[title]
After being closed for construction since 2018, the Studio Museum in Harlem will reopen on Saturday, November 15 in a new seven-floor, 82,000-square-foot building on West 125th Street. To celebrate the grand opening day, the museum will host a community event with free admission and activities for all ages.
The building, custom-designed for the museum, will house art exhibitions, educational opportunities, program spaces and an expansive lobby. For its first show, the Studio Museum will present the work of the late sculptor Tom Lloyd; it’s a full-circle moment as his work was part of the institution’s opening back in 1968. Another debut show will draw from the museum’s vast collection, underscoring the museum’s role as a steward of art by artists of African descent.
RECOMMENDED: The best museum exhibitions in NYC right now
During the building's first year, expect to see newly commissioned site-specific artworks, including a sonic sculptural installation by Camille Norment composed of brass tubing and featuring a chorus of voices. Also look for a wall-mounted, metal-based installation by Christopher Myers that envisions an intergenerational community of hybrid of figures gathered in a fantastical landscape.
Iconic Studio Museum artworks will be reinstalled, including David Hammons's work inspired by the pan-African flag; Glenn Ligon's neon wall sculpture "Give Us a Poem;" and Houston E. Conwill's seven bronze time capsules.
As for the building itself, its architecture was inspired by brownstones, churches and bustling sidewalks of Harlem. For example, a set of glass doors, which can be opened in different configurations, welcomes people to descending steps mean to evoke the stoops of Harlem's brownstones. The steps can be used as benches for watching lectures, performances, and films—or simply for relaxing.
The design has more than doubled space for exhibitions and the artist-in-residence program. Plus, indoor and outdoor public space will increase by almost 70-percent. Furniture by Black creatives will populate the building. The museum will also feature custom-made tables constructed using beams from the museum's former home. A rooftop terrace promises striking views of the neighborhood.
The building's design is being led by Adjaye Associates with Cooper Robertson serving as executive architect.
To fund the project, The Studio Museum raised more than $300 million from museum trustees, the city, foundations, corporate partners and individual donors.
The Studio Museum dates back to 1968 when it was founded by a diverse group of artists, community activists and philanthropists who sought to address the near-complete exclusion of Black artists from mainstream museums, commercial art galleries, academic institutions and scholarly publications. It continues that mission today as a nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by Black culture.
Location, hours and pricing
The Studio Museum in Harlem is located at 144 West 125th Street, between Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (Seventh Avenue).
It will be open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11am to 6pm, with extended hours on Friday and Saturday, from 11am to 9pm.
Admission rates are offered as a suggestion, with Sundays free for everyone. Suggested rates are $16 for adults and $9 for seniors aged 65+, students, and visitors with disabilities (care partners are free). Admission is free for children sixteen and under. Tickets can purchased online at studiomuseum.org/visit or at the museum.