News for 2025

25th Anniversary Triumph of the Human Spirit Day Honors The African Burial Ground In Lower Manhattan With Free Public Event
On Thursday, October 9, “Triumph of the Human Spirit” artist Dr. Lorenzo Pace will hold a free public event to honor the people who are interred in the African Burial Ground, and to reflect on their ongoing legacy in New York. Installed in 2000, “Triumph of the Human Spirit” is a monumental artwork in Manhattan’s Foley Square that pays homage to the nearby African Burial Ground. 
October 7, 2025
Learn more about Triumph of the Human Spirit Day. 

 

"Public Address" - A New Artwork by Public Artist in Residence Alex Strada - Intervenes in City Infrastructure To Center Homelessness
"Public Address" is an extension of Strada’s work as the Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Homeless Services and Department of Cultural Affairs. The project is a multiborough, year-long socially engaged public artwork that centers the lived experiences of housing insecurity. The piece will premiere in Lt. Petrosino Square on October 18, with an opening event, and will move across all five boroughs over the course of a year.
October 6, 2025
Learn more about "Public Address."

Materials for the Arts Presents “Manos Que Tejen Luz,” A New Exhibition By MFTA Artist-in-residence Magda Love
“Manos Que Tejen Luz,” which translates in English to “Hands that Weave Light," is a new solo exhibition by MFTA Artist-in-Residence Magda Love that will be on view from October 16 through January 8, 2026. For her residency at MFTA, Love has created an immersive tapestry installation of colossal proportions that consumes the entire MFTA Gallery.
October 3, 2025
Learn more about Manos Que Tejen Luz.

 

Mayor Adams, DCLA Announce Biggest Expansion of City’s Cultural Institutions Group in Five Decades
The addition of five new members to the CIG — BRIC, the Bronx Children’s Museum, the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the Noble Maritime Collection, and Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (PRTT) —  will provide long-term, stable support, ensure the CIG is more reflective of the city it serves, and help more cultural organizations provide free and affordable programming for families to enjoy.
September 30, 2025
Learn more about the new CIG members. 

 

Percent for Art and School Construction Authority Announce Newly Completed Commission: “Ode to the Wild” by Artist Jessica Maffia at the New Travis Community Campus on Staten Island
“Ode to the Wild” is a unique, permanent installation created specifically for the new Travis Community Campus in Staten Island, which offers 547 seats to New York City students.
September 25, 2025
Learn more about "Ode to the Wild."

 

Materials for the Arts Presents "Temporal Belonging," a New Exhibition by MFTA Artist-in-Residence Natsuki Takauji 
Influenced by her visit to cities in her native Japan, where abandoned homes remain eerily frozen in time after nuclear devastation and natural disasters, Takauji brings a keen awareness to the overlooked and forgotten. On view through October 9, “Temporal Belonging” invites visitors on an intimate journey through themes of life and death, home, and belonging with a series of small-scale works and immersive installations. 
September 16, 2025
Learn more about “Temporal Belonging.”

 

Materials for the Arts Kicks Off Annual "Back to School Shopping Spree," Providing Free Supplies to NYC Public School Teachers 
Throughout September, MFTA encourages teachers to stock up with supplies—all at no cost—as students return to the classroom. The MFTA warehouse has been fully stocked with supplies tailored to educators like chalkboards, stationary, and illustration books generously provided by MFTA donors, including the American Folk Art Museum and Mr. Boddington’s Studio.
September 3, 2025
Learn more about MFTA’s Back to School Shopping Spree.

Artist Jennifer Wen Ma Selected to Design Chinatown Welcome Gateway as a Part of "Chinatown Connections" Project in Lower Manhattan
Following an open call for artists conducted this spring and a community-driven Percent for Art selection panel process, Jennifer Wen Ma was unanimously selected to design the new Chinatown Welcome Gateway to highlight the neighborhood’s cultural heritage and create an iconic symbol for a key entrance to Chinatown.
August 21, 2025
Learn more about the announcement.

