The American People Artwork Museum (AFAM) in Manhattan’s Higher West Aspect will briefly shut its doorways to the general public this summer time for a serious renovation venture set to revitalize the museum store, courtyard, workplace areas, entry façade, and operations methods. Scheduled to reopen in phases because the venture progresses, AFAM will shutter the continuing Someplace to Roost exhibition this coming Friday, Could 2, and shut the remaining galleries efficient Monday, Could 26.
In 1961, the museum opened as a beacon for folks and self-taught artists with out formal coaching, aligning with its curatorial mission via free customer admission since its inception. The house consolidated into its satellite tv for pc gallery on 2 Lincoln Sq., Columbus Avenue at 66th Avenue, in 2011, and is ready to begin its largest renovation venture within the final 30 years. The anticipated completion date might be someday subsequent spring, particularly timed across the 250th anniversary of the USA’ independence.
A view of Polly Jane Reed’s “A Type of Mother Hannah’s Pocket Handkerchief” (1851) on show in the course of the Something however Easy: Reward Drawings and the Shaker Aesthetic (2025–25) exhibition (photograph Valentina Di Liscia/Hyperallergic)
Along with its sturdy assortment of people quilts, the museum is thought for its offbeat, charming, and informative exhibitions of labor past the canon of formal artwork training — typically spotlighting different and reused media, underrepresented subjects and views, and stylized wares like weathervanes and board video games.
Stocked with handcrafted objects and ornamental artwork, the beloved museum store will function in restricted capability from June 1 via August 12, although the web retailer will stay unaffected. The store might be outfitted with new flooring, up to date custom-built show cabinetry, and wall shelving, whereas the courtyard might be reconfigured to higher swimsuit out of doors programming. Reworked restrooms and a extra stylized and enticing replace to the museum’s entryway façade are additionally a part of the renovation venture.
A press release from AFAM notes that the Manhattan New York Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns 2 Lincoln Sq., has “generously funded” the museum’s renovations at the side of its personal building overhaul, set to be accomplished in 2028.
