Press Releases
Institution and Current Exhibitions
THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK PARTNERS WITH HUDSON NEWS TO OFFER INAUGURAL "CITY AS CANVAS" STREET ART-INSPIRED RETAIL COLLECTION
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (August 24, 2023) The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), NYC’s storyteller for a century, and Hudson, a travel experience leader, today announced a street art-inspired lifestyle collection titled “City as Canvas” – a new line of apparel, accessories, confectionary, and gifts.
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK TAPS STEPHANIE HILL WILCHFORT AS DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT
New York (July 18, 2023) The Museum of the City of New York, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023, today announced the appointment of Stephanie Hill Wilchfort as the new Ronay A. Menschel Director and President of the Museum. She begins at MCNY on September 11, 2023, taking the Director reins from Sarah Henry, the Robert A. and Elizabeth Rohn Jeffe Chief Curator, who has been leading the institution as Interim Director since the departure of Whitney Donhauser in late 2022. Dr. Henry continues her work as the Museum’s Chief Curator and Deputy Director, roles that she has held since 2005.
CANDY DIGITAL PARTNERS WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK TO HELP BRING MUSEUM EXPERIENCES TO THE BLOCKCHAIN
New York (May 25, 2023) Candy Digital, a next-generation digital collectibles company, announced the exclusive partnership with the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), becoming the official digital collectible partner of the 100-year-old museum located in Manhattan.
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK PRESENTS THIS IS NEW YORK: 100 YEARS OF THE CITY IN ART AND POP CULTURE
NEW YORK, NY (May 1, 2023) – Beautiful or menacing…opulent or awful…lively or lonely…fun or frightening…inspiring or irritating…New York City has been a muse for myriad artists over the last 100 years. Today, in celebration of its Centennial, the Museum of the City of New York announced details for This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture, an interactive and sweeping exhibition examining what NYC has meant to people, including artists, writers, and other creators who have been inspired by the city. Opening on May 26th, the exhibition features more than 400 objects across visual art, television and film, music, theater, literature, and fashion; a digital bookshelf interactive voiced by celebrities such as Matthew Broderick, Rosario Dawson, Lea DeLaria, Tessa Thompson, and more; as well as a must-see immersive film experience highlighting the sights, sounds, and significance of the city in cinema.
JFK’s TERMINAL 4 TO OFFER IMMERSIVE ART EXPERIENCES THAT EMBODY NEW YORK CITY
Queens, New York – March 2023 – Travelers will be able to experience immersive art experiences while traveling through John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4, as JFKIAT – the operator of Terminal 4 – announces it is expanding the T4 Arts & Culture program to present a curated, ongoing series of installations, exhibits and performances throughout the year that represent the full New York City experience, from local art to food, culture and beyond. JFKIAT formed a new committee to facilitate the T4 Arts & Culture Program, including the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), Delta Air Lines, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Terminal Four Airline Consortium.
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK PRESENTS NEW YORK NOW: HOME – A NEW PHOTOGRAPHY TRIENNIAL
NEW YORK, NY (February 2023) – There’s no place like home…home is where the heart is…home, sweet home…feeling at home. There are many evocative and iconic expressions about the concept, but what does home in New York City look like today? Opening March 10th, New York Now: Home – the inaugural edition of the Museum of the City of New York’s new contemporary photography triennial – considers the literal places we dwell and the homes we choose to make, exploring the many facets of contemporary homemaking in and around New York’s five boroughs. Inspired by the Museum’s landmark presentation of the same name in 2000, New York Now will occur every three years with different themes. Co-curated by Thea Quiray Tagle, Ph.D., associate curator of the Brown Arts Institute and the Bell Gallery at Brown University, and Sean Corcoran, MCNY's senior curator of prints and photographs, New York Now kicks off the Museum’s centennial year programming.
LISA CORTÉS PARTNERS WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN A FIRST LOOK DEVELOPMENT DEAL FOR LONGFORM CONTENT SETS FIRST TITLE "GINGERBREAD BOROUGH BAKE-OFF”
February 08, 2023 (New York, NY). Lisa Cortés (Little Richard: I Am Everything, Invisible Beauty) today announced a new global development agreement with the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) for shaping intellectual property from museum exhibitions for documentary production.
