Queens Museum of Art

By Time Out editors Tue Jul 21 2009

Not-boring museums

Panorama of New York City
Panorama of New York City
Panorama of New York City
A copy of Michaelangelo's Pieta; Photograph by Marlene Rounds
Duke Riley's battleships in the hockey rink; Photograph by Marlene Rounds
Duke Riley's battleship; Photograph by Marlene Rounds
Duke Riley's wooden submarine; Photograph by Marlene Rounds
Duke Riley's battleship; Photograph by Marlene Rounds
Farhad Moshiri, Chocline
Dragonfly Library Lamp
World Fair tumblers in the gift shop; Photograph by Marlene Rounds
The gift shop; Photograph by Marlene Rounds

Panorama of New York City

1 You can witness a foreclosure meltdown here: The 9,335-square-foot Panorama of New York City, long the apple of the QMA’s eye, is undergoing a transformation. Take a closer look and you’ll notice that artist Damon Rich has marked every block that saw four or more home foreclosures in 2008 with neon-pink triangles. Rochdale in Queens and Flatbush and East New York in Brooklyn top the list.

2 QMA external affairs director David Strauss says schoolkids frequently drop pencils, batteries and trash onto the giant exhibit. His best find yet? A pair of ladies’ underwear.

3 While in the caf, look for the Pieta sculpture at the end of a long hall. Michelangelo’s masterpiece was on display at the 1964 World’s Fair—the first and only time it had left the Vatican. “There was a fear of it being stolen, so an exact model, in an exact container, was shipped at the same time,” says Strauss. Staffers like to joke that the leftover Pieta is actually the original.

4 The entire back wall of the QMA gift shop is stocked with original 1939 and 1964 World’s Fair must-haves, including hip frosted tumblers ($18--$35; for others from the set, see Seek), darling hats and half aprons ($35--$65) and Unisphere-printed rain capes ($150). The shop also sells Queens T-shirts in five languages, lucha libre masks, tin toys and robots, and World’s Fair souvenir posters. While you’re there, ask for a free copy of A Healthy Taste of Corona, a cookbook featuring recipes by Corona restaurants and community leaders.

5 We won’t even try to lie: Corona is a trek. If you’re gonna schlep out there only once, go for summer’s Passport Fridays: Each week, from 6:30 to 10pm, the museum showcases the dance, music and movies of a different country or region of the world. Friday 31 is East Africa, August 7 Jordan, August 14 Iran, August 21 Bangladesh and August 28 Taiwan.—Ashlea Halpern

GO THERE NOW! New York City Building, Flushing Meadows--Corona Park, Queens (718-592-9700, queensmuseum.org). Suggested donation $2.50--$5, members and children under 5 free.

MORE NOT-BORING MUSEUMS