NFAND Episode 64 | Bill Aguado, art leader, Bronx legend

Episode 64 | Five small community-based arts organizations: BronxArtSpace, Dominican York Proyecto GRAFICA, En Foco, Inc., Literary Freedom Project, and Puerto Rican Institute for Development of the Arts make up the Urban Arts Cooperative - UAC. Bill Aguado, is spearheading the endeavor.

Bill’s career is ample deep. This beautiful article by David González of The New York Times says it best.

The crux of UAC is “to build a financially viable alternative to the existing local arts council and institute strategies for arts support that does not rely on the traditional 501(c) nonprofit model while meeting accountability standards set by funders.” Press Release 7|10|17.

The synthesis of the message is to assess and empower present and future artists, particularly those who reside in The Bronx, Harlem, and Washington Heights. UAC received seed funding from the New York City Cultural Agenda Fund in The New York Community Trust.

Bill and Ron Kavanaugh, of the Literary Freedom Project, are welcoming like-minded individuals and collectives to join the cooperative to build new models of existence for artists from The Bronx, Harlem, and Washington Heights, though it could serve as a model for others.

I’ll be participating with UAC. I recognize we need one another, now more than ever. Together better than separate. Artists.

Grateful for Bill’s time, seriousness, commitment, and candidness.

Bill Aguado Executive Director, En Foco., Inc. baguado@enfoco.org, (917) 838-1223

Ron Kavanaugh Executive Director, Literary Freedom Project ron@literaryfreedom.org, (347) 454-2161