (the National
Endowment for the Arts was developed on the
NYSCA model), and now is being altered in
a way that may set an adverse standard.
There is a tendency for the arts to be the
first thing cut from schools and the community
– this is wrong headed, short sighted and
an unsophisticated approach.
One can find any number of examples of areas
which have been revitalized by artists – downtowns
brought back to life by galleries and theatres.
NYSAAE:
The Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks,
Arts & Sports Development recently lead
the fight in the re-opening of NYS Parks.
How do you view the role of the parks in relation
to the arts?
SE: I believe that in order
to ensure historical preservation, we need
to mount an expanded education effort and
fund ways to enable kids to engage in the
arts at historical sites. Imagine a painting
program at Olana, or students writing poetry
at the Whitman birthplace.
Failing to take students to our historic sites
in a structured way will result in a generation
who is missing out on the opportunity to understand
their civilization and cultural heritage.
More
information on Assemblymember Englbright can
be found on his website - click
here.
From
his site: “The 4th Assembly District is situated
on the north shore of Long Island and encompasses
Port Jefferson Station, sections of Coram,
Centereach, Selden and Lake Grove as well
as the historic maritime communities that
developed around the harbors of Stony Brook,
Setauket, Port Jefferson and Mt. Sinai.”
Past
Weathervane Interviews
Deputy
Commissioner for Cultural Education of the
NYS Education Department, Jeffrey Cannell
- February 2010
YAWNY Executive Director, Cynnie Gaasch
- January 2010
NYC
DOE, Office of the Arts and Special Projects,
Executive Director Paul King -
December
2010
Partners
for Arts Education - November 2009
NYS
Senator Jose M. Serrano - September 2009
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