Art and Commerce

On April 23, one day after he proposed a $23 million cut in the city's budget for the arts, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stood in front of Christie's and welcomed the $1 billion auction firm to its new location in Rockefeller Center. After the mayor's opening remarks congratulating developer Jerry Speyer and the board of Christie's for "combining the city's artistic soul and its commercial reality," the Girls Choir of Harlem launched into a medley of songs, including "God Bless the Child." It's a good thing they knew the words—"God bless the child who's got his own"—because the Boys and Girls Choirs of Harlem are among the many community-based programs that will be facing a loss of funds if Giuliani's budget is passed.