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The Brooklyn Museum is gearing up to celebrate its 200th anniversary, and it’ll come in hot with a year-long lineup of special events, exhibits and programming starting in October.
The celebrations will kick off on Friday, October 4, with an exhibition highlighting the contributions of Brooklyn artists throughout the years and on Saturday, October 5, it’s hosting a special edition of First Saturdays, their popular monthly event series. The kickoff celebrations will also include special performances and local vendors.
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Arguably the most exciting part of the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th year is the many exhibits that are in the works, starting with the American Art Galleries, a collection of more than four hundred artworks that date back as far as 4,000 BCE. The galleries will be organized into themes inspired by contributions made by BIPOC thinkers and culture makers.
Not everyone appreciates how old the Brooklyn Museum, which opened in 1824, actually is. The museum started as the borough’s first free circulating library and is one of the oldest museums in the country. Today, it’s known for showcasing art that highlights the experiences of marginalized communities, as well as being home to thousands of artifacts from different civilizations around the world.
In November, the museum plans to open an immersive exhibition that will showcase gold from around the world. There will be many more exhibits in 2025 to look forward to as well, including one that highlights objects made in Brooklyn from the 19th century up until today. That one opens on February 28, 2025, along with another exhibit that will tell the story of the museum’s 200-year history.
“Always a trailblazer, the Museum has a long history of transformation and defying convention,” says Anne Pasternak, the Director of the Shelby White and Leon Levy institution in the 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 truly represent the people we serve.”
The 200th anniversary celebration will come with more changes and renovations to the museum, including an expansion of the first-floor gift shop. Check out the museum’s website for more information and updates on programming.