Developed and backed by $84M in City investment, the cultural center will expand the presence of BAM and Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), create a dedicated home for 651 ARTS, and establish the first-ever Brooklyn Public Library branch dedicated to arts and culture.
Photo by Gregg Richards, courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library
Additional photos available for download here.
Brooklyn, NY (January 28, 2025) – Today, New York City First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer joined 651 ARTS, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), Brooklyn Public Library, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to celebrate the opening of the L10 Arts and Cultural Center, a first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary arts hub located at 10 Lafayette Avenue. This 65,000 square-foot dedicated creative space will host three new cinemas and additional spaces for BAM; the first branch of Brooklyn Public Library dedicated to arts and culture; a gallery, cafe and performance space for MoCADA; and rehearsal studios and performance space for 651 ARTS – the organization’s first permanent space.
Developed by Two Trees Management in partnership with NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYCEDC, and designed by Andrea Steele Architecture, L10 serves as a community anchor in the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, dedicated to fostering collaboration among its partner institutions while serving as a vibrant gathering place where New Yorkers of all ages and abilities can learn, create, and connect. L10 is part of a larger mixed-use development that also includes affordable housing, retail, and a public plaza. L10 is supported by over $80 million in city capital investment and $16.9 million in private funding.
Programming at L10 will include performances, film screenings, lectures, and exhibitions that elevate the creativity and diverse voices of Brooklyn and beyond. The Library for Arts and Culture will feature a curated collection of books, music, plays, and magazines, as well as modern and contemporary art books. The library will also feature an archival collection of museum and gallery catalogues and will offer in-depth workshop conversations with artists and curators related to titles in the collection, made possible through the support of Ryan E. Lee. MoCADA’s Culture Lab II space features an art gallery and café that celebrate Africa and its global diaspora via a diverse lineup of programming, including MoCADA Radio and a Cultural Food Residency series. L10 will also host the BAM KBH, which features the first public home for the BAM Hamm Archives and the Leon Levy & Shelby White reading room, two 108 seat cinemas, a 25-seat screening room, and the Samuel H. Scripps Education Center—a state-of-the-art flexible black box theater with seating up to 60 people. Together these spaces create a fully accessible hub for artists, students, and educators to research, experiment, and present community-based art and public programming across film, archive, and performance.In addition, the Center’s public plaza will host future outdoor programming, offering opportunities for community participation in an open, welcoming space. 651’s ARTS’ space features a state of the art black box theater, three rehearsal studios, as well as a gallery/gathering space, which will deepen its’ programmatic offerings. 651 ARTS will also launch a studio rental program for artists and arts groups.
“Make no mistake – the L10 Arts and Cultural Center is a really big deal!” said DCLA Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “This amazing new facility has been worked toward and dreamed of by the people who made it a reality for a very long time. And now, 651 Arts now has its first-ever home. MoCADA has five times as much exhibition space. BAM has three new cinemas and an archive in the KBH space, and Brooklyn Public Library has a unique branch focused on the arts. Thanks to a historic city investment, New Yorkers now have an incredible new cultural facility and hub that will welcome audiences, drive local economies, and serve as a community hub for generations to come. Thank you to all the partners who made this possible, and congratulations to these organizations on this exciting new chapter.”
“This permanent home at 10 Lafayette is a watershed moment in our history,” said Toya Lillard, Executive Director of 651 ARTS. “For 37 years, 651 ARTS has been an arts presenter of innovative performing arts from across the African Diaspora, and our new 12,500 sq. ft., multipurpose facility will be 651 ARTS’ first ever rooted space, our opportunity to boldly declare: the world is our stage but Brooklyn is our home.”
“We are thrilled to be opening L10 alongside three incredible organizations, all of which are integral to Brooklyn’s dynamic cultural district,” said Gina Duncan, President of Brooklyn Academy of Music. “Our space, BAM KBH, will allow us to expand our film and education offerings so we can better serve our local community, while our first-ever public archive space will give visitors the chance to connect with more than 160 years of historical events that took place right here in Brooklyn. I’m looking forward to collaborating with our partner organizations and grateful to the city for their support in realizing our vision for this space.”
