Following a six-month closure, the Queens Museum is welcoming back the community on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with four new exhibits free of admission, as well as the unveiling of a citywide public art initiative.
The reopening comes after state and city officials approved the reopening of museums and cultural institutions in New York City on Aug. 24.
“After six months of turmoil and uncertainty throughout Queens, our city and the world, we can find solidarity and comfort in the inspiration and works that unite us as a community,” said Sally Tallant, president and executive director of the Queens Museum. “We are proud to work with artists to bring forth messages of hope at this still tumultuous time and to welcome back our visitors with these meaningful new exhibits and installations.”
The museum’s newest exhibits will be on view until Jan. 17, 2021.
After the Plaster Foundation, or, ‘Where can we live?:
After the Plaster Foundation, or, “Where can we live?” is an exhibition of 12 artists and artist groups with roots in New York City asking critical questions about home, property and the Earth, and who has access to these things under capitalism.
Bruce Davidson: Outsider on the Inside:
“Bruce Davidson: Outsider on the Inside” brings together more than a hundred photographs by legendary Magnum Photos member and Henri Cartier-Bresson mentee, Bruce Davidson. Ranging from study prints to rare vintage items, the exhibited works showcase Davidson’s singular ability to chronicle unmediated instances of candor and emotion activated by New York urban space.
Ulrike Müller and Amy Zion: The Conference of the Animals:
The Conference of the Animals consists of a mural by artist Ulrike Müller and an exhibition of children’s drawings by independent curator Amy Zion. This project takes its title from German writer Erich Kästner’s children’s book “The Animal’s Conference” (1949) written in the aftermath of World War II. The story is a political satire about a group of animals who, frustrated by the inefficacy of human international conferences, convene to save the planet.
Ridgewood Reservoir for the 21st Century:
In 1858, The Ridgewood Reservoir was built on the Brooklyn-Queens border to hold the fresh water supply for the once independent City of Brooklyn. “Ridgewood Reservoir for the 21st Century” traces the 160-year transformation of the site from the construction of its three water basins to its invaluable role today as a 50-acre open space in Highland Park, a green oasis allowing for close encounters with nature.
Visitors will be welcomed by a large-scale public installation, “For Forever…” by artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles.
The installation is both a response to the pandemic and a continuation of Ukeles’ long-standing dedication to honoring the unending labor of New York City’s public service workers through her artistic practice.
The three-part initiative launched on Sept. 8 and is also on view at 20 Times Sq. and throughout the MTA subway system across 2,000 digital screens.
Guests can visit the museum between the hours of noon to 5 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The museum will remain closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Safety and health precautions in accordance with CDC guidelines have been put in place to ensure the wellbeing of all visitors and staff. These measures include timed ticketing to monitor capacity, touchless temperature checks upon entry, regular cleaning and sterilization, increased number of sanitizer stations, touchless bathroom facilities, mandatory mask requirements and social distancing signage.
For more information on the Queens Museum, visit queensmuseum.org.
This story first appeared on our sister publication qns.com.