Staten Island, NYC Teachers In All Boroughs Shop Materials For the Arts Warehouse For Free School Art Supplies From Community, Arts, Organizational Donations

MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS KICKS OFF “MFTA AFTER HOURS: LATE NIGHT TEACHER SHOPPING” FOR BACK TO SCHOOL, WELCOMES NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO SHOP FOR FREE SUPPLIES, ANNOUNCES FIVE NEW RESIDENCY SCHOOLS

On Thursday, October 1 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, MFTA will restart the “MFTA After Hours” program, extending shopping hours for public school teachers every first Thursday of the month through the end of the school year

MFTA also announces five new NYC Public Schools will receive free residencies with MFTA Teaching Artists to support sustainable, creative programming in schools

Materials for the Arts shopper stocks up on costumes. Courtesy of MFTA.

Editor’s note: Materials for the Arts hosts teacher shopping all during the school year at their warehouse, and are always supporting the ability for teachers to add arts and culture into their programming.  Theatrical props, costumes, and set pieces have been donated from such Broadway shows as Phantom of the Opera and Seussical the Musical, with local students benefiting from the use of these materials in their own creative productions and plays.  MFTA has also hosted several exhibits, including during this past year, with the Accidental Archive by Sto Len most recently, along with Scooter’s Lucky Finds, Second Chances exhibit and the Harlem outdoor art exhibit titled “From Root To Bloom” at Marcu Garvey Park.  

Queens, NY – Materials for the Arts (MFTA) – a program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the city’s premier creative reuse center for arts nonprofits, public schools, and city agencies – welcomes NYC Public School teachers across the five boroughs for the start of the annual “MFTA After Hours: Late Night Teacher Shopping” program, which extends shopping hours for public school teachers every first Thursday of the month through June 2027. While MFTA proudly serves public school teachers year-round, during this time, teachers are reminded to visit the MFTA warehouse for free supplies throughout the school year. Educators across all subject areas are invited to MFTA’s massive, 35,000-square-foot warehouse in Long Island City to “shop” (free of charge) from a wide array of donated materials, including paper, office supplies, electronics, furniture, fabric, books, postcards, and craft items. Teachers from MFTA’s 1,800+ member schools can schedule their appointment to pick up free supplies on MFTA’s website.

“Materials for the Arts is an incredible resource for our public schools,” said NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. “With the return of ‘MFTA After Hours,’ we hope educators from across subject areas and boroughs shop at MFTA for free supplies for creative hands-on projects for students.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome teachers to shop for free supplies at MFTA,” said MFTA Executive Director Tara Sansone. “While MFTA is available to public schools year-round, we’re honored to extend our hours to better serve teachers through our ‘MFTA After Hours’ program during the school year and to expand our in-school residencies to five new schools—for free.”

Launched in 2023, “MFTA After Hours: Late Night Teacher Shopping” extends MFTA’s hours until 7:00 PM on a monthly basis to accommodate the schedules of educators who might not be able to visit the warehouse during regular hours. This school year, MFTA After Hours will begin on Thursday, October 1 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM and will welcome teachers with 75 goodie bags filled with notebooks, water bottles, pins and patches from Badge Bomb, and a variety of stickers from Apply Stickers. MFTA staff will also provide live demonstrations of creative reuse projects including envelope books, file folder puppets, and reuse textile weaving. Late night teacher shopping will continue on the first Thursday of every month through the end of the school year.

MFTA is also pleased to announce that it will be providing five new NYC Public Schools with free in-school residencies funded by the Ford Foundation and Friends of Materials for the Arts. Through MFTA’s residency program, teaching artists lead classes within schools with hands-on activities that inspire students to look differently at materials, resources, and their everyday environment. They show school staff how to integrate MFTA’s mission into participating schools’ curriculum. With the addition of the five new schools, MFTA will have 25 residency schools for the 2026-27 school year.

In addition to working directly within schools, MFTA leads professional development classes, allowing teachers to earn P-Credits and CTLE hours to enhance their qualifications and salary potential. These courses empower educators to integrate creative reuse, art, and interactive, sustainable projects into their lesson plans across all subjects. MFTA’s fall P-Credit Course Music: The Sounds of Math, Science & Social Studies begins October 10.

MFTA shopping is by appointment only. Teachers interested in shopping at Materials for the Arts must schedule their appointment online. Educators can contact their principal to make sure their school’s MFTA account is up-to-date and to be added to their school’s account. Visit www.nyc.gov/mfta to learn more.

Books at MFTA warehouse. Image Credit – MFTA

Shoppers at MFTA warehouse. Image Credit – MFTA

Shoppers at MFTA warehouse. Image Credit – MFTA

File Folder Puppets – Photo courtesy of MFTA

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File Folder Puppets – Photo courtesy of MFTA

Costumes at MFTA warehoue. Image Credit – MFTA

Banner Image: File Folder Puppets – Photo courtesy of MFTA