The first look deal — initiated by producer Jon Sechrist — builds a creative pipeline from MCNY’s 100 years of exhibitions to the screen. Targeted IP includes projects in the food, social justice, and music genres.
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK ANNOUNCES LIST OF ARTISTS SELECTED FOR NEW YORK NOW: HOME
Museum of the City of New York, NYC’s storyteller for nearly 100 years, today announced the list of 33 image-makers whose work will be included in the inaugural presentation of New York Now: Home - a photography triennial. Opening on March 10, 2023, the first installation focuses on the theme of “Home” and features photographs and artworks by artists that reveal a complex understanding of home in New York ’s five boroughs. With works ranging from social documentary to conceptual, the artists in New York Now: Home explore the ways that homes cross geographic borders; how homes are havens of safety for some but not all; the fact that homes are chosen as much as they are inherited; and the experience of homes that is made in our bodies. Together, the work celebrates the diversity of what home, family, kinship, and community are and can be in New York, now.
Museum Director Whitney Donhauser to Depart MCNY in December
Chief Curator and Deputy Director Sarah Henry Steps In As Acting Interim Director.
Food In New York
The Museum of the City of New York’s new exhibition, Food in New York: Bigger Than the Plate examines the powerful connections between New Yorkers–and countless others across the globe–fostered by food. The exhibition, which originated at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, now adapted to focus on eating and food systems in the Big Apple, Food in New York: Bigger Than the Plate is anchored around issues of sustainability and resiliency, labor justice, and equitable access to food. Opening September 16th, the indoor/outdoor show marks the first time that the Museum’s back terrace will be utilized as exhibition space.
Read the full press release in English, and Spanish
Museum Mile Festival Returns in Person Tuesday, June 14, 6 to 9 p.m
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host the Festival’s kickoff in collaboration with Neue Galerie New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; The Jewish Museum; Museum of the City of New York; El Museo del Barrio; and The Africa Center.
“Uptown Bounce” La Fiesta Regresa / Uptown Bounce Returns
El Museo del Barrio y El Museo de la Ciudad de Nueva York tienen el placer de invitarlo a unirse a nosotros en persona para el regreso de las fiestas de barrio gratuitas de verano, Uptown Bounce. los jueves de julio y principios de agosto. Cada fecha contará con los mejores DJ, invitados especiales, presentaciones en vivo, actividades artísticas y más. Todas las edades son bienvenidas.
Museum Mile Festival Returns in Person Tuesday, June 14, 6 to 9 p.m
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host the Festival’s kickoff in collaboration with Neue Galerie New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; The Jewish Museum; Museum of the City of New York; El Museo del Barrio; and The Africa Center.
Museum of the City of New York Inks Deal for Licensing Program with Parham Santana
The Brand Extension Agency, announces a new global licensing agreement with the Museum of the City of New York for consumer product brand development, retail branding, and licensing sales.
Museum of the City of New York transports visitors to pre-digital New York in Analog City: New York B.C. (Before Computers)
A new exhibition at Museum of the City of New York takes visitors on a visit to predigital New York, where analog innovations, professions, and industries fueled the city's growth and status. On view from May 20–December 31, 2022, Analog City: New York B.C. (Before Computers) presents more than 100 photographs and once-pioneering objects, from rotary phones to pneumatic tubes, offering an opportunity for visitors to reflect on the city’s history of progress and interact with many of the inventions that led the way for contemporary networks and industries.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Museum of the City of New York Announces New York Now: A Photography Triennial — Open Call for First Exhibition Focusing on Theme of “Home”
The Museum of the City of New York, NYC’s storyteller for nearly 100 years, announced the creation of New York Now: A Photography Triennial aimed at promoting diverse perspectives and reckoning with the new trends in the medium as well as in the city itself. New York Now is currently the only New York-based triennial dedicated to photography, video, and other related lens-based media. This exhibition, which was inspired by the Museum’s landmark presentation of the same name in 2000, will occur every three years with different themes. New York Now’s first installation will be mounted in March 2023, focusing on the theme of “Home.” An open call seeking submissions for consideration runs through June 17th.
