BROOKLYN, NY – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Finance Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Majority Leader Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Laurie Cumbo, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and over 20 of the city’s renowned cultural institutions today celebrated the New York City Council’s nearly $64 million in capital funding for the city’s finest and renowned cultural institutions, including $8 million for BAM. The funding will support various capital projects aimed at stabilization and upkeep so that they can continue providing the best the city has to offer in arts and culture. The New York City Council’s Brooklyn delegation joined the Speaker and their Council Colleagues in celebrating this momentous win. Also on hand were the representatives from some of their city’s renowned institutions in art and culture: Alvin Ailey, Brooklyn Museum, Nuyorican Poets Café, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Brooklyn Historical Society, Dancewave, The Tenement Museum, BronxNet, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Home for Contemporary Theatre and Art (HERE), Queens Botanical Garden, the American Museum of Natural History, The Hispanic Society of America, The New 42nd Street, Repetorio Español, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Mark DeGarmo Dance, International Studio & Curatorial Program and the Staten Island Museum.

“New York City’s cultural institutions are vital to our city and they’re home to the most vibrant and artistic cultural community in the world,” said Speaker Mark-Viverito. “As Speaker I have consistently backed measures that support the City’s cultural institutions and recognize their fundamental importance to the cultural fabric of the City. I’m proud that we were able to make this investment our city’s arts and cultural institutions and provide the opportunity for positive self-expression and education for all New Yorkers.”

“Arts and culture are what make New York what it is,” said Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “We must invest in the institutions and organizations that inspire New Yorkers from all walks of life. As the Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries, I am proud to be a member of a Council that heavily values art and the contributions that arts and culture make to New York City. This record allocation of cultural capital funding will help insure that the arts can continue to inspire for years to come.”

“New York City’s cultural institutions open a world of exploration and opportunity for our young children, for aspiring artist and scientist, and for newcomers and visitors alike,” said Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Chair of the Committee on Finance. “They are an invaluable thread in the fabric of New York City life and this Council is proud to have negotiated nearly $64 million in capital funding to support their growth. I thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for making cultural institutions a priority and Cultural Affairs Chair Jimmy Van Bramer for his staunch advocacy.”

“From portraits and sculptures to film, music, and dance – art transcends time, language, and culture by capturing the transformative moments that will be shared for generations. Brooklyn’s Cultural District, which I proudly represent, is home to more than 50 organizations that not only educate and inspire us daily, but also support our City’s economic development through job creation and tourism. It is truly exciting to be part of a legislative body that has demonstrated its steadfast commitment to uplifting every artist, administrator, and cultural institutions by investing nearly $64 million in capital funding towards cultural development across the five boroughs for fiscal year 2017. I am proud to bring nearly $9.5 million to the 35th Council District, also known as Brooklyn’s Cultural District. An investment in culture is an investment into the future of New York City. I want to thank leadership of Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Finance Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, the borough delegation chairs, and co-chairs of the Brooklyn Delegation Council Members Darlene Mealy and Mark Treyger for their commitment and borough-wide love of Brooklyn,” said Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo.

“Our cultural institutions are the pulse of this City. They serve as inspiration for generations of New Yorkers who are moved by the stories artists tell through their paintings, sculptures and music,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. “I want to pay special recognition to the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Brooklyn Academy of Music for adding to the cultural vitality of the borough. It’s important we support these institutions so they can continue creating jobs, attracting tourists from all over the world and enriching our lives.”

“The residents of Brooklyn and this great city are so fortunate to be surrounded by some of the greatest cultural institutions in the world, places that offer untold hours of enjoyment to all who visit them,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and my colleagues and I in the City Council recognize this fact, and that is why we have made such a great financial commitment to arts and culture on behalf of all of the families and children we are so privileged to represent.”

“Our theaters, zoos, museums, galleries, studios, and other cultural spaces are where New Yorkers come together to learn, collaborate, create, and be inspired,” said NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl. “The de Blasio Administration is proud to join with the City Council in making substantial investments in these spaces, ensuring that every resident has access to the extraordinary range of cultural activity that takes place here in New York.”

Below is a list of cultural institutions that have been awarded capital funding for FY’ 17:

MANHATTAN

QUEENS

BROOKLYN

BRONX

STATEN ISLAND

“We are enormously grateful to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Laurie Cumbo, the entire New York City Council and the Brooklyn Delegation leaders for crucial capital support for BAM,” said BAM President, Katy Clark. “This investment in BAM’s future will allow us to engage wider audiences and provide affordable access to arts and culture in two new spaces within the growing Brooklyn Cultural District. This is an exciting time for BAM and Brooklyn and we are honored by the City Council’s confidence in the power of culture to enrich the lives of New Yorkers.”

