All Ages Printmaking: Inspired by Mabel Dwight
Sun, Aug 9, 2026
12–3 pm
Mabel Dwight, Toy Shop Window, 1927. Lithograph, sheet: 10 13/16 × 14 1/8 in. (27.5 × 35.9 cm) Image: 9 3/8 × 12 1/8 in. (23.8 × 30.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from The Lauder Foundation, Leonard and Evelyn Lauder Fund 96.68.86. Mabel Dwight’s works are in the public domain in the United States.
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Admission is free to all visitors every second Sunday of the month. Though admission is free, tickets are required and capacity is extremely limited. Advance tickets are recommended.
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The Hearst Artspace and the Seminar Room are equipped with induction hearing loops and infrared assistive listening systems. Accessible seating is also available.
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Artspace
Open to all ages
Join Whitney Educators to explore the art of printmaking inspired by the exhibition Mabel Dwight: Cool Head, Warm Heart. Mabel Dwight found inspiration by observing the people and places of New York City. Create your own print inspired by your unique perspective on the city. Think about a place, person, object, or everyday moment that represents New York to you, then transform your idea into a print.
Dwight believed that making art required “a cool head and a warm heart” so it could become a “living influence on the world.” She found her voice in lithography, a printmaking method known for its swooping lines and seamless gradients. This democratic medium became her main way of portraying her constant subject: the people and places of New York.
Dwight’s vision centered on dignity across social and economic divides. Her crowd scenes show individuals drawn with gently curving lines, dramatic lighting, and delicate highlights. Her portraits feature expressive faces, while her more political images can feel theatrical.
Whether showing people selling balloons, strolling home, or waiting for the day to pass, her subjects share an inner glow she called “the stuff of life.” Dwight gathered these moments by roaming the city, sketching what she saw, then turning them into prints that could be widely shared.
