CETA Artists Project (NYC)
CETA Artists Project (1977–1980) in New York City employed approximately 500 accomplished but underemployed artists in five programs, the largest of which (employing 325 artists and 32 administrators during its second year) was the Cultural Council Foundation (CCF) Artists Project. The project was funded under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) (1974–80) when more than 10,000 artists – visual, performing, and literary – were employed nationally. This was the largest number of artists supported by Federal funding since the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s.
| CETA Artists Project (NYC) | |
|---|---|
| U.S. Congress | |
Long title
| |
| Enacted | December 28, 1973 |
| Signed by | President Richard Nixon |
| Effective | 1977 |
| Administered by | NYC Cultural Council Foundation and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill title | S. 1559, the Job Training and Community Services Act |
| Bill citation | Pub. L. 93-203 Job Training and Community Services Act |
| Introduced by | Senator Gaylord Nelson |
| Repealed by | |
| President Ronald Reagan | |
| Related legislation | |
| Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) | |
| Keywords | |
| artist relief, art jobs program, federal artist employment, public art | |
| Status: Repealed | |
In New York City, the artists were placed with hundreds of community sponsors for whom they taught classes, led workshops, developed public artworks, gave musical and theatrical performances, and performed community documentation. In exchange, they received a generous salary, benefits, and one day per week to work in their studio or on independent creative projects. Many of the participating artists — and project administrators — went on to successful careers in the arts after CETA funding cutbacks forced the termination of the project in 1980.