What’s New

On April 13, families participated in an Artist’s Choice workshop with Lorna Simpson whose work Please remind me of who I am (2009) was on view in the exhibition Blues for Smoke. The piece comprises a collection of historical images (from the early 1920s to the 1970s) of anonymous African American women posing for photo booth portraits. 

On Saturday, March 9, kids and their parents took center stage at the Whitney’s Family Day in conjunction with the Sinister Pop exhibition. In the spirit of Pop art, families explored what it means to be a celebrity and how icons are created, with guest appearances by artists Dave McKenzie and The Bumbys.

The Blues for Smoke exhibition explores a wide range of contemporary art through the lens of the blues and blues aesthetics, introducing the blues, not just as a style of music, but as a more pervasive sensibility that informs the work of visual artists as well.

In fall 2011, Whitney Education began a three-year research initiative to measure the long-term and continuing impact of participation in contemporary art museum teen programs.As we approach the half-way mark of this groundbreaking study, we are excited to share the progress we have made thus far.

On Monday, February 25, Youth Insights Leaders headed to Fred Wilson’s studio to meet the artist, learn about his practice, and begin an ongoing conversation about the work they will make together over the course of the semester.

On Friday, February 1, artist Eleanor Antin took center stage in the Whitney’s Lower Gallery to read the final four chapters from her coming-of-age memoir, Conversations With Stalin. 

On Wednesday, January 23, artist Adam McEwen and Donna De Salvo, Whitney Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs led a gallery talk through Sinister Pop, an exhibition that focuses on the darker side of Pop art as it questions and critiques the American dream. 

The exhibition, _American Legends_ highlights works from the Whitney’s collection of American art from the first half of the twentieth century and is organized around artists that the Museum has collected in depth. 

On Monday, December 17, Whitney staff and Trustees gathered at Gansevoort and West Streets to celebrate a significant milestone—the final piece of steel was placed atop our new building!