New Building at 103 Charlton Street Triples CMA’s Size and Allows Museum to Dramatically Expand Arts Programming
NEW YORK, NY – August 22, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) will open its new, expanded space at 103 Charlton Street on Oct. 1, 2011. The 10,000-square-foot former loading dock, located in the Hudson Square neighborhood west of SoHo, will triple the museum’s size and enable it to dramatically expand its arts programming.
CMA is a New York City cultural institution that supports the creation and exhibition of children’s artwork and provides arts programming for schools and community organizations. CMA is relocating to its new facility at 103 Charlton Street from its original location at 182 Lafayette Street in SoHo.
“This new space will enable us to empower more young artists and advance CMA’s role as a leader in innovative arts programming,” said CMA Executive Director David Kaplan. “We thank all those whose generosity and hard work has enabled us to get this far.”
CMA has received strong support from New York City, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, as well from New York State Assemblymember Deborah Glick. CMA’s Board of Directors also raised significant private support for the project.
Grand opening weekend will take place Oct.1st and Oct. 2nd and will feature special workshops, tours and performances.
The new CMA facility, designed by Dan Wood and Amale Andraos of architecture firm Work AC, enables the museum to dramatically expand its instructional offerings. In addition to its hands-on artist-led workshops and interactive workstations, the new space will feature a 2,000-square-foot gallery.
The additional space will enable CMA to keep much of its 2,000-piece collection of international children’s art dating back to the 1930’s on site. The new space will also include a new media lab featuring a sound station, a clay bar and video-making and animation equipment to drive CMA’s award-winning media programs.
CMA, which has seen a dramatic increase in demand for its programs in the past five years, reaches more than 55,000 people through its programming. It is significant to note that 30% of that audience is served for free. More than 7,000 public school students access CMA’s programs for free through partnerships including NYC’s Cultural After School Adventures (CASA).
More than 15,000 people have accessed CMA’s signature open-art workshops for free on Governors Island over the past two years. Other free programs use art to reach and empower homeless families, teenage mothers, children and families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders, and families in the foster care system that are working toward reunification.
CMA’s first exhibition in the new space this fall, titled Make Art (In) Public, will include works from well-known public artists such as Keith Haring, Swoon, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Remed, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Moondog and Tranqui Yanqui. The exhibition will explore the accessibility of the arts for the public; the ways in which public art is a product of, and a contributor to, the cultural fabric of communities big and small; as well as the positive impact of the arts on building and bettering society
In addition, the museum will maintain a rotating exhibition of its permanent art collection, which includes in excess of 2,000 pieces of children’s artwork from more than 50 countries dating back to the 1930s.
To accomplish this expansion, CMA is raising $6.8 million. Thanks to significant support from CMA’s Board of Directors, New York City, New York State and other public and private funders, CMA has raised more than $5.5 million toward its goal. The museum has launched a distinct website for its capital campaign for the new space, including a video about the project and its community mission, can be found here: cmany.org/campaign.
ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS
Founded in Lower Manhattan in 1988, the Children’s Museum of the Arts provides authentic hands-on art experiences for children with practicing artists, both in our art-filled museum and in the community. CMA’s mission is to extend the benefits of the arts to all children and their communities and to secure the future of the arts by inspiring and championing the next generation of artists and art lovers.
CMA works to fulfill its mission through four distinct initiatives: On-Site Public Programming that includes interactive art stations and artist-led workshops, early-childhood arts workshops, after-school classes, intensive art camps and special family programs; School & Community Outreach Programs throughout New York City; Art Exhibitions; and a Permanent Collection of 2,000 pieces of children’s art from around the world. More information is available at www.cmany.org.
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Shea Communications, Mark Faris, 212-627-5766
