American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum opened December 11, 2001 to great critical and public acclaim. Coinciding with the three-month anniversary of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center, the unveiling of the new building represented progress, growth, and renewal during a city-wide effort to revital... Read more

The American Folk Art Museum opened December 11, 2001 to great critical and public acclaim. Coinciding with the three-month anniversary of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center, the unveiling of the new building represented progress, growth, and renewal during a city-wide effort to revitalize New York’s cultural, social and economic life. It is the first new art museum built from the ground up since the Whitney Museum of American Art opened in 1966. “This may not be a big building, by American standards, but it is a magnificent one. The design is a very interesting response to New York, where building are usually so glassy. Here there is a real weightiness; it suggests a different take on contemporary architecture,” noted Naomi Stungo, the editor of World Architecture magazine who presented the award.

Folk art captures the heart of American culture. It speaks to diversity of heritage and shared national experience, individual creativity, and community values. The museum’s collection of more than five thousand artworks span three centuries of American visual expression, from unflinching portraits, dazzling quilts, and muscular weathervanes to potent works by contemporary self-taught artists in a variety of mediums.

Free Music Fridays.
Each Friday, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, the museum is free of charge; Enjoy drinks in the cafe and live music in the stunning atrium.