The New York Public Library offers free major exhibitions and special displays at three of its research library locations—the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Library for the Performing Arts, and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture—and community showcases at many of its branch locations throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.
Current Exhibitions
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Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures
OngoingStephen A. Schwarzman BuildingThe Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures showcases some of the most extraordinary items from the 56…
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Visibility & Resistance: New Acquisitions, Contemporary Afro-Mexican Photography
Through December 2, 2024Schomburg Center for Research in Black CultureVisibility & Resistance celebrates the recent acquisition of a collection of contemporary Afro-Mexican photography. By…
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Code Switch: Distributing Blackness, Reprogramming Internet Art
Through December 19, 2024Schomburg Center for Research in Black CultureThe first of its kind internationally, Code Switch: Distributing Blackness, Reprogramming Internet Art presented by The…
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Byron: A Life in Motion
Through January 12, 2025Stephen A. Schwarzman Building -
Line & Thread: Prints and Textiles from the 1600s to the Present
Through January 12, 2025Stephen A. Schwarzman BuildingThis exhibition, which starts with a section of historical examples that illustrate overlaps between prints and textiles, examines how…
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Becoming Bohemia: Greenwich Village, 1912–1923
Through February 1, 2025Stephen A. Schwarzman BuildingThe exhibition traces the flowering of America’s first large-scale countercultural enclave.
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JIMMY! God's Black Revolutionary Mouth
Through February 28, 2025Schomburg Center for Research in Black CultureNovelist, essayist, intellectual, and activist James Baldwin (1924–1987) is renowned as one of the world’s most influential and…
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The Joffrey + Ballet in the U.S.
Through March 1, 2025The New York Public Library for the Performing ArtsThe Joffrey + Ballet in the U.S. tells the story of what made the Joffrey a unique force in the world of dance, demonstrating…
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Letters from Home: The Black ABCs Reimagined
Through May 22, 2025Schomburg Center for Research in Black CultureStep into Letters from Home: The Black ABCs Reimagined, an extraordinary exhibition by the Schomburg Junior Scholars Program.
Community Showcases
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Sue Strande: Watercolors
OngoingOttendorfer LibraryVisit our current exhibition, Sue Strande: Watercolors. This exhibit includes 24 works of watercolors on paper.
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Watercolor Paintings by Hellen Cha-Kim
Through November 2, 202453rd Street LibraryWatercolor paintings by Hellen Cha-Kim, including landscapes representing the artist's travels throughout the world and reflecting…
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HAPPY! The Intersections of Color and Movement
Through October 31, 2024George Bruce LibraryStop by George Bruce Library to view a selection of abstract paintings by Washington Heights artist Maggie Hernandez.
Online Exhibitions
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The Skeleton Caricatures of Posada | Las meras meras calaveras de Posada
OngoingOnline OnlyStephen A. Schwarzman BuildingThis online exhibition presents a selection of Posada’s calaveras and announces the digitization of the entirety of the Library’s Posada… -
Pride & Privacy: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Library Collections
OngoingOnline OnlyStephen A. Schwarzman BuildingThe lives of people who identify as LGBTQ+, more than those of others, have often historically been shaped by questions of visibility…
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FLY BALL: Vintage Snapshots of Black Athletes by Morgan & Marvin Smith
OngoingOnline OnlySchomburg Center for Research in Black CultureThis year’s Photoville outdoor banner exhibition—hosted at St. Nicholas Park and Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem—takes a look at the…
Past Exhibitions
See AllPhoto Call: The Theater Photos of Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Photo Call: The Theater Photos of Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg features an extensive selection of the many theater…
Reanimating Theater: The Photography of Friedman-Abeles
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The Library for the Performing Arts animates the theater photography of the Freidman-Abeles Studio using lenticular printing.
