Museum hopping just became a thing to kick off summer for the 47th time: to celebrate 400 years of art in New York City on Fifth Avenue.
On Tuesday, June 10, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. eight museums and several neighborhood partners come together for the 47th annual Museum Mile Festival, New York City’s biggest block party to take place, rain or shine for FREE.
You can join the Museum Mile Festival’s opening ceremony at 5:45 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Avenue). Audiences can share the festivities using #MuseumMileFestival on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and X throughout the evening.
The eight institutions participating in this highly successful collaboration are The Metropolitan Museum of Art; 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.
Photo: David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (82nd Street): Create art, catch a performance, check out current exhibitions: like the newly opened P.S. Art: Celebrating the Creative Spirit of New York City Kids.
Neue Galerie New York (86th Street): Austrian Masterworks from the Neue Galerie is on view. The Book Store and Design Shop will remain open late, too!
Guggenheim New York (89th Street): will host a series of outdoor activities on Fifth Ave tied to its current exhibition, Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers. Inside the museum, there will be access to all exhibitions as well as live piano performances activating Johnson’s Sanguine.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (91st Street): invites visitors to explore its current exhibition, Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial. Inspired by the exhibition and the 400th anniversary of the founding of New York City, the museum will host a drawing activity about the places, people and things that make the city home.
The Jewish Museum (92nd Street): inside exhibitions on view are Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity and The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt. Outside, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars will perform and a family art activities will be offered, Mini Poster Designs inspired by striking works in the Ben Shahn exhibition.
Museum of the City of New York (103rd-104th Streets): celebrate with art, history, and hands-on fun. On view are: Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection and Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor. Outdoor activities range from street games and Bhangra dance to crafts, mapping, and artifact exploration. Featuring bilingual programming and a partnership with Cool Culture, live music, and family-friendly workshops.
El Museo del Barrio (104 – 105th Street): enjoy music, art making and access to exhibitions, Mestre Didi: Spiritual Form and Candida Alvarez: Circle, Point, Hoop. East Harlem organizations will join all night long with performances by DJ, Chiquita Brujita, and make your own artwork with Museo educators.
The Africa Center (110th Street): presents Sarah Elawad’s When the War is Over, a powerful and poetic visual statement that engages passersby in a conversation about culture, memory, and resilience, and related to the current conflict in Sudan. Inside, visitors view the photography exhibition Between Nostalgia & Dreams, by Yusuf Ahmed; with live music by Alsarah and the Nubatones.
Established in 1978 to increase public awareness of its member institutions and promote public support of the arts, the Museum Mile Festival serves as a model for similar events across the globe.
