Museums of New York City: A SamplerIrma Watkins-Owens |
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As one of the world’s greatest cultural centers, New York City offers a wealth of museums, libraries, and historic sites. Many visitors will be familiar with the city’s most famous museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and the Whitney and Guggenheim Museums, which are listed below. Fifth Avenue from 82nd Street to 105th Street has been officially designated “Museum Mile,” because of the nine museums found there. However, those willing to explore some of the city’s less known cultural institutions in and beyond Manhattan will find unique and rewarding experiences of New York’s and the nation’s past. Enter a nineteenth-century tenement on the Lower East Side, visit the historic Hunterfly Road Houses in Weeksville, imagine New Yorkers’ first subway ride as you board a decommissioned 1904 subway car at Brooklyn’s Transit Museum. Or board the No. 7 train to Queens and visit the Louis Armstrong House. If time or inclination does not permit any of these adventures simply walk a few blocks from the conference hotel to the spectacular reading room of one of the city’s oldest circulating libraries at the Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, see vintage television at the nearby Paley Center (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio), or see a provocative installation of traditional folk art at the American Folk Art Museum just steps away from the hotel. New York’s many museums offer an unparalleled introduction to the city’s vibrant ethnic past and present for the cost of a Metrocard and museum admission, usually under $10.00 for adults. What follows is a small sample listing of the city’s enormous cultural offerings, organized by location. Uptown El Museo Del Barrio. New York City’s leading Latino cultural institution dedicated to Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American Art. Current exhibition: Arte ≠ Vida: Actions by Artists of the America’s 1960-2000, January 30-June 1. Hours: Wed. through Sun., 11:00 to 5:00. 1230 5th Ave. at 104th St. Metropolitan Museum of Art. One of the largest and finest art museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has over two million objects in its collections that span five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present. Hours: Tues. through Sun., 9:30 to 5:30. 1000 5th Ave. at 82d St. Museum of the City of New York. Vast collections of New York history in paintings, photographs, costumes, rare books, and sculpture. Long-term exhibitions include a history of the ports of New York and a history of Broadway. Hours: Tues. through Sun., 10:00 to 5:00. 1220 5th Ave. New-York Historical Society. Founded in 1804 the Society’s holdings cover four centuries of American history, and include one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, American art, and other materials. Hours: Tues. through Sat., 10:00 to 6:00; Sun., 11:00 to 5:45; open Fri. until 8:00. 170 Central Park West at 79th St. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a national research library which houses over five million items, including print materials, manuscripts, films, audio recordings, works of art, and other materials pertaining to people of African descent worldwide. Check the website for current exhibitions. Hours: Mon. through Wed., 12:00 to 7:45; Thurs. through Sat., 10:00 to 5:45. 515 Malcolm X Blvd. at 135th St. Solomon Guggenheim Museum. Housed in the world-renowned building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim is home to a vast collection of modern and contemporary painting and sculpture. Hours: Sat. through Wed., 10:00 to 5:45; Fri., 10:00 to 7:45. 1071 5th Ave. at 89th St. Studio Museum in Harlem. A contemporary museum that focuses on the work of artists of African descent from all over the world as well as works that have been inspired and influenced by African American Culture. Hours: Wed. through Fri., 12:00 to 6:00; Sat., 10:00 to 6:00; Sun., 12:00 to 6:00. 144 W. 125th St. Whitney Museum of American Art. A leading advocate of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American Art. Hours: Wed. through Thurs., 11:00 to 6:00; Fri., 1:00 to 9:00 (6:00-9:00 p.m., pay-what-you-wish admission); Sat. and Sun., 11:00 to 6:00. 945 Madison Ave. at 75th St. Midtown American Folk Art Museum. A leading cultural institution dedicated to the collection, exhibition, preservation, and study of traditional folk art— furniture, painting, textiles, sculpture, and pottery. Noteworthy is the major group of Amish, African American, and New England quilts and bedcovers and other needlework. Hours: Tues. through Sun., 10:30 to 5:30; Fri., 10:30 to 7:30; Each Friday, from 5:30 to 7:30, visitors can explore the galleries free of charge, have a drink in the cafe, and enjoy live music in the stunning atrium. 45 W. 53rd St. (One block from the conference hotel). Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). The world’s most renowned collection of modern and contemporary art. Upcoming exhibit: Design and the Elastic Mind, Feb. 24 through May 12. Hours: Sat. through Mon., 10:30 to 5:30; Wed. through Thurs., 10:30 to 5:30; Fri., 10:30 to 8:00. 11 W. 53 St., between 5th Ave. and 6th Ave. (A short walk from the conference hotel). Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio). Examines the intersection between media and society. An international collection of over 100,000 programs covers more than eighty years of radio and television history. Visitors can see and listen to rare television and radio programs, including commercials. Hours: Tues. through Sun., 12:00 to 6:00. 