Cultural Institutions Group

The Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) is a coalition of institutions providing cultural and educational resources to the public in New York City that are subsidized by the city government. The group originated with the new location for the American Museum of Natural History in 1869, and as of 2024, the CIG includes 34 cultural institutions.

In the decades following the new facility for AMNH, the structure was formalized wherein New York City would provide funds for security and maintenance of the museum's physical property, while a private (generally non profit) organization would develop and maintain the museum's content and programs. By 1900, the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Met, New York Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Conservation Society had joined the CIGs.[1] The newest addition to the group is Weeksville Heritage Center, which was added in 2019. It was the first new addition in twenty years, and Brooklyn's first Black cultural center to be designated.[2]

The organizations that comprise CIG are on city owned land and receive funding in a different manner than other cultural organizations in New York City.[3] A city owned location does not guarantee funding, with the Seaport Museum a notable exception as of 2000.[4] The relationship with the city is predominantly through the Department of Cultural Affairs.[1] While the designation does not give the city a say over the museum's content, friction sometimes does arise such as with the Brooklyn Museum's 1999 show, Sensation which led to then mayor Rudy Giuliani threatening the museum's funding and location.[5][6]

Among the initiatives of the group are the Culture at 3 call, launched in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and NYC ID, which launched in 2014 to provide free and discounted access to the museums for NYC residents.[7][8] In 2019, the Museum of the City of New York was home to an exhibit about the CIGs on occasion of the 150th anniversary of the coalition.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b "About". Cultural Institutions Group. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  2. ^ Croghan, Lore (2019-06-14). "Weeksville will be first black city-funded cultural institution in Brooklyn". Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  3. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (2007-08-13). "New Formula Means More Money for Arts Groups in New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  4. ^ Lindgren, James M. (2019-08-27). Preserving South Street Seaport: The Dream and Reality of a New York Urban Renewal District. NYU Press. ISBN 978-1-4798-5394-6.
  5. ^ Levitt, Peggy (2015-07-07). Artifacts and Allegiances: How Museums Put the Nation and the World on Display. Univ of California Press. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-0-520-28606-1.
  6. ^ Brinkhof, Tim (2024-05-05). "Art Bites: Why Rudy Giuliani Tried to Shut Down the Brooklyn Museum". Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  7. ^ Pogrebin, Robin; Paulson, Michael (2020-05-12). "The Daily Call That 200 Arts Groups Hope Will Help Them Survive". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  8. ^ "Mayor Announces #IDNYC, Giving Access to 1-Year Free Memberships at 33 NYC Cultural Institutions". The official website of the City of New York. 2014-09-18. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  9. ^ "Cultivating Culture:Museum of the City of New York". www.mcny.org. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  10. ^ Saraniero, Nicole (2019-10-16). "10 Treasures from Museums Across NYC at New Exhibit: Cultivating Culture". Untapped New York. Retrieved 2024-06-16.