The city of New York has awarded the Queens Museum $26.4 million for the institution to complete its expansion project. The expansion project included plans for a children’s museum space devoted to Queens art and culture, more classrooms, secure artwork storage, and improved energy efficiency throughout the museum.
The first phase of the expansion was completed in November 2013. The institution added 50,000 square feet of gallery, event, and education space; the museum additionally upgraded its visitor amenities and facilities systems at that time.
The funding is expected to cover the five components of the expansion’s terminal phase, including new classrooms on the museum’s first and second floors; a 5,500-square-foot intergenerational, multilingual Family Art Lab; a 2,600-square-foot art storage vault; an overhaul of the southern wall and window system; and new offices and spaces for exhibition preparation and artwork conservation.
The city has said the funding is intended to establish the institution’s reputation as a world-class museum. The Queens Museum was established in 1972 and occupies the most diverse of an already diverse city’s five boroughs. The improvements will allow the museum to accommodate more school trips and more gifts from donors and will result in cost savings in some areas.
“This funding will help [the museum] grow and develop their footprint in Queens and throughout the city,” said New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. “Arts and culture are not just the key to our recovery from Covid-19 – they are the key to nurturing the talent, curiosity, and creativity that will keep New York City the most vibrant city in the world.”
The Queens Museum was hit hard during the pandemic. In June 2020, the museum began running a food pantry, which remains in operation today; a few months later, it launched “Hecho Local,” an initiative offering free product-development workshops to Spanish-speaking artisans.