Nonprofit Talk: Queens Museum adjusts cultural programming for pandemic-era New York City

Sally Tallant is the president and executive director of the Queens Museum. Photo by Hugo Glendinning

By Sally Tallant, as told to the Eagle

Sally Tallant is the President and Executive Director of the Queens Museum. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park venue features contemporary art, events of hyperlocal and international impact, and educational programs reflecting the diversity of Queens and New York City. Changing exhibitions present the work of emerging and established artists, both local and global, that often explore contemporary social issues, as well as the rich history of its site. The Queens Museum is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. 

How has your organization navigated the pandemic?

We closed on March 16. Since that time, we have been working remotely to make sure that we remain connected with our communities. The team has done a remarkable job of developing multilingual online and analog content. For the first time, we have presented an online exhibition in partnership with the digital platform Gesso - Bruce Davidson: Outsider on the Inside  on line audio tour - and digital resources for our forthcoming exhibition, After the Plaster Foundation or Where can we live?. While we are closed, we are working with local organizations to operate as a food pantry, providing food for 1,000 families a week.

How are you now serving your constituents/clients/program participants?

We have developed experiences online, including multilingual activity sheets, Uploads for Downtime, and a collective art-making initiative in response to COVID 19 entitled LaVentanita, and we will show the results online and in the building. By sending materials directly to participants we are managing to provide art-making opportunities for adult caregivers of persons with dementia or long-term illness to discuss art via live video. We are doing a  Teen Social Justice Camp and our New New Yorker Programs have been operating remotely and have been involved in live-video writing and art-making sessions in Spanish and English.

How are you balancing the needs of your clients with the level of risk to your employees?

We have developed a plan for reopening that manages physical distancing and all of the safety protocols and feel prepared and ready to welcome people to the building. The health and safety of the team and the public is our top priority.  

What types of support do you most need support now?

We need to find ways to be useful and relevant for our communities. We want to be able to provide much-needed cultural and artistic experiences for our communities as they navigate the challenges of this time and those to come. Financial sustainability at this time is important, and we are grateful to the many supporter, including the City, that continue to make our work possible. 

What programs/services have you had to cut or scale back on? 

We have not been open, so have not been able to welcome people to our exhibitions, spaces and collections. We are developing ways to continue working with schools as they struggle to provide education at this time. Our education team is doing a great job of producing digital and analog educational materials and experiences. 

Are there open positions now and if so, which ones/what types?

We are recruiting for some new, exciting positions, including a Front of House Manager to lead our Welcome Team, and a number of new entry level roles of Museum Experience Fellows; these are full-time roles with hands-on training in all areas of the work of the museum built in. We are also looking for a brilliant Digital Content Producer to help us create dynamic material for our audiences.  

What is next for your organization? 

Once we are back in our building, we will open the exhibitions that were planned to open in spring 2020 and look forward to welcoming people back to the Museum. We are developing a model of a museum that puts artists, educators and organizers at its center. Education is at the heart of our work and we will continue to develop digital content and will broadcast from the museum as well as convene and create much needed moments of connection and intimacy. We will be hyper-local and international in our reach. 

What do you think the future holds for your sector as a result of the pandemic?

Globally, cultural leaders are working together to share information and knowledge at this time and there is a real community of support and collaboration despite the challenges we are each facing. We are finding innovative ways to keep our institutions afloat and to inspire our communities locally and globally. Despite all of these challenges we remain hopeful; we know that art and culture are central to the lives of our cities and citizens and we want to play our role in their recovery. We will offer free admission to remove financial barriers during this time of economic uncertainty and high unemployment.

Learn more about the Queens Museum at www.queensmuseum.org.