named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Bookstore and Publications
Sells artist monographs and publications related to drawing, including Lee Quiñones' "50 Years of New York Graffiti Art and Beyond"
Exhibition Walkthroughs and Artist Talks
Public programs featuring artists and curators discussing exhibitions, such as the walkthrough with Lee Quiñones and Sean Corcoran on graffiti art
activities · 6 groups
What they do
-
Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 3 activities
- Hosting public conversations, artist talks, and panel discussionsOrganizes public programs featuring dialogues with artists, curators, and cultural practitioners, including panel discussions, book signings, and lectures on topics such as graffiti art history. Events include a June 2026 conversation between Laura Hoptman and Hamza Walker on Pope.L’s drawings.
- Hosting the Black Art Library exhibition and programmingPresents the Black Art Library as both an exhibition and community resource, featuring a curated selection of books celebrating Black art and artists. Includes a pop-up bookstore display and an on-site reading room for public engagement during the exhibition run.
- Organizing exhibitions of drawings and works on paperCurates and presents exhibitions focused on drawing as a central medium, including works by pioneering artists, non-traditional creators (e.g., tattoo artists, prisoners), and international artists. Exhibitions are accompanied by public programs, publications, and educational initiatives. Examples include "Certainly an Act: Works on Paper by Pope.L" and "The Way I See It: Selections from the KAWS Collection," which featured over 3,000 works by approximately 500 artists.
-
-
Community Art Education Workshops 2 activities
- Offering creative writing and drawing workshopsProvides interdisciplinary workshops combining creative writing and drawing, offered through an open application process to engage broader public participation in artistic expression.
- Providing public life drawing sessions and multilingual drawing eventsHosts regular life drawing sessions and public drawing events under the DrawNow! program, including in-person and online sessions accessible in American Sign Language and Spanish. These events are open to the public and designed to broaden access to drawing practice across language and ability barriers.
-
-
Equitable Access Admission Programs 1 activity
- Offering free museum admissionProvides free admission to all visitors at The Drawing Center, funded by the Cy Twombly Foundation, ensuring equitable access to exhibitions and programs.
-
-
Museum-Based Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Operating annual student exhibitions and youth education programsOrganizes annual exhibitions featuring drawings by youth participants, including the "Drawing Connections" program with NYC public schools such as P.S. 42, Lexington School for the Deaf, and Chelsea CTE High School. Offers free, 1.5-hour on-site educational programs for school groups, including guided tours and art-making workshops, with capacity for up to 25 students per group.
-
-
Artist and Curatorial Publications 1 activity
- Producing scholarly publications on drawingPublishes the Drawing Papers series, a catalog of scholarly publications accompanying exhibitions and exploring themes in drawing. Recent titles include "Drawing Papers 162: Certainly an Act: Works on Paper by Pope.L," "Drawing Papers 161: Ceija Stojka: Making Visible," and "Drawing Papers 157: The Way I See It: Selections from the KAWS Collection."
-
-
Digital Visitor Engagement via Mobile App 1 activity
- Providing digital access to exhibitions and programsOffers a digital guide via the Bloomberg Connects App featuring drawing activities, digital exhibition guides, and audio commentary by curators to extend access beyond physical visits.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.47M
Contributions & grants$4.11M92%
Program service revenue$178K4%
Investment income$54K1%
Other revenue$124K
expenses
Total expenses$3.59M
Program expenses69%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$1.74M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$11.76M
Cash$1.50M
Investments$1.15M
Liabilities$1.48M
Net assets$10.29M
Liquid reserves8.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +22.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Hoptman | Executive Director | 40 | $229K |
| Olga Tetkowski | Deputy Director | 40 | $126K |
| REBECCA BRICKMAN | DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT | 40 | $119K |
board members · 22
- Adam Pendleton — BOARD MEMBER
- Almine Ruiz-Picasso — BOARD MEMBER
- Amy L Gold — BOARD MEMBER
- Andrea Crane — Board member
- Barbara Toll — BOARD MEMBER
- Brad Cloepfil — BOARD MEMBER
- Curtis Talwst Santiago — BOARD MEMBER
- David Baum — Board member
- David M Pohl — BOARD MEMBER
- David Salle — BOARD MEMBER
- Dita Amory — BOARD MEMBER
- Frances Beatty Adler — BOARD MEMBER
- Harry Tappan Heher — BOARD MEMBER
- Hilary Hatch — Co-Chair
- Iris Z Marden — Secretary
- Jane Dresner Sadaka — Treasurer
- Jean-Edouard van Praet d'amerloo — BOARD MEMBER
- Joyce Siegel — BOARD MEMBER
- KAWS — BOARD MEMBER
- Linda Yablonsky — BOARD MEMBER
- Nancy poses — Board member
- Priscila Hudgins — Board member
relationships · 39
Who they work with
- Asmaa Walton Partner — Collaborates on public programming, including panel discussions.
