The Bronx Museum of the Arts announced plans for a major architectural enhancement and upgrade of its facility to better serve its community and visitors, add new spaces for public programs and exhibitions, and to strengthen its crucial contribution to the civic fabric of the Bronx. The project is a public-private partnership with The City of New York, including the Mayor’s Office, the City Council, Office of the Bronx Borough President, and New York State Assembly to support the Museum’s growing role as a vital resource for the community and destination for the Bronx and visitors to the City, and to meet the demands of significantly increased attendance. The project, funded through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and managed by the NYC Department of Design and Construction, will advance the Museum’s openness and expand connections with the neighborhood it has called home since 1971.

The Museum concurrently announced that Monica Ponce de Leon has been selected through the Department and Design Construction’s Design and Construction Excellence program (DC+E) to design the first phase of the project, working with the Museum on the redesign of the Museum’s South Wing Atrium as a new “Gallery Cube”. Ms. Ponce de Leon is the Dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University and is serving as co-curator of the United States Pavilion for the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture, opening this May. In 2007, Ponce de Leon was the first Hispanic architect to receive the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture. Ponce de Leon is noted for working closely with a broad range of constituents in developing her designs, an important criterion for The Bronx Museum of the Arts project. The Museum, Ponce de Leon, and City partners will work together to create new spaces – all within the Museum’s current footprint – for the Museum’s programming and to enhance its connectivity and interchange with the neighborhood, increasing the vibrancy of the Grand Concourse.

“The Bronx Museum of the Arts was born in 1971 out of a belief that all residents of our city deserve to have a major cultural institution that’s a part of their community fabric,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Since then, the Museum has fostered cultural expression that is deeply connected to the vibrant, diverse place it calls home, and has garnered attention from across the globe for its innovative and influential programming. My Administration is proud to invest in this project that will bring the talents of a remarkable architect to help build an even stronger institution that continues to engage residents, attract new visitors, and make this borough synonymous with creative vitality all over the world.”

The Bronx Museum organizes contemporary art exhibitions and education, public, and community programs that foster cross-cultural exchange, including the recent exhibition of works by the artist Martin Wong, programs with at-risk youth in the Bronx, and the first American museum collaboration with Cuba in 50 years. The Museum offers free admission and the public response to its programming has been dramatic: attendance at the Museum has more than quadrupled in six years, including a 50% growth in free and subsidized tours for local K-12 students and adults, as well as more than 1,300 new memberships through the IDNYC program. 

Total cost for this multi-year project as envisioned in the museum's master plan is estimated at $25 million, with $15 million for construction costs, and $10 million to establish the Museum’s endowment to support the continued growth of education and public programming. To date, the Mayor’s Office, the City Council, and the Office of the Bronx Borough President have appropriated some $6.9 million to the project’s first phase, including the South Wing Atrium reconstruction and creation of a Gallery Cube, with an additional $300,000 from New York State Assembly Member Latoya Joyner. The Museum is in the silent phase of a campaign to raise private funds for the full project.

The design of the South Wing Atrium/Gallery Cube will begin in 2016 and construction is anticipated to be complete in 2020. Plans for the subsequent phases of the project are under way and will be announced in the future. The Museum plans to stay open throughout the project.

“The Bronx Museum of the Arts is home to some of our city's most vibrant art, culture, and history, showcasing the creative expression and talent of New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” said Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito. “These enhancements and program expansions will ensure that the Museum can better serve residents and visitors alike and continue to be a premier cultural destination in the Bronx and citywide. The New York City Council is proud to support the Museum and I look forward to exploring its exciting new exhibitions in the months ahead.”