City Lore Inc

CITY LORE'S MISSION IS TO FOSTER NEW YORK CITY - AND AMERICA'S - LIVING CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS. WE DOCUMENT, PRESENT AND ADVOCATE FOR NEW YORK CITY'S GRASSROOTS CULTURES TO ENSURE THEIR LIVING LEGACY IN STORIES AND HISTORIES, PLACES AND TRADITIONS. WE WORK IN FOUR CULTURAL DOMAINS: URBAN FOLKLORE AND HISTORY; PRESERVATION; ARTS EDUCATION; AND GRASSROOTS POETRY TRADITIONS. IN EACH OF THESE REALMS, WE SEE OURSELVES AS FURTHERING CULTURAL EQUITY AND MODELING A BETTER WORLD WITH PROJECTS AS DYNAMIC AND DIVERSE AS NEW YORK CITY ITSELF.

IN 2021, CITY LORE CONTINUED TO FURTHER ITS MISSION TO FOSTER NEW YORK CITY AND AMERICA'S LIVING CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS. OUR IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS HAD PIVOTED TO ONLINE PLATFORMS IN 2020, AND IN THE SEPTEMBER 2021 SCHOOL YEAR RETURNED TO LIVE ARTISTS PROGRAMMING. TOGETHER WE REACHED OVER 8,000 PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LONG TERM ARTS RESIDENCIES, WHICH INCLUDED: ROOTS, ROUTES & RHYTHMS FUNDED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND FROM HOMER TO HIP HOP WHICH INTRODUCED SCHOOL STUDENTS TO SPOKEN WORD POETRY. URBAN EXPLORERS ALLOWED A GROUP OF 25 UNDERSERVED STUDENTS TO RESEARCH AND TELL STORIES OF THE CITY'S DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, ALSO ONLINE DURING THE FIRST PART OF 2021. OUR PUBLIC EXHIBIT, ART / WORK: HOW THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED CETA PROGRAM PUT AMERICANS TO WORK OPENED IN DECEMBER 2021. THROUGHOUT 2021, CITY LORE CONTINUED OUR ONLINE PROJECT, TOUCHING HEARTS, NOT HANDS, TO COLLECT CREATIVE RESPONSES TO THE CORONA PANDEMIC INCLUDING IMAGES OF OUTDOOR SIGNS, VIDEOS, AND A GROUP POEM, "IT TAKES A PANDEMIC." WE ALSO CONTINUED OUR BI-MONTHLY ONLINE SERIES CALLED "TELL ME A STORY" WITH STORYTELLER AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST ANNIE LANZILLOTTO.