The Bronx Museum Organization
ABOUT
For over five decades, The Bronx Museum has been a vanguard of cultural diversity and accessibility in the contemporary art world. The Museum offers 100% free admission for everyone to all its exhibitions and programs, providing a vital creative outlet to the public. Through its curatorial practices, including a permanent collection, the Museum seeks to champion and promote artists who have been systemically and historically marginalized. The history and culture of The Bronx are a never-ending source of inspiration for the Museum, and its programs are designed to facilitate meaningful engagement with the people of the borough while also attracting visitors from all over New York City and the world. The Bronx Museum is a leader in the cultural sphere with its unwavering commitment to access, dedication to platforming underrepresented artists, and dynamic community-engaged programming.
Our Mission
The Bronx Museum of the Arts is a contemporary art museum that connects diverse audiences to the urban experience through its permanent collection, special exhibitions, and education programs that strive to reflect the borough’s dynamic communities.
OUR CORE VALUES
Always Free
We believe that free and accessible art has transformative powers for local and global communities.
Culture
The Bronx Museum of the Arts is a reflection of the borough’s dynamic culture, spirit, and tenacity.
Community
We strongly contribute to the vitality of the community by offering innovative and relevant contemporary art experiences and immersive educational opportunities.
Social Justice
Since our founding, the Museum has been at the intersection of art and social justice, empowering our communities through essential cultural and educational resources.
Visibility
We honor artistic freedom and expression, and support artists from all backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews with a special focus on individuals who are routinely discounted and overlooked for their contribution.
Youth Development
We help amplify the voices and ideas of younger generations through immersion in visual arts, culture, and community.
Our Past, Present, & Future
Since 1971, The Bronx Museum has served as a vital cultural anchor in The Bronx, providing access to exceptional contemporary art through a curatorial program that reflects and resonates with the borough’s diverse communities and beyond.
The Museum was founded by Bronx community advocates striving to combat urban decay in the borough caused by civic and institutional abandonment and discriminatory practices such as redlining.
From the beginning, the Museum’s exhibitions and collection centered the work of artists of color and other marginalized identities—decades before many other art institutions began to embrace such inclusion.
The Bronx Museum is distinguished in the contemporary art world as an incubator and identifier of talented artists.
In 1980, the Museum established the AIM Fellowship, an annual career accelerator program designed to support the most promising artists based in New York City. 45 years later, AIM has hundreds of alumni, including Glenn Ligon (1984), Diana Al-Hadid (2006), and many other notable artists.
The Bronx Museum’s educational and public programs meaningfully engage multi-generational audiences in vital and affirming creative experiences.
In 2005, the Museum launched Teen Council, a paid internship program for NYC high school students that empowers the next generation of New Yorkers to express themselves artistically and actively engage with cultural organizations.
In 2012, the Museum made a bold commitment to access by eliminating admission fees for all exhibitions and programs, opening its doors to more visitors than ever before. Today, The Bronx Museum is the largest contemporary art museum in New York City to offer completely free admission.
In 2024, The Bronx Museum broke ground on a transformative $42.9 million renovation—primarily funded by the City of New York. Opening in the coming year, the project will deliver a world-class arts facility that honors The Bronx community and amplifies the Museum’s excellent curatorial and educational programs.
Our People
SUPPORT
The Bronx Museum’s operations are generously supported, in part, with public funds from the City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, New York City Council, Council Member Althea Stevens, and the Bronx Delegation, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York State Legislature, New York Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, New York State Senator Jose M. Serrano, and Senator Luis Sepulveda, and The Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional support is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, Cowles Charitable Trust, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Francena Harrison Foundation, Ford Foundation Jockey Hollow Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Fund of Tides Foundation,
Lily Auchincloss Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Moleskine Foundation, New Yankee Stadium Community Benefit Fund, Pinkerton Foundation, Rockefeller Brother Fund: Culpeper Arts & Culture Program, Scherman Foundation, Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, Individuals, and The Bronx Museum Board of Trustees. Artist, Education, and Community and Public Programs are made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Con Edison, Deutsche Bank, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Jerome Foundation, The Keith Haring Foundation, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The New Yankes Stadium Community Benefit Fund, O’Grady Foundation, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation, and William Talbott Hillman Foundation.