Daru Jung Hyang Kim Creates an Abstract Garden Bursting with Color in Artwork Commissioned by DCLA's Percent for Art Program with SCA's Public Art for Public Schools
“Sunbursts in the Garden of Dreams” by artist Daru Jung Hyang Kim is a unique, permanent installation created for P.S. 26 in Queens. The piece was inspired by the idea of students’ dreams, ambitions, creativity, and emotional development throughout primary education.
August 8, 2025
Learn more about the artwork.

Deborah Czeresko Celebrates Food and Community with a Delectable Glass Sculpture Commissioned by DCLA's Percent for Art Program and SCA's Public Art for Public Schools
"Everybody's Got to Eat" is a permanent, hand-blown glass installation created for the new Academy for Personal Leadership and Excellence Elementary in the Bronx. This Percent for Art project joins more than 2,000 artworks in the NYC Public Schools official art collection.
July 21, 2025
Learn more about the artwork.

American Museum of Natural History with the City of New York Launches New Membership for New York SNAP Beneficiaries
The new membership level, named Discoverer, officially launches this summer alongside the museum’s seventh Space Show, "Encounters in the Milky Way." Discoverer is offered in collaboration with DCLA and NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA), part of the Department of Social Services (DSS).
July 18, 2025
Learn more about this program.

“Best Budget Ever” Gets Even Better: Mayor Adams, DCLA, Cultural Leaders Celebrate Historic Investments in City’s Cultural Sector as Part of FY 2026 Adopted Budget
The city's FY 2026 Adopted Budget invests nearly $300 million in Department of Cultural Affairs, the largest investment in New York City history, including the first substantial increase to the agency's baseline funding in more than a decade. 
July 2, 2025
Learn more about DCLA's FY2026 budget.

After First Year of an Expanded Partnership with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Materials for the Arts Receives more than $7 Million Worth of Donated Items from NYC's Film, TV, and Theater Industry 
Materials for the Arts has received 3.2 million pounds of donations valued at $7.4 million from NYC-based productions like "The Marvelous Ms. Maisel," "Succession," and "American Horror Story."
June 26, 2025
Learn more about the partnership. 

Public Art for Public Libraries: DCLA, NYCEDC, and NYPL Celebrate the Installation of Five New Percent for Art Projects in Five Historic Carnegie Branch Libraries 
Permanent, public artworks were commissioned as part of the Carnegie Branch Renovation program, a $176 Million Investment – primarily from the City – in libraries serving under-resourced communities across the city.
June 18, 2025
Explore the new artwork and learn more. 

City Breaks Ground on a New, $34 Million Education Building for the Queens Botanical Garden 
Fully funded by the City of New York, the project will create a new education building with sustainable features and multiple indoor and outdoor teaching areas. 
June 16, 2025 
Learn more about new construction project. 

Materials for the Arts Presents "Soaring High," Its First-Ever Fashion Exhibition, by MFTA Designer-in-Residence Daveed Baptiste
On view now through August 1, 2025, the exhibition delves into Baptiste’s Haitian immigrant heritage, exploring his journey of cultural identity, queerness, and coming of age in Black American society. 
June 12, 2025 
Learn more about the gallery exhibition. 

City Shares Next Steps and Community Engagements for Post 9/11 Fall Service Member Memorial
The New York City Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) and the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) have announced next steps in the development of the Post-9/11 Fallen Service Member Memorial, the City’s first memorial dedicated to the over 100 Post-9/11 service members from New York City who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
June 9, 2025
Learn more about the next steps for the memorial. 

Materials for the Arts Opens New Designer Studio Space Designed and Built by CO Adaptive Using 100% Reused Materials
The new studio will house MFTA’s designer and artist residencies, Young Designers program, and Repair program, and bring all of MFTA’s residency programs together in one unified space for the first time. 
June 6, 2025
Learn more about the space.  

Mayor Adams Announces Artist and Unveils Designs for new Memorial Honoring Fallen Post-9/11 Service Members
Mayor Adams unveiled initial designs for a new memorial honoring the at least 100 fallen post-9/11 service members from New York City who made the ultimate sacrifice during their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The memorial — titled “Flames of Honor” and which will be located in the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens — will be designed by artist Douwe Blumberg, commissioned through DCLA's Percent for Art program.
May 20, 2025
Learn more about the memorial. 

