New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo announced Thursday (Aug. 22) that more than $200 million in city funding will be distributed to 80 cultural nonprofits across the city. city in support of capital projects. part of the municipal budget for the year 2025.
Of the $213.8 million earmarked for cultural improvement projects in New York City, the largest amount, $4.3 million, will be awarded to the Arts Students League of New York.where the announcement took place, in support of its 150th anniversary renovation project.
“Culture is a pillar of our city’s economy and a critical part of healthy, safe and thriving communities,” Cumbo said in a statement. “No other city in America supports its cultural institutions as we do through DCLA’s capital program, partnering with institutions on construction, renovation and equipment projects to provide remarkable cultural facilities that are open and accessible to all.”
The Arts Students League Building on 57th Street, built in 1892, was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, the architect responsible for other New York gems like the Plaza Hotel and the Dakota Apartments. The Art Students League’s renovation will reveal and update the skylight ceiling of its signature Vanderbilt Gallery, which has been closed to the public since World War II.
A file image of the Art Students League’s Vanderbilt Gallery, with its skylight ceiling Courtesy of the Art Students League of New York
“The Art Students League has been a haven for artists and a source of accessible, high-quality art education for nearly 150 years and is among the most impactful institutions in our country’s history and in New York City today,” said Michael. Hall, the executive and artistic director of the League, in a statement.
Other funding recipients include SculptureCenter (to support the upgrade of audiovisual equipment), the Bronx Museum of the Arts (for its current renovation project), the Dia Art Foundation (which will use the funds for a new vehicle), the Guggenheim Museum (to update its lighting) and the Queens Museum (which is building a new space specifically for children).
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has come under fire for making big cuts to the city’s cultural funding and other programs to address the city’s “migrant crisis.” However, he had an apparent reversal earlier this summer, opting to restore $53 million in fiscal year 2025 funding to the DCLA.
