By Gus Saltonstall
The American Folk Art Museum on the Upper West Side has announced it will be temporarily closing this summer for renovations.
The museum, located at 2 Lincoln Square, near the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 66th Street, will shutter for its “most significant” renovation work in the last 30 years.
In preparation, the museum began closing some galleries on May 2, and further closures will continue in stages until June. At that point, the museum’s exhibits will be completely closed until September 26.
The Museum Shop within the building will be open during regular hours from May 28 to June 1, and then will remain open only for pick-ups and assisted sales with associates from June 2 to August 12. The shop will then reopen for regular hours beginning on August 13.
Here is some of what the renovation work will cover.
- Upgraded infrastructure
- Installation of new mechanical and operations systems
- Expansion and renovation of on-site office space for museum staff
- Remodeling of the public restrooms
- New flooring throughout the museum and shop
- Overhauling and reconfiguring the shop
The museum will also revamp the existing courtyard location on West 66th Street to create a public space for outdoor gatherings, events, and artistic programming. The museum’s facade, including the entryway and signage for the building, will also be redesigned to “better attract pedestrians passing through the Lincoln Square neighborhood.”
The America Folk Art Museum was founded in 1961 and is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of folk art “across time and space.” It has a collection of more than 8,000 works of art, and admission is always free.
You can learn more about the renovation project this summer — HERE.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Am I misremembering , or want the American Folk Art Museum by MoMa for awhile and the.n move back to the UWS?
Nice! I do need to vent though- this place is nice but criminally small! Like really, really small!
Good call on the courtyard and signage (and the other renovations). For such a small museum, AFAM punches way above its weight, so anything that makes more people aware of its existence (and excellence) is probably worthwhile.
Never knew about a courtyard! Very much enjoy their gift shop and they do have wonderful exhibits