MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

EXHIBITION AND PUBLICATIONS:IN FY25, THE MUSEUM SHOWCASED 10+ SHOWS, INCLUDING OUR PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS, NEW YORK AS ITS CORE, AND TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS BRINGING IN CLOSE TO 185,000 VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THROUGH ITS EXHIBITIONS THE MUSEUM FOSTERS UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISTINCTIVE NATURE OF URBAN LIFE IN THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL METROPOLIS. EXHIBITIONS THAT HAVE OPENED OR WILL OPEN IN FY26 INCLUDE ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG'S NEW YORK, HE BUILD THIS CITY: JOE MACKEN'S MODEL, SONGS OF NEW YORK: 100 YEARS OF IMAGING THE CITY THROUGH MUSIC.SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATIONTHIS IS NEW YORK - 100 YEARS OF THE CITY IN ART AND POP CULTURE MAY 26, 2023 - JULY 21, 2024IN HONOR OF THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AS THE CITY'S STORYTELLER, THIS IS NEW YORK: 100 YEARS OF THE CITY IN ART AND POP CULTURE EXPLORES THE MANY WAYS THAT THE CITY HAS INSPIRED STORYTELLING ACROSS ART FORMS. IT FEATURES BOTH FAMOUS AND LESSER-KNOWN DEPICTIONS OF NEW YORK IN FILM AND TELEVISION, VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, MUSIC, POETRY AND LITERATURE, AND EVEN FASHION, PAINTING A COLLECTIVE, MOVING, AND SOMETIMES FUNNY VERSION OF A CITY THAT HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION OF THE WORLD. THE FULL-FLOOR EXHIBITION IS ORGANIZED AROUND THE TYPES OF URBAN SPACES WHERE THE STORIES OF NEW YORK ARE TOLD. "TEMPO OF THE CITY" EXPLORES THE WAYS IN WHICH ARTISTS HAVE DEPICTED LIFE IN THE CITY'S STREETS AND SUBWAYS, AND THE EMOTIONS THAT THE EXPERIENCE OF JOINING THE PUBLIC CROWD OFTEN EVOKE, WHETHER JOY OR ALIENATION, FEAR OR PRIDE. THE GALLERY ALSO FEATURES "SONGS OF NEW YORK," AN INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION THAT ALLOWS VISITORS TO EXPLORE THE RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY OF EACH BOROUGH THROUGH SONGS IT HAS INSPIRED. IN THE TIFFANY & CO. FOUNDATION GALLERY, "AT HOME IN NEW YORK" SPOTLIGHTS LITERATURE AND ART WORKS THAT ANIMATE THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF MAKING A HOME IN A CITY OF EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE. THE THIRD GALLERY, "DESTINATION: NYC," SHOWCASES WORK ABOUT THE CITY'S SPACES FOR GATHERING AND SPECTACLE, ITS DYNAMIC UNIQUE NIGHTLIFE SPOTS, AS WELL AS ITS ICONIC PARKS AND WATERFRONTS. A SPECIAL GALLERY, "YOU ARE HERE," DEDICATED TO NEW YORK ON FILM, PROVIDES AN IMMERSIVE 16-SCREEN EXPERIENCE DRAWN FROM HUNDREDS OF MOVIES ABOUT THE CITY MADE OVER THE PAST CENTURY. THE FILM IMMERSIVE ALSO INCLUDES AN INTRODUCTORY INSTALLATION, "SCENES FROM THE CITY" WHICH EXPLORES HOW NEW YORK HAS BEEN USED AS A MOVIE SET FOR THE PAST CENTURY. "YOU ARE HERE" DRAWS ON THE RICH ARCHIVE OF MOVIES SET IN NEW YORK, COMBINING THOUSANDS OF CINEMATIC MOMENTS ACROSS 16 SCREENS. SOURCES INCLUDE HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS, INDEPENDENT FILMS, DOCUMENTARIES, AND EXPERIMENTAL WORKS. BY JUXTAPOSING THESE MULTIPLE VISIONS, THE DAZZLING MONTAGES OF "YOU ARE HERE" MAKE CONNECTIONS AND CONTRASTS THAT ALLOW MOVIES TO COMMENT ON EACH