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and New York Foundation for the Arts Announce Nearly $500,000 in Grants for More Than 150 Grantees Through the Queens Arts Fund
The awarded projects will be supported by $493,350 in total funding, and span creative disciplines including music/sound, poetry, literary and book arts, performance art, film, social practice, painting, photography, and sculpture
May 13, 2025
Learn more about the 2025 Queens Arts Fund. 

NYCEDC and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Issue Call for Artists for Chinatown Welcome Gateway
Artists being commissioned through DCLA's Percent for Art program will serve as a design partner for the Chinatown Welcome Gateway, working alongside the project design team in the early phases of the development. The call for artists marks a key milestone in the braoder Chinatown Connections project. 
May 2, 2025
Learn more about the Chinatown Welcome Gateway call for artists.

 

Mayor Adams' "Best Budget Ever" Includes a Permanent, $45 Million Baseline Increase for the Department of Cultural Affairs
The new investment, which will go to support hundreds of cultural organizations citywide, represents the first baseline increase for DCLA in over a decade.
May 2, 2025
Learn more about the Best Budget Ever. 

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Agency Partners Launch Open Call for 2025-26 NYC Public Artists in Residence
The City is seeking artists to work within three agencies, where they will work alongside staff to develop new approaches to pressing civic challenges. Interested artists must apply by Monday, June 30, 2025 for consideration. 
April 30, 2025
Learn more about the open call. 

DCLA Announces "Last Call" For Artists to Design Monuments Honoring Billie Holiday and Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías
The projects were restarted last year as part of She Built NYC, an effort to commission public monuments honoring women influential in the city's history. 
March 24, 2025
Learn more about She Built NYC. 

City to Begin $3.5 Million Renovation of Selma's House at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens
DCLA and the Department of Design and Construction announced a $3.5 million renovation of “Selma’s House" to provide more open and accessible community and administrative space. The home was bequeathed by owner and friend to the Armstrongs Selma Heraldo on her death in 2011 to the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
March 6, 2025 
Learn more about the project.

Materials for the Arts Presents "Unraveling Threads," a New Exhibition by MFTA Artist-in-Residence Borinquen Gallo 
Gallo manipulates found materials such as caution tape, found flowers, electrical wires, and plastic bags to create woven tapestries exploring themes of community, culture, resistance, womanhood, and the joys and struggles inherent within our identities. The exhibition is on view at MFTA through May 8, 2025. 
February 20, 2025 
Learn more about the exhibition.

Mayor Adams, DCLA Commissioner Cumbo Award Nearly $60 Million to Over 1,000 Nonprofits through Cultural Development Fund, Largest Fund Investment in City History
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo announced a record $59.3 million in Cultural Development Fund (CDF) grants to 1,078 cultural organizations across the five boroughs. 
February 18, 2025
Learn more about this year's CDF.

DCLA Cuts the Ribbon on a Major Renovation at Pioneer Works
A new HVAC and elevator system will make the renowned Brooklyn cultural center, located in a historic factory building, more open and accessible than ever before. 
February 13, 2025
Learn more about the Pioneer Works renovation. 

Materials for the Arts Launches Open Call for the 2025 Young Designers Program 
This announcement comes as a part of "Jobs Week" and marks the second cohort of the Young Designers program, which MFTA launched last year to support emerging fashion designers with a stipend, free materials, and dedicated technical assistance to advance in their careers. 
February 5, 2025 
Learn more about MFTA Young Designers.

DCLA and NYCEDC Join Partners to Cut the Ribbon the L10 Cultural Center
The new, 65,000 square foot facility located in Downtown Brooklyn was built with $84 million in city support and provides new space for four cultural tenants - 651 ARTS, BAM, Brooklyn Public Library, and MoCADA. 
January 28, 2025
Learn more about the L10 Cultural Center. 

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Releases New List of Museums and Cultural Venues with Free or Suggested Admission for New Yorkers 
Commissioner Laurie Cumbo released an updated list of 130+ cultural venues across the five boroughs with free or suggested admission for city residents, and encouraged New Yorkers to explore and engage with the city's diverse cultural landscape. 
January 22, 2025
See the full list of venues with free admission for New Yorkers.