ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – During Governor Cuomo’s second installment of the State of the State, he announced New York Arts Revival—a new public-private partnership to bring back the arts.

The initiative will include state-funded outdoor pop-up events across New York that will start as soon as February 4. Additionally, the plan hopes to reopen theatre venues and revitalize the arts by implementing safety precautions like rapid testing and air filtration systems.

After ten long months of empty seats, artistic leaders from the Capital Region are thrilled the state is prioritizing the arts in the 2021 agenda.

“This industry has been devastated,” said Phil Morris, CEO of Proctors Collaborative. “To have him spend 10 minutes talking about a strategy to get us restarted is spectacular.”

New York’s new strategy to re-open arts venues and expand event possibilities safely isn’t just about employing artists, though. Governor Cuomo’s said reviving the arts is vital to overall economic recovery.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, arts and culture yield 120 billion dollars in New York, and 7.5 percent of the state’s total economic output.

In addition to the economic output, Governor Cuomo also drove home the importance of arts and cultural hubs, drawing people to cities across New York. Additionally, with Zoom keeping office goers at home and a rise in violence and homelessness in downtown areas across the state, Governor Cuomo said cities have no choice.

“We must bring the arts back to life,” said Cuomo. “What is a city without social, cultural, and creative synergies?”

The New York Arts Revival initiative is funding 150 different performance events with various artists. Governor Cuomo listed headlining artists like Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, and Hugh Jackman for these pop-up outdoor events, and the Albany Symphony was featured in that star-studded list as well.

“It’s not just New York City-centric. He included us,” said David Alan Miller, Director and Maestro of the Albany Symphony. “[It] speaks a lot to the fact that we are one great state of New York, and we are just too excited to get going.”