OTHER ACROSS TIME AND SPACE. TOGETHER, THEY SHED NEW LIGHT ON THE VARIED NEW YORKS OF OUR COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION.BYZANTINE BEMB - NEW YORK BY MANNY VEGA DECEMBER 8, 2023 - JANUARY 6, 2025THE EXPERIENCE OF WALKING EL BARRIO THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK'S OWN NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD BE VASTLY DIFFERENT WITHOUT THE ARTWORKS OF MANNY VEGA (B. BRONX, 1956). HIS MOSAICS AND MURALS ADORN STREET WALLS, SUBWAY STATIONS, CULTURAL CENTERS, AND BUSINESS FACADES THROUGHOUT EAST HARLEM. MANY OF THESE WORKS CELEBRATE IMPORTANT FIGURESPARTICULARLY WOMENIN THE HISTORY OF THE PUERTO RICAN AND LATINX COMMUNITIES. VEGA HAS PROVEN HIMSELF DEFT AT NEGOTIATING THE SOPHISTICATED TASTES AND APPETITE FOR SPECTACLE OF AN EXTREMELY DIVERSE AND FAST-MOVING POPULATION. HIS STYLE HAS BEEN DUBBED "BYZANTINE HIP-HOP" FOR HIS UNCOMPROMISING TECHNICAL COMMAND THAT ENCOMPASSES ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN MOSAIC-MAKING AND THE ELECTRIFYING LINES OF HYPER-DETAILED SHARPIE PEN-AND-INK DRAWINGS. AS PART OF THE MUSEUM'S CENTENNIAL YEAR CELEBRATION, BYZANTINE BEMB: NEW YORK BY MANNY VEGA EXPLORED VEGA'S VISUAL STORYTELLING AND INTERWEAVED COMMUNITY STORIES WITH THEMES THAT RANGED FROM AFRICAN DEITIES TO URBAN MYTHOLOGIES, SPANNING THE PERSONAL AND THE COLLECTIVE. DEEPLY ROOTED IN AN IDIOSYNCRATIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIASPORA EXPERIENCE, WHICH IN HIS CASE INCLUDES COMMUNITIES IN EL BRONX, EL BARRIO, AND BAHIA, BRAZIL, VEGA'S WORLDVIEW IS COLORFUL, DANCEABLE, PASSIONATELY SPIRITUAL, AND COMPLEX-YET-ACCESSIBLE. THE SHOW MARKS THE MUSEUM'S COMMITMENT TO ITS THRIVING NEIGHBORHOOD AS IT LOOKS AHEAD TO ITS NEXT ONE HUNDRED YEARS.GINGERBREAD NYC 2024 - THE GREAT BOROUGH BAKE-OFF NOVEMBER 8, 2024 JANUARY 12, 2025FAMOUS LANDMARKS AND ICONS OF NEW YORK CITY-- LOVINGLY RECREATED IN GINGERBREAD. FROM ICE SKATING IN THE PARKS ACROSS THE FIVE BOROUGHS TO HOLIDAY DISPLAYS IN DEPARTMENT STORE WINDOWS, NOWHERE IS MORE ICONIC THAN THE CITY IN WINTER. NOW, SWEET DETAILS AND TASTY HISTORY COMBINE IN A MINIATURE FROSTED CITYSCAPE FOR OUR THIRD ANNUAL BAKE-OFF. THE MUSEUM INVITED BAKERS FROM ACROSS THE FIVE BOROUGHS TO CREATE GINGERBREAD DISPLAYS ON THE THEME OF "ICONIC NEW YORK" CREATING DISTINCTIVE BUILDINGS, PLACES, OR THINGS THAT REPRESENT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY, OR BOROUGH. ART DECO CITY: NEW YORK POSTCARDS FROM THE LEONARD A. LAUDER COLLECTION SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 FEBRUARY 17, 2025DURING THE 1920S AND '30S, THE BOLD NEW LOOK OF ART DECO HERALDED NEW YORK'S ARRIVAL AS A COSMOPOLITAN METROPOLIS: A CENTER OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, FASHION, AND CULTURE STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT FROM THE GREAT EUROPEAN CAPITALS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE PICTURE POSTCARD, A FORM OF MODERN COMMUNICATION, TRANSMITTED VIBRANT IMAGES AND MESSAGES AROUND THE GLOBE. ART DECO CITY: NEW YORK POSTCARDS FROM THE LEONARD A. LAUDER COLLECTION ILLUMINATED THE KEY ROLE POSTCARDS PLAYED IN TRANSFORMING NEW YORK INTO AN INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL DURING THE INTERWAR YEARS. FEATURING OVER 250 POSTCARDS AS WELL