Monkdogz Artblog

Bob and I attended the 2009 Neighborhood Achievement Awards presided over by Mayor Michael Bloomberg tonight at Gracie Mansion. In conjunction with the Small Business Services Commission the event honors organizations, businesses and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in enhancing New York City neighborhood by fostering economic opportunity.  Helping neighborhoods become more inviting to business and residents is an integral part of the City’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan.  

We sat next to Carlecia Taylor Executive Director of Policy and Planning for the Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity. Her role is to define program strategies and create direct linkages between Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBE) and public procurement opportunities.  

It made me realize that in the 3 years that we have been operating Monkdogz Urban Art Inc., despite our many combined years of business experience, there are resources that are available on a local and national level that we could have utilized better.  Opportunities and resources are constantly changing and improving; and networking provides a good channel for keeping abreast of anything new.  One of the benefits while the gallery has been closed has been this opportunity to network, with city officials, other gallery owners, artists and art-related individuals and organizations.  When running an operational business, it is all too easy to get bogged down into the day to day issues and blinkered to many of the outside issues and influences.

We hope to make the most of this time while we continue our search for a new location for our next Monkdogz home.