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Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Recognizes NYFA's Mary Six Rupert for Outstanding Contribution to New York Arts New York, NY (May 17, 2007) – New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Managing Officer Mary Six Rupert has been chosen as the recipient of Volunteer Lawyers for Arts’ (VLA) Special Recognition for Service to the Arts Award 2007. Ms. Rupert manages NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, which enables individual artists (of all disciplines) to access crucial funding for projects.
Each year, VLA, which provides pro bono legal services and mediation to the New York arts community, awards individuals who serve New York’s vibrant arts community, exhibiting leadership and vision along the way.
Past NYFA fiscally sponsored artists and their supported projects include Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry), Todd Haynes (Poison), Nathaniel Kahn (My Architect), and Errol Morris (Thin Blue Line), among many others.
Said Nathaniel Kahn: “NYFA is simply the very best arts sponsorship program around — the extremely knowledgeable and professional staff played an essential role throughout the fundraising process for My Architect.”
Ms. Rupert, who oversaw the sponsorship of Boys Don’t Cry and My Architect, is a former New York dancer and Radio City Rockette, and she draws on that experience in her daily job assisting artists from all over the country.
Said Rupert: “Dance as a career is tough and it taught me to understand the struggle of all artists. It is that daily question ‘Do I get a job to pay the rent or use the time to do my art.’ My goal is to help artists realize their art without starving. I certainly understand the ups and downs of living as and artist and hope I am able to support and encourage our sponsored artists through the downs.”
NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program provides individual artists, artists’ collaborative projects, and emerging arts organizations, in all disciplines, with the ability to apply for funding and other resources usually available only to organizations with a 501 (c)(3) status. It is one of the largest and oldest programs of its kind in the U.S. and currently sponsors 300 artists’ projects and 50 emerging organizations throughout the country.
Kimberly Peirce added: “Like many first time directors, I had a vision for a film but lacked the resources to push the script to the finish line. NYFA was instrumental in getting Boys Don't Cry made, as they provided the critical funding I needed to finish the script."
Press Contact: Andrew Sherman, asherman [at] nyfa [dot] org or 212.366.6900 x249
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