Mission
shaping a more civil society and public life
Midtown Arts Common enters its fourth decade with renewed commitment and mission. Founded in 1977 as an independent 501(c)(3), Midtown Arts Common has been dedicated to sharing resources to enrich Midtown Manhattan, and in particular, the community that surrounds it at the intersection of 54th Street and Lexington Avenue, through the arts and other expressions of civic life.
The Common’s original vision is now finding new life and purpose: to become the leading organization in Midtown Manhattan dedicated to creatively shaping a more civil society through providing common space, promoting the arts and supporting artists and patrons.
Midtown Arts Common has the advantage of staging its activities in two spaces unique among American cities: the award winning 601 Lexington Avenue—which pioneered the integration of a building base into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood, and the provision of function space to serve as an “urban village green”—and the soaring, yet intimate spaces at Saint Peter’s Church. Created by the renowned architect Hugh Stubbins and designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli, and honored by the Municipal Arts Society, these spaces are architecturally striking while providing flexible and comfortable spaces for a wide variety of events.