Many parents say that the idea of taking their children on a museum outing is intimidating, The Museum Mile Festival is a family friendly opportunity to introduce your children to the joys that can be found in our city’s cultural institutions.
This year’s festival is on Tuesday, June 14, and it kicks off with an opening ceremony at 5:45 pm at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Tom Finkelpearl and other city and state dignitaries will be on hand, followed by a block-party-type atmosphere from 6 to 9 pm on Fifth Avenue.
More than 1.5 million people have taken part in this annual celebration since its inception in 1978. During the festival, Fifth Avenue is closed to traffic between 82nd and 105th streets, and attendees (even with strollers) can walk the Mile. There will be family-friendly activities — such as live music — throughout the evening in front of several of the museums. For this festival, the seven cultural institutions located on the Mile will be free and open to the public with a range of special exhibitions and works from their permanent collections on view.
Featured exhibitions include:
“Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”
This exhibit explores how designers reconcile the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear.
Family activity: Museum will offer chalk drawing.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave. at E. 82nd Street on the Upper East Side, www.MetMu
Gustav Klimt’s iconic portrait “Adele Bloch-Bauer”
The 1907 portrait hangs on permanent display. This work is joined by a selection of landscape and portrait paintings by Klimt, and a display of Austrian decorative arts from the early 20th century.
Neue Galerie New York (1048 Fifth Ave. between E. 85th and E. 86th streets on the Upper East Side, www.NeueG
“Moholy-Nagy: Future Present”
The first comprehensive retrospective of the work of László Moholy-Nagy to appear in the United States in nearly 50 years, revealing a utopian artist who believed that art could work hand-in-hand with technology for the betterment of humanity.
Family activity: Museum will offer chalk drawing.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Ave. between E. 88th and E. 89th streets in Carnegie Hill, www.Gugge
“Beauty – Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial”
Exploring aesthetic innovations through 250 works by 63 designers from around the globe.
Family activity: Imagination Playground in the museum’s garden and a sidewalk design activity.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (2 E. 91st St. between Fifth and Madison avenues in Carnegie Hill, www.Coope
“Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History”
The first museum exhibition to focus on the Brooklyn native, who is an influential American fashion designer, artist, and entrepreneur.
Family activity: Create an abstract fabric design using stamps and drawing techniques.
The Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Ave. at E. 92nd Street in Carnegie Hill, www.TheJe
“Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs; New York’s Yiddish Theater”
Featuring more than 200 works by this distinguished artist, and showcasing her keen eye for the absurdities and insecurities that permeate daily life, including many situations that are particular to New York City.
Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Ave. between E. 103rd and E. 104th streets in East Harlem, www.MCNY.org)
“Antonio Lopez: Future Funk Fashion”
Exploring the artist and designer’s daring exploration of race, gender, and the body through fashion.
Family activity: Art-making.
El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Ave. between E. 104th and E. 105th streets in East Harlem, www.ElMus
The festival
The Museum Mile Festival was established to increase public awareness of its member institutions and promote public support of the arts. It serves as a model for similar events across the country.
Whenever planning your visit to a cultural institution, tell your child what type of museum it is, and the rules of the museum. Definitely let your child know whether or not he can touch anything in the space. Also explain the type of things that your child will see in the museum, such as historical artifacts, paintings, or photographs.
You can preview the space and the works in the museum with your child by visiting the institution’s website. Building these expectations will increase her comfort level with the new space, and will increase her excitement about the visit.
Please remember that stroller policies still apply at some museums. Also, if applicable, participating museums offer services for visitors with disabilities. Please contact the museums you plan to visit to arrange access accommodations. For further information and details on the festival’s offerings, call (212) 606–2296 or visit Museu
Shnieka Johnson is an education consultant and freelance writer. She resides in Manhattan with her husband and son. Contact her via her website: www.shnie
