Anthology Film Archives Library Project

FAIN: CHA-264437-20

Anthology Film Archives, Inc. (New York, NY 10009)
John Mhiripiri (Project Director: August 2018 to present)

Construction of a new library unit, as part of a larger renovation of the Anthology Film Archives (AFA), to improve preservation and provide access to rare printed materials and unique archival collections documenting the history of American and international experimental cinema.

Anthology Film Archives (AFA) is requesting a $750,000 NEH Challenge Grant to support the construction of a new, publicly accessible library. The library is the centerpiece of a major capital project to expand and renovate AFA’s facilities—for 30 years housed in Manhattan’s 1919 former Second Avenue Courthouse building—which will nearly double AFA’s overall space from 20,000 to 35,000 square feet. The total project budget is $15.3 million with $10.5M raised to date. AFA has received cash donations and pledges from foundations and individuals totaling $5.5M; the City of New York has committed $4.5M; and an additional $4.8M remains to be raised, $3.75M of which will be dedicated to the library. Major outcomes for the project will be to improve conditions for the preservation, study, and exhibition of artist-made film and media, enabling AFA to serve significantly more visitors and ensure its invaluable collections are preserved at the highest standards and more broadly accessible to all.