“I am joined by everyone at Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation in thanking the City of New York for its important support,” said Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle. “The capital funding appropriated for The Joan Weill Center for Dance Expansion Project will ensure that Ailey can meet the public’s needs, which currently exceed our building’s capacity; enhance the breadth and depth of our service to all New Yorkers, across the City; and realize our organization’s mission and vision, which are rooted in Alvin Ailey’s core belief that dance came from the people and should always be delivered back to the people.”

“We are very grateful to the City Council, particularly Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Councilman Dan Garodnick, for their continued support of the Armory’s core mission to allow all New Yorkers in all five boroughs to access arts that couldn’t be mounted elsewhere in the City,” said Rebecca Robertson, President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory. “The Council’s funding has helped to preserve, maintain and open up an architectural gem to millions of people, enabling us to educate and inspire New York City public school students, provide youth training and employment and deliver adventurous programming by world class artists in one of the City’s most unique spaces.”

“We at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe are deeply honored by the City Council’s support for our capital project. The generous resources committed by the Council will significantly augment our ability to serve disadvantaged students, artists and spectators from across New York City.”

“Dancewave is deeply appreciative of New York City Council support of the new Dancewave Center slated to open in downtown Brooklyn.”

“The Tenement Museum is grateful for City Council support, which will let us extend the story we tell of how newcomers from many lands became Americans and how Americans became a people.”

“On behalf of the Bronx residents and students we serve, and our dedicated board of directors and team, BronxNet thanks the New York City Council Bronx Delegation, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for helping to expand our media education and programming resources. The enhanced public spaces for production, post-production, and more, will benefit our communities for many years to come,” said BronxNet Executive Director Michael Max Knobbe.

“Brooklyn Children’s Museum owes a great debt of thanks to our City Council Member Robert Cornegy, to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and to the entire City Council. Because of their commitment to our mission, we will begin construction of our Children’s Garden. The Children’s Garden will provide STEM and STEAM learning opportunities in beautiful, natural surroundings. For 116 years the museum has given families their very first exposure to cultural education. This tradition is a result of tremendous support from the New York City Council.”

“HERE, a multi-disciplinary cultural organization in Lower Manhattan with more than 20 years of history serving New York City artists, would literally not be here today without capital funding from the New York City Council, in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs. Our home, which is open to the public for close to 450 performances each year, showcases some of the most ambitious and technologically advanced projects in the City, using equipment generously granted to us through the Capital Funding program. These hugely important awards allow our artists to realize their visions, further their careers, and delight and inspire New York City audiences.

“Queens Botanical Garden gives sincere and enthusiastic thanks to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, colleagues from the Queens Delegation, and the entire Council, Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, and the Department of Cultural Affairs, for the wonderfully generous funding for the Queens Botanical Garden. Your steadfast devotion to this public garden—where people, plants and cultures meet—is also a shining commitment to promoting the excellence of this great and diverse City of people. We thank Speaker Mark-Viverito and her City Council Colleagues for providing funding that will allow us to develop our education facilities so that this garden may flourish and serve even more City kids this year and for decades to come!”

“We are grateful to the Manhattan Borough President, New York City Council, and the Department of Cultural Affairs for their support of our capital projects and their commitment to the future of the Hispanic Society, which holds the most important collection in the U.S. dedicated to the art and culture of the Hispanic world. With their support, we are able to make significant improvements the New York City and National Historic Landmark buildings, and vastly improve the visitor’s experience for the wider public,” said Mitchell A. Codding, Executive Director, The Hispanic Society of America.

“We are thrilled that the NY City Council has awarded Brooklyn Conservatory of Music capital funding that will provide critical support to purchase new pianos.” With state-of-the-art pianos, we can offer the highest quality instruments to our students and create lasting impact on Brooklyn’s vibrant community of artists and audiences, said Madeleine Davidson, Managing Director Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.

“New York City Capital funds will help the Staten Island Museum make much needed capital improvements to the 100-year old building that is part of the exciting waterfront renaissance in St. George, Staten Island. Soon NYC’s first outlet mall and a 630 foot tall observation wheel will join the Staten Island Museum as attractions,” observed Cheryl Adolph, President & CEO of the Staten Island Museum, and added: “We thank Borough President Oddo, Mayor De Blasio, and City Council Member Matteo for the investment that will benefit ten thousands of tourists and residents alike.”