The museum was established in 1993 in the old Newsday building across from Roosevelt Field Mall in East Garden City.

[1] It moved in 2001 to a former airplane hangar with 40,000 square feet spread over two stories.

The county provided the hangar rent-free under a 60-year lease and the museum is to keep all revenue.

[citation needed] It has 12 galleries with interactive exhibits, three studio workshops and a 150-seat theater.

[3] LICM is a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and has been designated a "Primary Institution" by the New York State Council on the Arts.