- Asmaa Walton Partner — Participates in public programming as a speaker in panel discussions.
- Barbara Toll Funder — Provides funding that supports the operation of The Drawing Center's website.
- Bard High School Early College Queens Partner — Participating school in the Drawing All-Stars with Teen Art Salon program.
- Black Art Library Partner — Collaborates on a pop-up bookstore exhibition at The Drawing Center
- Black Art Library Partner — Collaborates with the Black Art Library to present a curated selection of books and operate a shared reading room at The Drawing Center.
- Brooklyn High School of the Arts Partner — Participating school in the Drawing All-Stars with Teen Art Salon program.
- Chelsea CTE High School Partner — Partnered with The Drawing Center for the Drawing Connections education program and participated in the Drawing All-Stars program.
- Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation Funder — Provides additional support for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- Cy Twombly Foundation Funder — Funds free admission to The Drawing Center.
- Edward R. Murrow High School Partner — Participating school in the Drawing All-Stars with Teen Art Salon program.
- Evelyn Toll Family Foundation Funder — Provides major support for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- Fiona and Eric Rudin Funder — Supports Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- Gramercy Arts High School Partner — Participating school in the Drawing All-Stars with Teen Art Salon program.
- Hauser & Wirth Funder — Provides major support for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- High School of Art and Design Partner — Participating school in the Drawing All-Stars with Teen Art Salon program.
- John Bowne High School Partner — Participating school in the Drawing All-Stars with Teen Art Salon program.
- Joyce Hom Partner — Teaching artist who co-hosted the ASL DrawNow! workshop
- LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation Funder — Provides major support for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- Lexington School for the Deaf Partner — Partnered with The Drawing Center for the Drawing Connections education program.
- Lily Auchincloss Foundation Funder — Provides major support for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Funder — Provides funding for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Funder — Provides additional support for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center.
- Museum of the City of New York Partner — Collaborates with senior curators from the museum on public programs and discussions about New York graffiti art.
- Myron Beasley Partner — Collaborates on public programming, including panel discussions.
- Myron Beasley Partner — Participates in public programming as a speaker in panel discussions.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funding for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center in partnership with the City Council.
- New York Community Trust Funder — Funds the Van Lier Fellowship program supporting high school students in the Drawing All-Stars program.
- New York State Council on the Arts Government — Provides public funding for Education and Community Programs at The Drawing Center with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
- Nic Annette Miller Partner — Teaching artist who co-hosted the ASL DrawNow! workshop
+ 9 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Drawing as Embodied and Cultural Practicemethodology: drawing-as-eventBy framing drawing as a temporal, conceptual, and culturally documenting act—linked to bodily movement, linguistic repetition, and urban youth expression—the organization positions it as a vital medium for personal and collective meaning-making, because this reconceptualization broadens public understanding beyond technical skill to include lived experience and social commentary.
- Expansive and Research-Based Curatorial Practicemethodology: research-oriented, non-hierarchical collectingBy adopting a non-hierarchical, research-oriented approach to collecting and exhibiting—particularly of historically overlooked movements like 1970s–80s graffiti and self-taught artists—the organization preserves marginalized cultural narratives and redefines drawing’s artistic significance, because inclusive curation challenges institutional exclusion and expands the canon.
- Inclusive Access Through Language and Disability Justicemethodology: language-accessible programmingBy offering drawing programs in American Sign Language and without vocal interpretation, and by providing ASL-interpreted online sessions, the organization centers Deaf participants and increases meaningful engagement, because linguistic and sensory accessibility fosters inclusion and cultural belonging.
- Integrated Exhibition, Publication, and Education Modelmethodology: exhibition-publication-education modelBy integrating exhibitions with scholarly publications and educational programs, The Drawing Center deepens public engagement with drawing as a dynamic art form, because combined modalities reinforce understanding, broaden access, and elevate under-recognized practices.
- Repeated Engagement Through Free and Accessible Programmingmethodology: free_admission_modelBy offering free admission and repeated exposure to changing exhibitions, especially in accessible formats like reading rooms and public workshops, the organization deepens visitor understanding of contemporary drawing, because sustained, low-barrier access encourages ongoing learning and connection across diverse audiences.