The Brooklyn Museum: 200th Birthday Bash
October 5-6, 2024
Brooklyn Artists Exhibition
October 4, 2024–January 26, 2025
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238
The Brooklyn Museum has announced the lineup for its 200th anniversary Birthday Bash, a weekend-long celebration that honors two centuries of championing the borough’s vibrant artistic communities. This milestone event, taking place October 5–6, 2024, will showcase the best of Brooklyn with a diverse array of free programming, including music, karaoke, dance, poetry, gallery tours, art-making, and more. The anniversary year programming is sponsored by Bank of America, a longtime supporter of the Brooklyn Museum.
Birthday Bash kicks off the Museum’s year-long bicentennial celebration, inviting families, friends, and neighbors to join in a spirited weekend that highlights Brooklyn’s rich cultural landscape. The programming is designed to engage audiences of all ages, with something for everyone to enjoy. Visitors can also see three newly opened exhibitions: Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art, the complete reinstallation of the Museum’s American Art galleries; The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, featuring works by more than 200 artists who have lived or maintained a studio in Brooklyn during the last five years; and Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies, a major retrospective spotlighting a defining Black woman artist of the 20th century.
“The Brooklyn Museum has long been a beacon for artistic expression and community connection, and what better way to mark this occasion than with a weekend-long celebration?” says Anne Pasternak, Shelby White, and Leon Levy Director, Brooklyn Museum. “We are thrilled to commemorate this milestone with the communities that have supported us for generations, and we look forward to continuing to uplift them for many more.”
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition honors the borough’s dynamic present, storied past, and bright future. Selected by a committee led by esteemed artists Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli, participants represent a full range of disciplines, from drawing and painting to sculpture, video, installation, and beyond. Their creations tackle themes that resonate on both local and global levels—migration and memory, identity and history, uncertainty and turbulence, healing and joy. Together these works capture the vibrancy of both Brooklyn and its artists, who are bound by deep-rooted connections and a shared love of this singular place. Read more about all the Brooklyn artists whose works will be on view.
Another highlight of Birthday Bash will be will be the debut of Museum on Wheels, a mobile museum housed in an Airstream trailer, designed to bring arts and cultural programming to audiences of all ages across Brooklyn. Wrapped with a bright and bold design by local artist Christopher Meyers, Museum on Wheels is launching as a pilot program this fall and will be stationed on the Brooklyn Museum’s plaza during Birthday Bash. Visitors can enjoy hands-on art activities with local artists, take part in giveaways and art-themed games, and experience a curated menu from Brooklyn-based vegan eatery Aunts et Uncles, plus much more.
“Building upon years of partnership to conserve art and present dynamic programming and inspiring exhibitions, it’s an honor to now stand beside the Brooklyn Museum for this milestone commemoration,” said José Tavarez, President, Bank of America New York City. “Together, Bank of America and the Brooklyn Museum share a belief in the power of the arts to help build communities and have a positive impact on us all, and we are thrilled to continue our support of the Museum—an NYC treasure and Brooklyn’s crown jewel in the arts.”
Birthday Bash is free; registration is required and includes Museum general admission. Tickets will be released on a rolling basis starting September 20 for Museum Members and September 23 for the general public.
The full anniversary year program can be found on the Museum’s website at brooklynmuseum.org/200. Join the conversation by following #BkM200 on social media.
About the Brooklyn Museum
For 200 years, the Brooklyn Museum has been recognized as a trailblazer. Through a vast array of exhibitions, public programs, and community-centered initiatives, it continues to broaden the narratives of art, uplift a multitude of voices, and center creative expression within important dialogues of the day. Housed in a landmark building in the heart of Brooklyn, the Museum is home to an astounding encyclopedic collection. More than 140,000 objects represent cultures worldwide and over 5,500 years of history—from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to significant American works, to groundbreaking installations presented in the only feminist art center of its kind. One of the oldest and largest art museums in the country, the Brooklyn Museum remains committed to innovation, creating compelling experiences for its communities, and celebrating the power of art to inspire awe, conversation, and joy.
