Department Of Cultural Affairs

June 2, 2026

New York SNAP recipients can now receive free membership to The Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday launched free membership for New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The initiative is offered through the new “Explorer Membership” level, which provides one year of free membership, access to member preview days, a digital membership card, invitations to community programs, and more. The program is a joint effort by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Social Services, and follows a similar initiative launched by the American Museum of Natural History last July.
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May 19, 2026

NYC reveals design proposals for Billie Holiday monument in Queens

By Aaron Ginsburg

More than seven years after it was first commissioned, a monument honoring Billie Holiday in New York City is moving forward. The city's Department of Cultural Affairs on Tuesday unveiled proposals from six artists for a new permanent artwork celebrating the jazz legend that will be installed at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Queens. The monument is part of a long-delayed effort to increase the representation of influential women in public spaces across the five boroughs. The public can review the proposals and submit feedback through the end of May. An artist will be chosen this summer.
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New Yorkers with SNAP benefits to get free Museum of Natural History membership

Image via WikiCommons

July 18, 2025

New Yorkers with SNAP benefits to get free Museum of Natural History membership

By Aaron Ginsburg

The American Museum of Natural History on Friday announced a free membership for New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The new "Discoverer" membership level includes free general admission plus entry to one ticketed exhibition during every visit. The initiative is a joint effort by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Social Services.
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Huge cultural hub with galleries, performance spaces, new library opens in Fort Greene

All photos by Gregg Richards, courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library

February 5, 2025

Huge cultural hub with galleries, performance spaces, new library opens in Fort Greene

By Aaron Ginsburg

Some of Brooklyn's most influential arts and cultural institutions have a new home in the heart of Fort Greene. L10 Arts and Cultural Center officially opened last week, bringing a 65,000-square-foot facility with gallery and performance spaces for the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts (MoCADA), cinemas for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), rehearsal studios and performance space for 651 Arts, and a new Brooklyn Public Library branch to 10 Lafayette Street. The center sits within the mixed-use tower 300 Ashland Place, which opened in 2017.
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These vibrant artworks will brighten up NYC scaffolding

Clockwise from top left: Ebony Bolt, “The Jungle and The City;” Lauren Camara, “Paper Stories;” Neko Jiang, “Hidden Forest;” Venazir “Hannah Martinez,” The Shaping of New York; “Annette Weintraub,” The Myrtle Walks; “Zazu Swistel,” The Urbanite’s Clinic For Decadence and Decay; “Nikki Scioscia,” Plant Walk; “Bayeté Ross Smith,” Our Kind of People. Image courtesy of DCLA

August 7, 2024

These vibrant artworks will brighten up NYC scaffolding

By Aaron Ginsburg

Unsightly scaffolding and sidewalk sheds in New York City are getting a makeover. The city unveiled eight pre-approved vibrant artworks available to building owners looking to transform the green eyesores into platforms for beautiful public art. Overseen by the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), the City Canvas program aims to improve the pedestrian experience and provide local artists an opportunity to display their work in prominent locations.
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$24M revamp of Lower East Side’s Nuyorican Poets Café is underway

Renderings courtesy of the NYC DCLA

March 29, 2024

$24M revamp of Lower East Side’s Nuyorican Poets Café is underway

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Nuyorican Poets Café, a beloved performance space on the Lower East Side for half a century, is undergoing a $24.1 million transformation. The city's Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Design and Construction on Thursday kicked off the project, which will renovate and expand the cultural institution's lobby, add new performance spaces and offices, improve accessibility, and perform extensive repairs on the building's exterior. Designed by Rice+Lipka Architects, the reconstruction project is slated for completion in spring 2026.
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Architecture And Design

NYC wants artists to spice up sidewalk sheds and construction fencing

Ebony Bolt “Hope and Humanity” Lenox Hill Hospital, Upper East Side, Manhattan, 2021. Image courtesy of ArtBridge

January 3, 2024

NYC wants artists to spice up sidewalk sheds and construction fencing

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is seeking artists to help beautify sections of unattractive sidewalk sheds and construction fencing throughout the five boroughs. The city's Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) has issued an open call for artists for 2024 through 2025 as part of its City Canvas program, which installs temporary, large-scale artworks on protective structures to make them more visually appealing.
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Construction begins on Fort Greene’s newest cultural center at 300 Ashland Place

Renderings courtesy of TEN Arquitectos and Andrea Steele Architecture

December 5, 2019

Construction begins on Fort Greene’s newest cultural center at 300 Ashland Place

By Alexandra Alexa

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is starting construction on a new cultural center housed within the 32-story tower at 300 Ashland Place in Fort Greene. The new L10 Arts and Cultural Center will span across 50,000 square feet and host a range of institutions, including new gallery and performance spaces for the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), three cinemas for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), rehearsal studios and performance space for 651 ARTS, and a new branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
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