Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
| File:LMCC Logo.jpg | |
| Abbreviation | LMCC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location |
|
| Website | lmcc.net |
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) is a nonprofit arts organization serving artists and communities in Lower Manhattan and throughout New York City. LMCC is the largest regrantor of public funds for the arts in New York City.[1]
About
LMCC's mission, as stated on their website, is "to create a fertile and nurturing environment for artists and arts groups, enlivening public spaces with free programs in the visual, performing, and new media arts, and to provide leadership in cultural planning and advocacy."[2]
LMCC serves both artists and communities in various ways. For artists, LMCC provides residencies, grant funding, and presentation opportunities. For communities, LMCC provides free public art programs, access to artists and the artmaking process, and grant funding.[3]
History
LMCC was founded in 1973 as Lower Manhattan Cultural Council "with the belief that artists and communities are interconnected, each contributing to a more just, equitable, and sustainable society."[4]
1973-2001: Birth of LMCC
LMCC was founded in 1973 by Flory Barnett with support from David Rockefeller, Sr. and Chase Manhattan Bank, New York State Council on the Arts, and other local leaders. LMCC sponsored free lunchtime concerts, evening performances, window installations, and outdoor sculptures in public parks, plazas, and atria. They published Downtown, a monthly events calendar featuring lectures, walking tours, and concerts.[5]
LMCC moved their offices into the World Trade Center by the end of the 1990s and launched several programs including World Views, an artist residency program in the North Tower[6] and Evening Stars, a free dance program in the World Trade Center plaza.[7]
In 1983, LMCC launched Manhattan Arts Grants, a program that regrants funding to local artists and arts organizations.[8]
2001-2011: 9/11 and Lower Manhattan's Recovery
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center was destroyed, including LMCC’s performance, studio, and exhibition spaces. LMCC artist-in-residence Michael Richards was killed in the attack.[9]
In the following years, LMCC continued to provide support to artists through their Gulf Coast Residency, a program for artists displaced by Hurricane Katrina. In 2004, LMCC was awarded a five million dollar grant from the September 11th Fund and redistributed those funds to cultural organizations in Lower Manhattan.[10]
LMCC launched Workspace, a new artist residency program, and the Paris Residency, a program for New York City artists to live and work in Paris.[11]
In 2002, LMCC founded the River To River Festival, an annual arts festival held in the summer in Lower Manhattan.[12]
During this time, LMCC also created LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island for yearly artist residencies and summer public programming in Building 110 on Governors Island.[13]
2012-2018: Re-growth and Expansion
In 2011, LMCC became the lead organizer and curator of the River To River Festival.[14]
In 2016, they curated and presented Michael Richards: Winged, an exhibition at LMCC’s Art Center at Governor’s Island of Richards’s prescient work about flight and blackness.[15]
In 2018, LMCC developed the Upper Manhattan Arts Engagement grant with funding from Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ).[16]
2019 - Present
On September 19, 2019, LMCC reopened the newly renovated and expanded LMCC’s Art Center at Governors Island.[17]
LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island
In 2019, LMCC opened the Arts Center at Governors Island, a 40,000 square foot arts space that includes artist studios, galleries, performance space, and a café. It is the first permanent home for artists and audiences on Governors Island.[18]
According to LMCC, "the work developed and presented at the Arts Center at Governors Island focuses on questions of ecology, sustainability, and resilience."[19]
Current Programs
River to River Festival
Main article: The River to River Festival
The River To River Festival is an annual arts festival held in the summer in Lower Manhattan. It celebrates artistic and creative diversity across disciplines, presenting live art and installations in public spaces and in partnership with leading institutions. The festival includes dance, visual and performance art, poetry, film, music, theatre, and other events that are free and open to the public.[20]
Past festivals have included the work of artists such as Yoko Ono and Pam Tanowitz.[21]
Artist Residencies
LMCC currently has five residency programs. The programs provide free studio spaces to artists throughout Lower Manhattan and in LMCC’s Art Center at Governors Island.[22]
Governors Island Residency Initiative
On July 22, 2020, LMCC, The Trust for Governors Island, and 18 cultural organizations with space on Governors Island announced the new Governors Island Residency Initiative in response to the COVID-19 crisis.[23]
The initiative provides New York City artists, writers, cultural workers, and creative practitioners who have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis with indoor workspaces.
