Jacobs & Johnson Announce Public-Private Partnership to Drum Up Critical Funding for Art Museum
Commitment to Create Finest Suburban Art Museum in the Nation

Roslyn, NY - Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) and Nassau County Legislator Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington), joined by Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi as well as officials from the Nassau County Museum of Art, today announced a public-private partnership that will provide critical funds to the museum, located in Roslyn.

"I am very pleased that we are able to provide these vital funds to this unique museum," Presiding Officer Jacobs said. "We want to take care of this museum so that residents and their families can enjoy it for years to come."

Presiding Officer Jacobs and Legislator Johnson announced that Nassau County is committed to providing up to $5 million in the 2006 budget to complement funds the Museum Board of Trustees is raising from private donors, which is expected to total $10 million, for construction of a state-of-the-art building. In addition, as part of the agreement, the County's subsidy to the museum will be capped at $550,000 annually with no increases in future years, and the County will no longer be responsible for additional operating costs associated with the new building, including security, maintenance and utilities.

"The Nassau County Museum of Art is a magnificent facility where our residents can learn about and appreciate many different kinds of art, from oil paintings to sculptures. Over the past five years, I have worked hard to ensure that the museum always continued to receive the funding that it needed. Today, I am very pleased that through this public-private partnership we can all continue to enjoy this amazing collection of art," said Legislator Johnson.

The museum brings to Nassau County a range of visual experiences and quality art education programs previously unavailable in this suburban area. Provided by the museum are the works of internationally acclaimed artists in the main museum building, a permanent collection of miniature rooms in the Tee Ridder Miniatures Museum, educational programs for all ages and special exhibitions for local talented artists.

The museum possess 145 acres; its formal gardens and fascinating history offer a setting unique for monumental outdoor sculpture, historic architecture, a collection of flora rare on Long Island, performances and first-rate fine art exhibitions.

The museum is located 20 miles east of New York City in Roslyn Harbor, Long Island. Since its privatization in 1989, it has become the largest suburban fine arts museum in the United States in terms of attendance, volunteer participation and budget. Slowly but surely, the museum is emerging from the shadow of the being the "best kept secret" in Nassau County to becoming the finest suburban art museum in the nation.

In 2004, Legislator Johnson also approved a $426,000 project to replace the museum's deteriorated elevator in order to bring the museum into compliance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act and enable senior and disabled visitors to view exhibits on every floor.

"I have always strongly supported funding for the museum," Legislator Johnson said. "The museum is not just a place to hang art in Nassau County-it serves as one of the most important cultural institutions on Long Island. I believe Nassau County's commitment to the museum's future is a critical and key component to the private/private partnership that exists between the county and the museum."