With support from SNF, MoMA has expanded the scope and staffing of its Community and Access Programs, coordinating across all areas of the Museum to make sure its offerings are accessible and initiating new staff trainings on accessibility best practices.
A new cohort of SNF interns also started at the Museum last month for the 2019-2020 internship cycle, in Public Programs, Film, International Program, and Research and Development. SNF launched its support for MoMA internships in 2013 as part of its major Recharging the Youth initiative, an effort to open up new opportunities for the generation of young Greeks severely impacted by the country’s economic crisis. In 2017, SNF furthered its support to extend the internship program through 2022.
SNF support for MoMA extends back to 1997, nearly to the Foundation’s beginning. In February 2019, SNF’s Board of Directors approved a significant new grant in support of MoMA’s push to increase accessibility and expand its critical community programs by 70%. The effort includes programs such as Art inSight (for blind or partially sighted individuals), Interpreting MoMA (for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing), Create Ability (for individuals who have learning disabilities), and Meet Me at MoMA (for individuals with dementia and their caregivers), among others.
SNF’s support for accessibility at MoMA aligns with the Museum’s recent reimagining of its galleries, carried out concurrently with a significant expansion. The museum, closed while “the new MoMA” was being realized, reopened on October 21. The new approach presents works from a greater variety of artists in conversation across media and era, exploring new perspectives, artists, and geographies. New street-level galleries are free and open to the public, and a new studio in the heart of the galleries will host performances, artist residencies, and innovative installations and programs.