Bronx Museum of the Arts

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The flagship cultural institution of the Bronx, founded in 1971, The Bronx Museum of the Arts focuses on 20th-century and contemporary art, while serving the culturally diverse populations of the Bronx and the greater New York metropolitan area. The museum's home on the Grand Con- course is a distinctive contemporary landmark designed by the internationally-renowned firm Arquitectonica. The Bronx Museum of the Arts maintains a permanent collection of 20th and 21st-century works by artists of African, Asian, and Latin American ancestry. Additionally, the Museum collects works by artists for whom the Bronx has been critical to their artistic practice and develop- ment. The Museum's educational offerings spring from these central programs with outreach to children and families as well as adult audiences.

History and Expansion

In its first decade, The Bronx Museum of the Arts was housed in the public rotunda of the Bronx County Courthouse located on Grand Concourse and 161st Street. In 1982, it moved five blocks north on the Concourse to 165th street into a former synagogue purchased and donated by the City of New York.As part of the Museum's initiative to expand the scope of its youth and family programs, it began an ambitious capital project to enhance its facility. In February 2004, The Museum began construction on a 16,000 sq. ft. building to the north of the existing facility. Its design by the Miami-based firm Arquitectonica was awarded the "Excellence in Design" prize by The Art Commission of the City of New York in 2003. The $19 million space opened in October 2006 and features a major gallery, flexible events / program spaces, an outdoor terrace, and an entire floor dedicated to education programs and classrooms. Plans are underway to build a second structure on the existing site along with a moderate-income residential co-op tower (approximately 189 units). With this new expanded facility, it is the Museum's hope to serve as a cultural leader in the South Bronx and as a catalyst for economic development within the surrounding communities.