Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a program with the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been helping the city cut down on waste for the last 30 years as it takes donations of one person’s unwanted materials and makes it available to arts programs to use.
The program got its start in 1978 when artist Angela Fremont heard that the Central Park Zoo needed a new refrigerator while she was working in the park in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation office. She had a friend at a local radio station who made an on-air announcement to see if anyone had a refrigerator they could donate. It was met with many responses.
From there, the concept for MFTA was born. Located in Long Island City, MFTA works with arts and cultural organizations throughout the city, public schools and community arts programs.
“It’s [the idea] very, very simple yet the impact is just tremendous,” said MFTA Director Harriet Taub.
MFTA receives donated items, including furniture, office supplies, fabrics, paper, and many more, from various sources. The items are then organized in the MFTA warehouse. Each week, two shopping days are held so that the organizations can make appointments to come in and select items.
Taub said that when the organizations do not have to spend money towards the items they get at MFTA, they are able to put those resources towards programming and staff.
Eleanor Bologna of Bella Italia Mia, based in Maspeth, said that they have been coming to MFTA for about five years, using it for “just about everything.” She said they have gotten office supplies, audio equipment and VCRs, and materials for skits they put on.
“It really adds so much to everything we do,” Bologna said.
In 2007, $7.2 million worth of items were donated to MFTA by 1,583 donors and there were a total of 4,699 transactions. That includes ones in the MFTA warehouse, as well as ones they broker through their website.
Although it is part of the Department of Cultural Affairs, because they support reuse and waste reduction, MFTA receives some funding from the Department of Sanitation. They also receive some from the Department of Education since opening its doors to public school teachers in 1998.
When Taub started as the Education Coordinator at MFTA, she saw that teachers were coming in with specific material requests and did not know what to do with some of the other valuable items available at the warehouse. Taub began by teaching workshops and showing teachers how to make such things useful in the classroom.
Now, there are workshops every Tuesday and Thursday with about 30 people in each. MFTA Master Teaching Artist Joy Suarez said they help show the teachers how to use different items they have not seen before and give them new ideas to take back to the classroom.
“It really opens the door for people to get their imagination running,” Suarez said.
This summer, MFTA will begin an expansion project. They are taking over 10,000 square feet adjacent to their current warehouse and hope to have a ribbon cutting for it in October.
“I have the best job in New York City because I get to work with an amazing arts community,” Taub said. “I get to work with the most generous donor community that you can imagine.”
For more information on Materials for the Arts or to find out how to get involved with the organization, visit www.mfta.org or call 718-729-3001 x200.