Museum of the City of New York unveils new immersive installation “Raise Your Voice” by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
As a complement to its ongoing exhibition Activist New York, now entering its 10th anniversary, the Museum of the City of New York will unveil a new immersive mural installation by artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya that illustrates the resilience of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Yorkers, and solidarity across activist movements. Incorporating contemporary images and historical activist figures Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama, Phingbodhipakkiya’s installation “Raise Your Voice” invites audiences to consider their own power for advocacy.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Museum of the City of New York launches new digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app to enrich visitor experience
Museum of the City of New York launched a new, free digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies available for download from Google Play or the App Store. Featuring collection highlights, exhibition content, and in-depth multimedia experiences, the guide complements on-site visits and makes the Museum accessible from anywhere, offering insights for global digital visitors.
Celebrating the City: Recent Photography Acquisitions from the Joy of Giving Something
A llama in Times Square…fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge…polar bears playing in a pool at the zoo… subways, skylines, shadows, and stolen moments... all these things and more tell the varied story of New York City, captured by the lenses of many of the medium’s greatest photographers. Now, these images will be on view as part of “Celebrating the City: Recent Acquisitionsfrom the Joy of Giving Something Foundation,” opening February 18th at Museum of the City of New York. The exhibition will feature approximately 100 photographsselected from the more than 1,000 images recently gifted to the Museum by the Joy of Giving Something (JGS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the photographic arts.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Day-Glo December
It's a merry and EXTRA bright December at the Museum of the City of New York. Starting on December 10th, MCNY will be aglow – Day-Glo, that is – with a very 80s holiday celebration, inspired by the blockbuster exhibition, “New York, New Music: 1980-1986.”
Puppets of New York
Museum of the City of New York announces the opening of the exhibition Puppets of New York, examining how puppetry has impacted New York City and scanning the tremendous influence the city has had on this artform all over the world.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
New York, New Music: 1980–1986
Museum of the City of New York, the city’s storyteller for almost 100 years, today shared details for New York, New Music: 1980-1986, a new exhibition that revisits the music scene of early 1980s New York City. The exhibition examines this transformative era through the lens of emerging pivotal music genres and the influence they played on New York’s broader cultural landscape.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
RISING TIDE EXHIBITION AT MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK ILLUSTRATES THE DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS
As climate change continues to make headlines, Rising Tide: Visualizing the Human Costs of the Climate Crisis, a new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, features works by dutch photographer Kadir van Lohuizen that illustrate the dramatic effects of rising sea levels. Opening on April 16th—in advance of the 51st anniversary of Earth Day—the exhibition presents documentary photographs, videos, and drone images that shed light on rising sea levels in New York City and across the world, unveiling a staggering image of their effect on people globally.
Keys to the City
As spring brings the promise of warmer weather, Museum of the City of New York announces the return of in-person programming with its fully outdoor photo scavenger hunt, Keys to the City. Registration is now open for the event, scheduled for May 22, 2021. All clues will be located outside throughout Harlem, and the Hunt is designed to be done in a safe, socially distant manner.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
New NYCDOE “Hidden Voices” Project Introduces NYC Students to New Perspectives from LGBTQ+ History
Museum of the City of New York proudly announces that the Hidden Voices: LGBTQ+ Stories in United States History project is now available for New York City teachers. This curriculum supplement, the second volume in the Hidden Voices series, is the Museum’s latest collaboration with the NYC Department of Education, and features stories of individuals who are often “hidden” from the traditional historical record.
Museum of the City of New York hires James C. Horton as Vice President, Education and Engagement
Museum of the City of New York welcomes James C. Horton as its new Vice President of Education and Engagement, a newly-created role made possible through the philanthropy of the Museum’s dedicated supporters.
Your Hometown
Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), New York’s storyteller for nearly a century, together with producer and historian Kevin Burke, today announced details of a new podcast and live event series, Your Hometown, a show about growing up and how where we’re from shapes who we are.
