New York Plans $15M Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center in Inwood

New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs and Economic Development Corporation have launched a call for a nonprofit to develop the Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center in Inwood, northern Manhattan. The project has an initial budget of $15 million, to be supplemented by the winning organization through additional fundraising. The center will include performance spaces, rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, and administrative offices. It will collaborate with the New York Public Library, the Dominican Studies Institute, the Mexican Studies Institute, and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at the City University of New York to develop educational programs. The initiative is part of a larger redevelopment plan for Inwood that aims to preserve 2,500 homes, build 1,600 affordable housing units, create jobs, and improve infrastructure while preventing gentrification. Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl stated that the center will anchor the community and attract visitors citywide and beyond. This follows a mural by Izaac Zevalking in Los Angeles depicting the Statue of Liberty handcuffed, protesting Trump administration immigration policies.