Investing in Art

NYS Council on the Arts Injects $150 Million in Museums, Studios and Theaters

By Lisa Ramirez, Director of Communications

A record $90.5 million in funding for large-scale capital projects at an array of arts and cultural centers across New York State was announced this summer at Storm King Art Center.

The announcement, which follows a $42 million investment in small and mid-sized projects announced in April, is part of an historic $150 million investment in capital improvements for the arts, creating construction opportunities across New York.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the new funding June 6 at the groundbreaking for campus-wide improvements at Storm King, the 500-acre outdoor museum in Cornwall.

“Storm King Art Center is a jewel of Orange County and the Hudson Valley,” said State Assemblymember Chris Eachus, District 99 (which includes parts of Orange and Rockland counties).

“This investment in our community sends a strong message that New York is a cultural center for the arts, a national leader for protection of our environment, and a pristine destination for tourists.”

Storm King is among 19 newly announced recipients of funding through the New York State Council of the Arts Capital Projects Fund. The sprawling art center received a $7.5 million Capital Improvement Grant, earmarked for an improved “welcome sequence” and construction of the Conservation, Fabrication, and Maintenance Building while prioritizing sustainability with all-electric buildings and LEED Gold Certification.

The welcome sequence improvements at Storm King will double parking, ease traffic, and better accommodate group tours.The new Conservation, Fabrication, and Maintenance Building will create space for staff and artists to work on fabrication and better care for the collection.

“From New York City to the North Country, we are investing in our state’s robust arts and culture sector to ensure all New Yorkers, regardless of their background, have access to the transformative power of art,” Gov. Hochul said. “Our unprecedented support for this shared vision of accessible and sustainable cultural spaces will result in a stronger economy, more jobs, and improved community and personal health for New Yorkers and our visitors from around the globe.”

In addition, Empire State Development awarded more than $3 million in funding to Storm King – a $2 million capital grant and a $1.2 million Market New York grant – at the recommendation of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council. NYSERDA has also contributed $600,000, bringing the state’s total support to more than $11 million.

NYSCA’s Large Capital Improvement Grants range from $2 million to $10 million for projects with a total cost of $4 million or more. This funding will support investments to expand cultural programming, reach new and diverse audiences, and promote accessibility.

The grants will also help advance the State’s goals around diversity, equity and inclusion and will require all grantees to commit to social equity initiatives and access plans.

The 19 New York State Council of the Arts Capital Projects Fund grantees announced in June 2023 include:

Capital Region

• Art Omi, Inc. (Columbia County)

Art Omi Pavilions — $5 million

• Empire State Youth Orchestra (Schenectady County)

Campus-wide renovation — $3.5 million

• Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Rensselaer County)

Bank lobby/music hub adaptive re-use — $3.4 million

Mid-Hudson

• Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (Putnam County)

LEED-certified outdoor theater and ecological land restoration — $10 million

• Storm King Art Center (Orange County)

Welcome sequence and conservation, fabrication, and maintenance building — $7.5 million

• The Art Effect of the Hudson Valley (Dutchess County)

Trolley Barn Community Arts Hub transformation — $2,457,000

Southern Tier

• Corning Museum Of Glass (Steuben County)

StudioNEXT expansion — $3.5 million

Western New York

• Shea’s O’Connell Preservation Guild (Erie County) Building expansion — $5 million

North Country

• Lake Placid Association of Music Drama and Art (Essex County)

Construction of a modern arts complex — $7.5 million

• Thousand Islands Art Center (Jefferson County)

Facility construction — $2 million

New York City

Brooklyn

• Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music

Building expansion — $3 million

Manhattan

• Carnegie Hall Corporation

Facade restoration — $2 million

• National Black Theatre Workshop

Construction of a multipurpose arts and job-training center and an incubator for creative sector entrepreneurs — $10 million

• New Museum of Contemporary Art Museum expansion — $3,750,000

• New-York Historical Society

Four-story building expansion & LGBTQ+ museum — $5 million

• Seaport Museum

Facade and window restoration — $2,011,000

• The Studio Museum in Harlem New museum facility construction — $7,385,000

• Vineyard Theatre and Workshop Center

Full facility renovation — $4.5 million

Queens

• The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum

Isamu Noguchi Studio restoration and Collections

Lab and Study Center — $3 million