With his third and final term drawing to a close, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced he has allocated $5.1 million in capital funding for much-needed roof repairs at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City.
“MoMA PS1’s growth and continued success is not only integral to the arts community in Queens and New York City, but for artists around the world,” Van Bramer said. “I’m proud that I have been able to secure over $5.1 million to make much-needed and overdue repairs to the roof, and I’m humbled to say that with this funding the Council has now allocated over $15 million to this incredible Long Island City institution during my tenure.”
With the latest funding to PS1, the city has now allocated nearly $2 billion to the arts communities across the five boroughs, a record amount, during Van Bramer’s tenure as chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries.
MoMA PS1 is one of the largest art institutions in the country solely dedicated to contemporary art. It opened in 1976 in a vacant Romanesque Revival public school building on Jackson Avenue in Court Square.
Over the years, Van Bramer used the venue for many of the memorable town hall meetings on new schools in the fastest-growing neighborhood in the country, as well as the displacement of the artists community due to the overdevelopment of western Queens.
“Jimmy’s leadership has been absolutely transformative to MoMA PS1 and all of New York City’s cultural institutions,” MoMA PS1 Director Kate Fowle said. “We are so grateful for the $15 million granted to PS1 over his 12 years as Council member, enabling us to ensure PS1’s 120-year-old building is safe, secure and accessible to both artists and the public into the future.”