25 W. 52d St. Downtown African Burial Ground Monument. Hours: Mon. through Fri., 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 290 Broadway. Center for Jewish History. The holdings of the partners of the Center for Jewish History represent a collection of 100 million archival documents, manuscripts, and photographs; 500,000 library volumes; and tens of thousands of artifacts and works of art. The center also sponsors conferences, lectures, and exhibitions. The current exhibitions include, Bigger than Life: The Boundless Genius of Yiddish Theater, on view through April 27, 2008. Hours: Sun., 11:00 to 5:00; Mon. through Thurs., 9:30 to 5:00; Fri., 9:00 to 3:00. 15 W. 16th St., between 5th Ave. and 6th Ave. Eldridge Street Synagogue. The Eldridge Street Synagogue is the first great house of worship built on the Lower East Side by Eastern European Jews. Established in 1986, the not-for-profit Eldridge Street Project has restored the landmark building to its original architectural magnificence. Hours: Open for tours Sun. through Thurs., 10:00 to 4:00. 12 Eldridge St. «Ellis Island Immigration Museum/Statue of Liberty National Monument. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. daily. There is no entrance fee to enter the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. Ferry leaves from Battery Park at South Ferry. Fees: ages 13 and older, $12; senior citizens (62 and over), $10; children 4 to 12, $5. For ferry schedule, visit <http://www.statuecruises.com/>. Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Tours of the historic tenement building must be reserved in advance. Hours: Tues. through Fri., every 40 minutes beginning at 1:00, last tour at 4:45; Sat. and Sun., every 30 minutes beginning at 11:00, last tour at 4:30; Mon., no public tours. Tour times and prices vary by program. 91 Orchard St. Museum of Chinese in America. The museum conducts a highly recommended guided tour of Chinatown. Call in advance for reservations, 212-619-4785. In 2008, MoCA will move into a new, larger space at 215 Centre Street. Hours: Tues. through Sat., 12:00 to 6:00. 70 Mulberry St., 2nd Floor. National Museum of the American Indian. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) works in collaboration with the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere and Hawai‘i to protect and foster indigenous cultures, reaffirm traditions and beliefs, encourage contemporary artistic expression, and provide a forum for Native voices. All interpreters (tour guides) are of Native descent. Hours: Daily, 10:00 to 5:00; Thurs., until 8:00. George Gustav Heye Center, 1 Bowling Green. The Bronx Bronx County Historical Society. The Historical Society’s museum is located in the Valentine-Varian House. The house was built in 1758 by Isaac Valentine, a blacksmith and farmer who bought the land from the Dutch Reformed Church, and serves as the exhibition space of the Society. 3309 Bainbridge Ave.
Brooklyn Brooklyn Historical Society. Founded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society is a nationally renowned urban history center dedicated to the exploration and preservation of documents, artwork, and artifacts representative of Brooklyn’s diverse cultures, past and present. Hours: Wed. through Sun., 12:00 to 5:00; closed Mon. and Tues. 128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton St. Brooklyn Museum. The Brooklyn Museum, housed in a 560,000-square-foot, Beaux-Arts building, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Its world-renowned permanent collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art and represent a wide range of cultures. Only a thirty-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan, with its own newly renovated subway station, the Museum is part of a complex of nineteenth-century parks and gardens that also includes Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Prospect Park Zoo. Hours: Wed. through Fri., 10:00 to 5:00; Sat. and Sun., 11:00 to 6:00. 200 Eastern Parkway. Weeksville Heritage Center. Weeksville’s Historic Hunterfly Road Houses are what remain of the vibrant and self-sufficient African American community settled in the 1830s. The houses are New York City landmarks and are on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. Guided tours of the houses available by reservation. Hours: Tues. through Fri. at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00; Sat. from 11:00 to 3:00. 1698 Bergen St. Queens Louis Armstrong House. The mission of the Louis Armstrong House & Archives is to preserve and promote the cultural legacy of Louis Armstrong. This includes making the materials in the archives available to everyone, serving as a reference source for researchers, presenting concerts and educational programs about his life, and operating his home as a historic house museum. 34-56 107th St. Lewis H. Latimer House. Born in 1848 to escaped slaves living in Boston, the self-educated Lewis Latimer improved upon Thomas Edison’s lightbulb with the invention of a carbon filament that could remain illuminated longer than any previous models. Latimer’s development made wide-scale electric light functional and applicable in both domestic and office settings. Early in his career he assisted Alexander Graham Bell with the development of the telephone. Today, Lewis Latimer’s residence in Flushing, Queens, houses an archive of his papers and features Latimer’s restored office and laboratory. Call ahead for reservations. 34-41 137th St.
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