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK RECEIVES A $150,000 GRANT FROM THE ROBERT DAVID LION GARDINER FOUNDATION
The funds will be used to embark on a project to digitize the Harry T. Peters papers – consisting of manuscripts, correspondence, ephemera, publications, prints, and photographs, and to upgrade the Museum’s nearly 10-year-old digital lab equipment in order to most effectively and efficiently continue the ongoing effort to digitally photograph its approximately 750,000-object collection and share it publicly via the online Collections Portal.
NEW YORK RESPONDS: THE FIRST SIX MONTHS
The Museum of the City of New York announced its upcoming exhibition, New York Responds: The First Six Months, which builds upon the outdoor photography installation that opened this summer. Pulling from the more than 20,000 objects, photographs, artworks, and stories submitted to the Museum’s open call, the exhibition features selections made by a community jury, reflecting the changes and challenges of life in New York City from March through August 2020.
Read the full press release in English and Mandarin.
Stettheimer Dollhouse: Up Close
Museum of the City of New York today shared details about The Stettheimer Dollhouse: Up Close, a new gallery installation celebrating one of its most popular artifacts, the Stettheimer dollhouse. Being presented in honor of the 75th anniversary of its arrival at the Museum and opening just in time for the holiday season, this special show gifts visitors with greater access to the lavish, highly detailed model – including additional rarely seen miniature 20th century modernist artworks—along with biographical information about the Stettheimer sisters and the members of their circle.
Read the full press release in English and Spanish.
Museum of the City of New York to honor architect Toshiko Mori with 2020 Louis Auchincloss Prize
New York, NY (October 26, 2020) - On November 19, 2020, the Museum of the City of New York will present its 2020 Louis Auchincloss Prize to architect Toshiko Mori. The evening's live virtual program will include the award presentation by Joan K. Davidson and a conversation between Mori and MoMA curator Paola Antonelli.
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Museum of the City of New York digital initiatives win awards, highlighting its leadership in innovative digital content
Three original online videos win 2020 Communicator Awards; HistoricNYC digital partnership with Urban Archive and LINK NYC win American Alliance of Museums Muse Award
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July 2020 at the Museum of the City of New York
Museum Re-Opens on July 23rd with Outdoor Installation, New York Responds
Read the full press release in English and Mandarin
City/Game: Basketball in New York
New exhibition explores the energy, excitement and impact of the iconic pastime in the Big Apple
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin
Collecting New York's Stories: Stuyvesant to Sid Vicious
A special exhibition featuring new collections acquisitions by Museum of the City of New York
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Who We Are: Visualizing NYC by the Numbers
New multimedia exhibition examines the importance and impact of the Census -- How we are counted and what’s at stake.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin
Cultivating Culture: 34 Institutions that Changed New York
Through original imagery and objects, this exhibition tells the stories of the diverse organizations that make up New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group, which help cement New York’s status as the cultural capital of the world.
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Urban Indian: Native New York Now
New exhibition features contemporary art, documentary, and community memorabilia examining native experience in New York.
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BLUE MAN GROUP: READY...GO!
Interactive installation devoted to the legendary New York creative collective puts the “play” back in summer
Read the full press release in English and Spanish
Cynthia Rowley to Receive the 2019 City of Design Award at Museum of the City of New York’s Annual Spring Symposium & Luncheon on June 5
Designer Prabal Gurung will present Rowley with her award and will join her at the Symposium for a discussion about her career.
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City of Workers, City of Struggle: How Labor Movements Changed New York
This exhibition will examine the social, political, and economic story of the diverse workers and movements in New York through rare documents, artifacts, photographs, archival film footage, and interactive features.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg In Conversation
WNET and The Museum of the City of New York Partner to Bring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg In Conversation to Public Television in January.
