New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) has added five new cultural nonprofits to its membership: the Bronx Children’s Museum, the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the Noble Maritime Collection, Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (PRTT), and BRIC, a Brooklyn based arts space.
It is rare for the city to add to CIG’s membership, the last expansion having taken place more than five years ago. The Weeksville Heritage Center became a CIG member in 2019 and the most recent addition before that was the Museum of Jewish Heritage in 1997. Mayor Eric Adams first promised the expansion in his State of the City address this past January.
CIG was established in 1869 with the American Museum of Natural History. Its institutions operate in city-owned buildings and receive financial support from the city, including for capital investment. A number of the city’s museums are part of the program, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA PS1, the Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Queens Museum. The five additions bring the total number of CIGs to 39.
Each of the five new CIG institutions previously received annual support and an energy subsidy from the Cultural Development Fund in the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA). Going forward, they will now receive an annual operating subsidy.
The five new members, with representation for each of the city’s five boroughs, were chosen after “rigorous analysis of [their] operations, visitorship, and other factors completed by DCLA in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget,” according to a press release. In a statement, Laurie Cumbo, the commissioner of cultural affairs, said that these additions give the city “a once in a generation opportunity to foster greater equity in this important source of city support for the arts in all five boroughs.”
In a statement, Mayor Adams said, “With this historic expansion, we’ll help even more cultural organizations provide affordable programming for families, good-paying jobs for New Yorkers, and safe spaces for young people to learn and stay off the streets. Crucially, we’ll make sure that our city’s Cultural Institutions Group reflects the rich diversity of our cultural sector and that every borough benefits from these investments.”
Tracing its roots back to 1979 and mounting exhibitions since 1981, BRIC is a small arts nonprofit in Downtown Brooklyn that has become known for its exhibition program. Recent exhibitions include “Latinx Abstract” (2021) and “When I Am Empty Please Dispose of Me Properly” (2023), as well as solos for Buzz Slutzky, Rodrigo Valenzuela, and Suné Woods. Its next exhibition, a solo show Sarah K. Khan titled “Speak Sing Shout: We, Too, Sing America,” will open October 7.
In addition to exhibitions, BRIC also supports artists through the Colene Brown Art Prize, which comes with an unrestricted grant of $10,000, and ArtFP, an open-call program that helps artists realize exhibitions in its project room and hallway spaces. The nonprofit serves some 130,000 people annually.
“Joining the CIG is a historic milestone for BRIC. It recognizes us among the institutions that have shaped New York City’s cultural legacy,” BRIC president Wes Jackson said in a statement. “For Brooklyn, it means greater investment in our creative future. For the city, it brings something new a media and cultural partner grounded in community and innovation.”
Based in the South Bronx and Manhattan, PRTT, established in 1967 and now considered one of the country’s first bilingual theaters, is the oldest institution in this cohort, while the Louis Armstong House Museum, which opened in Queens in 2023, is the most recently established. The Noble Maritime Collection in Staten Island was established in 1986, and the Bronx Children’s Museum opened in 2005, and serves some 325,000 children and families annually.
Cumbo added that “the city’s 150+ year relationship with the CIG has created cultural institutions that strengthen our communities, drive our economy, and connect with New Yorkers across the city. With this historic expansion of the CIG, we’re setting up these five new members which span disciplines, geographies, and audiences to grow their programs and serve as vital, sustainable hubs for culture and community for generations to come.”