AS DECORATIVE ARTS, FASHION, PHOTOGRAPHY, DRAWINGS, AND ARCHITECTURAL MODELS, ART DECO CITY IMMERSED VISITORS IN THE DAZZLING STYLE THAT DEFINED THE MODERN CITY. THE EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPACT THAT COLORFUL, MASS-PRODUCED POSTCARDS HAD IN ESTABLISHING ART DECO LANDMARKS LIKE THE CHRYSLER BUILDING, EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, AND ROCKEFELLER CENTER AS INTERNATIONAL ICONS THAT EPITOMIZE THE STYLISHNESS OF MIDTOWN MANHATTAN. IN VARIED AND CREATIVE WAYS, POSTCARDS ECHOED THE SLEEK APPEAL OF THESE SOARING STRUCTURES, WHICH BELIED THE REALITIES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. PAIRING THESE SOUGHT-AFTER SOUVENIRS WITH AN ARRAY OF IMAGES, HISTORIC ARTIFACTS, FILM FOOTAGE, AND HANDS-ON INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES, THE EXHIBITION UNCOVERS THE ART DECO ELEMENTS THAT SHAPED NEW YORK'S IMAGE IN THE POPULAR IMAGINATION. MORE THAN AN AESTHETIC, ART DECO WAS THE LOOK THAT SOLD THE CITY TO THE WORLD.

COLLECTIONS CARE:DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 (FY25), THE COLLECTION'S DEPARTMENT CONTINUED ITS FOCUS ON CARING FOR AND MANAGING THE DIVERSE COLLECTIONS OF OVER 750,000 WORKS HELD BY THE MUSEUM. THE NUMEROUS TASKS PERFORMED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF NINE PEOPLE INCLUDE ATTENDING TO INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL REQUESTS, OVERSEEING NEW ACQUISITIONS (DONATIONS AND PURCHASES), UPDATING THE COLLECTION DATABASE AND ONLINE PORTAL, PROCESSING AND ADMINISTERING PHOTOGRAPHY REQUESTS, BUILDING AND MANAGING THE SHELBY WHITE & LEON LEVY INSTITUTIONAL ARCHIVE, AND OVERSEEING MCNY EXHIBITION INSTALLATIONS AS WELL AS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LOAN REQUESTS. SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATIONTHE COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS THE COLLECTION COMMITTEE AND PREPARES MATERIALS FOR THEIR REGULAR MEETINGS. THE TEAM ALSO SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WITH GRANT APPLICATIONS RELATED TO COLLECTION CARE.IN FY25, THE COLLECTION DEPARTMENT OVERSAW THE INSTALLATION AND DEINSTALLATION OF WORKS IN THE COLLECTION AND ON LOAN FOR THE FOLLOWING TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS AT MCNY: THE STETTHEIMER DOLLHOUSE IN A NEW LIGHT; ART DECO CITY: NEW YORK POSTCARDS FROM THE LEONARD A. LAUDER COLLECTION; SONGS OF NEW YORK: 100 YEARS OF IMAGINING THE CITY THROUGH MUSIC; ABOVE GROUND: ART FROM THE MARTIN WONG GRAFFITI COLLECTION; URBAN STOMP: DREAMS & DEFIANCE ON THE DANCE FLOOR; AS WELL AS ROTATIONS FOR THE ON-GOING EXHIBITIONS, ACTIVIST NEW YORK AND NEW YORK AT ITS CORE: PORT CITY AND WORLD CITY. THIS YEAR, THE MUSEUM ALSO LENT TWENTY-FOUR WORKS TO EXHIBITIONS AT FOUR INSTITUTIONS. THE COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT OF THE ROBUST ACQUISITION PROGRAM, WHICH IN FY25 INCLUDED 220 WORKS THROUGH DONATIONS AND PURCHASING. RIGHTS & REPRODUCTIONS, A DIVISION OF THE COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT, BROUGHT $78,571 IN FY25. THE DISTRIBUTION OF IMAGES OF THE COLLECTION AND ADDITION OF NEW PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE PORTAL ALSO HELPS TO MAKE THE COLLECTION MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE WIDER PUBLIC.