The Heckscher Museum of Art was honored to be selected as an award winner at the 13th annual Long Island Imagine Awards on April 29th. The Museum gratefully serves as a forum for community where sharing and educating lead to better understanding and empathy. It was especially meaningful to receive The Chase for Business award honoring our work advancing core values and IDEAs advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. Accepting the award, Heather Arnet, Executive Director and CEO, reiterated the Museum’s commitment to ensure all people have access to the arts and feel safe and welcome in our galleries. Congratulations to all the deserving Long Island organizations recognized at the well-attended event! The award came with a $6.000 prize that will help continue the work of engaging and supporting our community. Click on the finalist video to learn more about The Heckscher Museum’s work!
The Heckscher Museum of Art | Imagine Awards Winner 2025
The award recognized the Museum’s mission to create opportunities for everyone to experience art that broadens understanding of the past, fosters community connections to the present, and creates diverse possibilities for the future. A recent grant from Bank of America, has helped to remove cost as a barrier, by underwriting free admission to the Museum year-round. Museum exhibitions interpret multifaceted stories about American art, with particular emphasis on illuminating the creative and cultural contexts of artists and peoples who traditionally have been excluded from historical narratives. To honor and serve our growing Latinx community, all Museum signage and wall text are now fully bilingual (English/Spanish). Museum staff and the accessibility Advisory Group created multi-sensory art experiences involving braille, 3D tactiles ASL, and increased accessible seating. Thoughtful exhibitions and year-round public programming celebrating Lunar New Year, DÃa De Muertos, Pride, Juneteenth, Haitian Mother’s Day, and Ramadan, center community in ongoing organization-wide work to advance accessibility, accountability, and community representation throughout the Museum.