“Today we celebrate the opening of Brooklyn’s first public library dedicated to arts and culture.” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “From this stunning space in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, we are proud to deepen our commitment to our borough’s vibrant creative community– artists, makers, and dreamers who have long turned to Brooklyn Public Library for knowledge and inspiration. With the support of our extraordinary partners at L10 and the vital contributions of Mayor Adams, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Cumbo, NYCEDC President Kimball, and everyone who made this project a reality, we are thrilled to open our doors and embark on this exciting new chapter.”
"Expanding our NYC campus with the opening of MoCADA Culture Lab II in our 25th anniversary year, has truly rooted our work as Brooklyn's first and only museum dedicated to uplifting global Black art and culture and serving as a catalyst for ideas and community connections, right in the neighborhood,” said Amy Andrieux, Executive Director and Chief Curator of MoCADA. “We are honored to be among the organizations set to bring this groundbreaking hub of multidisciplinary arts experiences to life."
“The L10 Arts and Culture Center honors this community’s cultural heritage and will nurture the next generation of world-changing artists in Brooklyn and across the five boroughs,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “The 65,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art space – complete with performance spaces, rehearsal studios, a new public library, and theater space – showcases New York City’s commitment to arts and culture. With thanks to the Department of Cultural Affairs and the cultural partners who call this space home, NYCEDC could not be more excited to open this new cultural hub in the heart of Brooklyn.”
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About ASA
Andrea Steele Architecture is an award-winning New York-based architectural practice focused on institutional, cultural, and community-oriented projects. With a growing team of architects, interior designers, urban planners, and researchers from all over the world, ASA approaches architecture as a way of creating connections and alignments: between a client’s culture and the public sphere; between the local and the universal; between thought and action.
Learn more by visiting us on Instagram, LinkedIn or our website.
About 651 ARTS
651 ARTS is a 37 year old legacy organization that is committed to deepening awareness of, and appreciation for, the contemporary performing arts and culture of the African Diaspora, as well as providing professional and creative opportunities for artists of African descent by presenting dance, music, theater, and interdisciplinary performance-based art, producing compelling and truthful art that centers and celebrates Black voices, and through partnerships with cultural and community organizations to expand our reach and further fuel arts ecosystems in Brooklyn. Learn more by visiting us at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About BAM
BAM is the home for curious people and adventurous ideas. It supports artistic experimentation and champions inclusion and accessibility throughout the arts as presenter, activator, and connector. It is led by President Gina Duncan.
For more than 160 years, BAM has been a thriving, urban multi-arts complex renowned for presenting an unparalleled roster of visionary and cutting-edge dance, theater, music, opera, visual arts, literature, and film engagements. Attracting more than 750,000 people annually to its home in Brooklyn, BAM provides a welcoming cultural stage and meeting place for global and local communities of all backgrounds. BAM’s distinctive multi-theater campus is alive year-round with inspired new engagements and signature programs alike including the renowned Next Wave (one of the world’s most influential festivals of contemporary performing arts, founded in 1983), the iconic DanceAfrica, an acclaimed repertory film program, and literary, archival, educational and humanities programs. For more information visit BAM.org.
About MoCADA
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA) celebrates the cultural breadth of Africa and its diaspora through a diverse range of exhibitions, public art, educational + community-based programs, as well as social justice interventions. As Brooklyn's first and only museum dedicated to the creation and interpretation of contemporary Black arts and culture, MoCADA was born from the graduate thesis of our founder Laurie Angela Cumbo, who was driven to design an equity model centering the feasibility of an African art museum contributing to the revitalization of Black neighborhoods while championing the artistry of undeserved creatives from the community we serve. Twenty-five years later, MoCADA has expanded from a grassroots startup with a social justice mission into an internationally-recognized arts institution operating across a multi-venue NYC campus and beyond, online and off-site. To deliver on its promise for cross-cultural exchange and other life-sustaining resources, MoCADA strives to balance social inequality by instilling a sense of pride through representation and access to the arts. More than a museum, MoCADA is a vehicle for social change, an arts incubator, and a community bridge that transforms people and neighborhoods near and far.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.