Brooklyn Museum kicks off its bicentennial celebration, programming and exhibitions on Oct. 4 with “Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art” and “The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition.” The rest of the weekend is packed with activities and events as part of the museum’s Birthday Bash. 

“Our anniversary programming embodies everything we stand for: championing trailblazing art, expanding historical narratives and bringing our communities together in celebration,” said Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum Anne Pasternak. 

The Brooklyn Museum was founded in 1824 by a group of civic-minded Brooklynites who incorporated the Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library Association. The museum’s first section opened in 1897. In a landmark building on the northeast corner of Prospect Park, the museum houses an encyclopedic collection of over 140,000 objects representing global cultures spanning over 6,000 years. 

The museum hosts public programs, community initiatives and a variety of exhibitions. The Brooklyn Museum’s bicentennial tells the story of one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country and its commitment to innovation, conversation and compelling experiences for the community.

“As we find abundant inspiration in our past, we are ready to go bigger,” said Pasternak. “Our museum has an important role to play in expanding understanding of people across the street and around the world, resisting the forces that divide us and building bridges to our shared humanity.”

The bicentennial projects also include the launch of a new dining option in the museum’s pavilion, a new brand identity affecting signage, merchandise and more, critical infrastructure improvements and updates to other assets, such as the museum’s website. 

The Brooklyn Museum will also be opening two other exhibitions this year as part of its bicentennial: “Solid Gold” will explore gold through 6,000 of artwork, fashion and design, and in 2025, “Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200” will open. 

American Art galleries

“Toward Joy” is the reinstallation of the American Art galleries. In its revisited format, the exhibition aims to bring a fresh approach to how the museum displays the works and how audiences engage with them. The collection features 400 works, over 120 of which have never been exhibited, and span 2,000 years. 

The museum aims to reposition its perspective on American history by approaching the collection through a Black feminist lens, employing institutional critique and inclusive space-making to captivate audiences with fresh experiences. The collection is curated by Stephanie Sparling Williams, Andrew W. Mellon and a team of seven curators from the departments of American Art, Arts of the Americas and Decorative Arts and Design. 

“As an art museum, the Brooklyn Museum is a site for celebrating beauty. But what does one do when beautiful artworks are entangled in ugly and often violent histories?” said Sparling Williams. “By prioritizing care for our audiences and the artworks, and joy, this presentation works to radically shift how we collectively navigate and engage with these historic spaces.”

The collection spans North, Central and South American artworks and artists, installed in eight galleries on the museum’s fifth floor.  

Some of the featured artists include Andrea Chung, Deng Ming-Dao, Winslow Homer, Beverly Buchanan, Chiura Obata, Lilly Martin Spencer, Lorraine O’Grady and Albert Bierstadt. 

The curatorial process for these galleries included consulting with an Advisory Committee, engaging monthly Black feminist roundtable conversations and bi-weekly team meetings including several of the museum’s departments. The museum hoped to build off of the rich contributions from BIPOC thinkers and cultural producers, and chose to use a framework model to experiment with representation in the galleries and highlight diverse stories and perspectives. 

The framework “Several Seats,” inspired by the Black and Latinx drag ball expression “have several seats.” This gallery features historical seated portraits hung below the sightline to critique narratives that privilege white, wealthy individuals. New York City-based drag and ballroom artists read on the paintings in the form of artwork labels. 

Another framework, “To Give Flowers” is inspired by the Black vernacular adage “to give someone their flowers” or to honor and appreciate them. This section highlights trailblazers who have charted overlooked paths to creative expression. 

The American Art galleries are on view starting Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition

“The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition” is an extensive group show featuring over 200 Brooklyn-based artists. The exhibition is located on the museum’s first floor and celebrates the diverse creative voices, capturing the artistic output of the borough for the past five years.

The museum’s 200th anniversary serves as an opportunity to reflect on a past of championing local creatives and building on that community. By investing in the bright paths of rising Brooklyn artists, the museum sets the tone for its future as one of fostering creativity and community connectivity. 

Artists were selected to participate in the exhibit through a collaborative effort led by Brooklyn Museum Artist Trustees Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas and Fred Tomaselli. The selection process consisted of two phases: invitations from the Artist Committee and a public Open Call that garnered nearly 4,000 applications. 

“For years artists have been asking us to organize a big Brooklyn artists exhibition, and now, we’ve done it!” said Pasternak. “Brooklyn has more artists than anywhere, and we are thrilled to expand the ways we support the excellence of our incredible borough.” 

Not only does the exhibition feature multimedia, installation, painting, drawing, collage and other artistic disciplines, the museum will also host a series of public programs throughout the exhibition’s run to feature performances from local artists. 

The exhibition is on view from Oct. 4 through Jan. 26, 2025.  

Birthday Bash

On Oct. 5 and 6, the museum will host its Birthday Bash, with activities, performances and access to the museum’s bicentennial exhibitions. The museum will also debut its Museum on Wheels, a mobile museum housed in an airstream trailer. 

The Birthday Bash starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, and includes a Brooklyn vendor market, pop-up talks from museum curators, screenprinting, a poetry marathon and live music. Activities for all ages will be presented over the course of the weekend, and registration is free online.