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Cycling in the City: A 200-Year History
Cycling in the City: A 200–Year History, on view at the Museum of the City of New York from March 14, through October 6, 2019, will trace how the bicycle transformed urban transportation and leisure in New York City and will explore the extraordinary diversity of cycling cultures, past and present.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin
In the Dugout with Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait of a Baseball Legend
In 1947 Jackie Robinson made history when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era. Opening on January 31—Robinson’s 100th birthday— the exhibition will feature 32 photographs (most of them never published); rare home movies of the Robinson family; and memorabilia related to Robinson’s career.
Read the full press release in English and Spanish
A City for Corduroy: Don Freeman’s New York
A City for Corduroy: Don Freeman’s New York, on view at the Museum of the City of New York from November 21, 2018, through June 23, 2019, is the first major exhibition devoted to Freeman’s work as a chronicler of New York City life.
Read the full press release in English and Spanish
Interior Lives: Contemporary Photographs of Chinese New Yorkers
Interior Lives: Contemporary Photographs of Chinese New Yorkers features the work of three photographers—Thomas Holton, Annie Ling, and An Rong Xu—who bring into focus the complex realities of Chinese-American immigrant life in the city.
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Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis
Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis explores the complex story of New York City’s long battle against infectious disease.
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Through a Different Lens: Stanley Kubrick Photographs
Through a Different Lens: Stanley Kubrick Photographs explores the iconic director’s formative years as a photographer for Look magazine between 1945-1950 and revealing the foundations of his creative transformation from photojournalist to cinematic legend.
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Rebel Women
Rebel Women: Defying Victorianism explores the trailblazing women who challenged Victorian social norms in 19th-century New York City.
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Elegance in the Sky: The Architecture of Rosario Candela
Elegance in the Sky: The Architecture of Rosario Candela explores the legacy of renowned architect Rosario Candela (1890–1953), who played a major role in transforming and shaping luxury living of 20th century Manhattan with the design of the distinctive “prewar” apartment buildings.
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Art in the Open: Fifty Years of Public Art in New York
Art in the Open: Fifty Years of Public Art in New York, chronicles, celebrates, and examines the last half century of art and innovation that has made the city the most vibrant environment for public creativity in the world.
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Activist New York
Activist New York examines the ways in which ordinary New Yorkers have advocated, agitated, and exercised their power to shape the city’s—and the nation’s—future.
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New York at Its Core
New York at Its Core is the first-ever museum show to comprehensively interpret and present the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World,” a preeminent global city now facing the future in a changing world.
Read the full press release in English, Spanish, and Mandarin
Timescapes
Timescapes, the museum’s popular and critically-acclaimed multimedia experience, brings the sweeping narrative of New York City from the early 1600s to the present day.
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She Built NYC
De Blasio Administration Announces Four New Monuments Honoring Female Leaders As Part of She Built NYC Initiative
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LinkNYC
LinkNYC, DoITT Announce Content Partnership with the Museum of the City of New York
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LinkNYC and DoITT Partner with Museum of the City of New York for Women’s History Month
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LinkNYC, DoITT, Museum of the City of New York Launch “On This Day in NYC History” Feature on Links in Spanish, Mandarin
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LinkNYC, DoITT, the Museum of the City of New York and Urban Archive Launch Historic NYC: Photography from NYC History Displayed on Links Across the City
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Institutional Grants
MCNY receives Collections Stewardship grant from The Institute of Museum and Library Services
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MCNY receives grant from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to digitize 17th, 18th, and 19th Century manuscript items
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MCNY receives digitization grant from The Institute of Museum and Library Services
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MCNY receives cataloging grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for LOOK Collection photographs
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MCNY receives grant from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to digitize rare manuscripts
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Phantom Fashion 30
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Bank of America and The Phantom of the Opera have partnered to commemorate Broadway’s longest-running musical with a unique project in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
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2018 Louis Auchincloss Prize
Museum of the City of New York honors Jason Robert Brown with the 2018 Louis Auchincloss Prize, in recognition of the Tony Award winner’s contributions to New York City’s theater community.
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Manhattan Neighborhood Network Content Partnership
Public access cable network to air Museum’s Future City Lab symposiums, featuring Matt Katz, Dan Barber, Julia Moskin, Eddie Bautista, and other prominent voices discussing the challenges of urban planning and living
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