May 24, 2022
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the People’s Theatre Project (PTP) — an immigrant- and women-led nonprofit — will own and operate a first-of-its-kind Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center (IRPAC) coming to Inwood. Filled with a range of visual and performing arts, the center will amplify the voices of New York City’s diverse immigrant communities and cultivate work by local artists and arts organizations. The city will invest $15 million to help PTP acquire a newly constructed cultural center that will deliver theater that is more equitable and representative of immigrants and people of color.
“New Yorkers deserve a city that is more inclusive and more prosperous after the pandemic than it was before, and we are building that city every day. Part of that is creating opportunities for all our young people to see themselves in our arts and culture, and this project will provide a new generation of young, immigrant New Yorkers with that invaluable experience,” said Mayor Adams. “I know this partnership with the People’s Theatre Project and the $15 million investment we are providing will bring joy to so many in Upper Manhattan and across the city.”
“When we talk about helping our city and our economy recover equitably and inclusively, projects like this one are exactly what we mean,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “With its deep roots in the community, the People’s Theatre Project will provide cultural programming that reflects the diverse, immigrant community in Inwood. The selection of this group to operate this new center demonstrates our commitment to neighborhood growth that responds to and reflects community needs and cultural traditions and that will bring New York City back better than ever before.”
“We thank the mayor, NYCEDC, DCLA, and the administration for selecting People’s Theatre Project to lead the new center,” said Mino Lora, founding executive director, People’s Theatre Project. “For the last 13 years, we have been committed to uplifting the voices of immigrants and people of color in New York City. This center will be an exemplary space, where artistic excellence goes hand in hand with the centering of immigrants and people of color, welcoming the local community, and catalyzing civic action. It will connect, inspire, and activate generations of immigrants and their allies. Today’s announcement is an exciting moment for New York City, with an opportunity to build a community-rooted and anti-oppressive cultural institution from the ground up.”
Read the complete announcement here.
Photo credit PTP