AnniversaryFebruary 21, 2024
The Brooklyn Museum Celebrates 200th Anniversary
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Brooklyn Museum—one of the oldest, largest, and boldest museums in the United States. Starting in the fall of 2024, the Museum will celebrate its legacy and chart its future as a cultural organization that has continually evolved and innovated since its founding. Tracing its origins to 1824, when it was incorporated as Brooklyn’s first free circulating library, the Museum is grounded in a mission of building community, knowledge, and opportunity through art and culture. Today, the Brooklyn Museum is a global cultural hub nurtured by the freethinking spirit and creative energy of its home borough.
“This is a time of great momentum at the Brooklyn Museum! Always a trailblazer, the Museum has a long history of transformation and defying convention,” says Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, Brooklyn Museum. “We are a space that welcomes diverse points of view, challenges the status quo, and weaves together all forms of art and culture to represent the people we serve truly. At this exciting moment in our journey, we look forward to celebrating our history and future ambitions as a rigorous, joyous museum, historic and contemporary museum.”
The anniversary will kick off October 4–5, 2024. Two landmark exhibitions open on Friday, October 4: The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, a major group show highlighting Brooklyn artists, curated by an artist committee including Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli; and a significant reinstallation of the Museum’s American Art galleries, foregrounding Black feminist and BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) perspectives on American art history. On Saturday, October 5, a celebratory edition of First Saturday’s themed “Birthday Bash” will feature various activities, performances, and vendors from across the borough. The fall festivities continue with an immersive exhibition exploring gold in art history, fashion, and global culture, opening on November 15.
“This is a time of great momentum at the Brooklyn Museum! Always a trailblazer, the Museum has a long history of transformation and defying convention,” says Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, Brooklyn Museum. “We are a space that welcomes diverse points of view, challenges the status quo, and weaves together all forms of art and culture to represent the people we serve truly. At this exciting moment in our journey, we look forward to celebrating our history and future ambitions as a rigorous, joyous museum, historic and contemporary museum.”
The anniversary will kick off October 4–5, 2024. Two landmark exhibitions open on Friday, October 4: The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, a major group show highlighting Brooklyn artists, curated by an artist committee including Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli; and a significant reinstallation of the Museum’s American Art galleries, foregrounding Black feminist and BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) perspectives on American art history. On Saturday, October 5, a celebratory edition of First Saturday’s themed “Birthday Bash” will feature various activities, performances, and vendors from across the borough. The fall festivities continue with an immersive exhibition exploring gold in art history, fashion, and global culture, opening on November 15.