Other participating organizations include 4heads, American Indian Community House, ArtCrawl Harlem, Beam Center, BronxArtSpace, Climate Museum, Endangered Language Alliance, Harvestworks, NARS Foundation, New Art Dealers Alliance, NY Virtual Volcano Observatory, NYC Audubon, Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Shandaken Projects, Swale, Triangle Arts Association, West Harlem Art Fund, and Works on Water.[24]
Workspace Residency
Workspace is LMCC’s flagship residency program. It is a nine-month studio-based program for emerging artists with a focus on the creative process and community building.[25]
Arts Center Residency
LMCC’s Arts Center Residency program began in 2019 when LMCC opened their Arts Center at Governors Island. The program is offered year-round and provides artists with studio space in the Arts Center.[26]
Extended Life Residency
Extended Life is a dance development residency program for mid-career choreographers and provides them with financial and developmental support.[27]
In 2019, LMCC received a grant of $600,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. With the support from this grant, LMCC expanded Extended Life to provide artists with funding, studio space, and career development support.[28] The program has two tracks: the Lifeline track, which offers a stipend and residency development space, and the project-based track, which offers commissions, studio space, and production funds.[29]
SU-CASA Residency
SU-CASA places artists and arts organizations at senior centers in New York City for six months. SU-CASA artists create and deliver community art programs, and the residency culminates in a public program.[30]
Manhattan Arts Grants
LMCC’s Manhattan Arts Grants support Manhattan-based artists and organizations in sharing arts projects with the public with the goal of “enlivening public spaces and strengthening social ties and the health of neighborhoods.”[31]
LMCC currently offers three grant programs: Creative Engagement, Creative Learning, and UMEZ Arts Engagement.
Creative Engagement
Creative Engagement provides seed grants to artists and nonprofit organizations for arts programming in Manhattan. Each year this program supports over 150 projects.[32]
Creative Learning
Creative Learning supports teaching artists and organizations in Manhattan in providing community-based arts education to youth, adults, and seniors.[33]
UMEZ Arts Engagement
UMEZ Arts Engagement supports Upper Manhattan artists and organizations in providing diverse arts programs and cultural presentations in their communities. Funding for this program is provided by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ).[34]
Professional Development
LMCC offers free workshops and seminars for New York City artists in the areas of business, artistic practice, and community engagement. Currently LMCC offers a series to help artists develop fundraising knowledge and skills to support their practice.[35]
References
- ↑ "Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Names Recipients of over $1.5 Million in Grants". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "About". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "About". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "History". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "How the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has kept art thriving through FiDi's ups and downs". 6sqft. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Exhibitions". New Museum Digital Archive. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (2000-09-04). "The Stars Uptown To Dance Downtown". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Manhattan Arts Grants". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Barone, Joshua (2016-08-11). "Revisiting Michael Richards's Art in the Age of Black Lives Matter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ amNY (2012-09-05). "L.M.C.C. grants help spark and sustain Downtown art". amNewYork. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Paris Residency". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "History". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "History". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "History". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Barone, Joshua (2016-08-11). "Revisiting Michael Richards's Art in the Age of Black Lives Matter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "History". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island – 2019 Season". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "LMCC opens the Arts Center at Governors Island this September". Governors Island. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "River to River Festival". NYC-ARTS. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Gleichenhaus, Becca (2019-06-11). "Join LMCC at Their 2019 River To River Festival, June 18-29, 2019". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Artist Residency Programs - Free studio space in NYC". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Davenport, Emily (2020-07-23). "Governors Island to provide spaces for artists affected by COVID-19 during the 2020 park season". amNewYork. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Davenport, Emily (2020-07-23). "Governors Island to provide spaces for artists affected by COVID-19 during the 2020 park season". amNewYork. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Workspace". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "A 19th-century warehouse on Governors Island will become a permanent arts center". 6sqft. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Extended Life Dance Development Residency". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ Cohn, Gabe (2019-01-20). "Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Expands Residencies and Announces Recipients". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Extended Life Dance Development Residency". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "SU-CASA". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Manhattan Arts Grants". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Creative Engagement". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Creative Learning". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "UMEZ Arts Engagement". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ↑ "Professional Development". LMCC. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
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