Free Friday Evenings at the Whitney

If you're looking to expand your horizons without venturing too far from home, New York City's many art museums bring the world to you. Founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the Whitney Museum of American Art has amassed a collection of over 25,000 pieces from more than 3.600 artists. The Whitney prides itself on innovation and foresight as the first museum dedicated to showcasing the works of living artists and the first museum to house a major exhibition of a video artist. The museum has frequently purchased works the year of their creation, long before the artists themselves gained any recognition from art patrons.

When to Visit

Entry is pay-as-you-wish on Friday evenings from 7 to 10 pm, with the last entry 45 minutes before closing. You must reserve a timed ticket in advance of your visit to keep the museum under capacity. Tickets are currently available through July 30th with more dates opening up shortly. There will be complimentary admission on July 29th and 30th courtesy of the Ford Foundation. If you are unable to visit on a Friday, adult tickets are $25 and the museum is open Thursday through Monday.

What to See

There are four exhibits leaving the Whitney Museum between August and October 2021. Julie Mehretu, an Ethiopian-born painter, has approximately 70 works on display now through August 8th. Madeline Hollander's Flatwing leaves the Whitney the same day. Flatwing is a video installation that explores the appearance of silent crickets in Hawaii and their noisier counterparts. New York native Dawoud Bey focuses his lens on invisible and underrepresented communities in An American Project. The photography exhibit departs the Whitney on October 3rd. Dave McKenzie's The Story I Tell Myself documents previous instances of performance art and pairs it with pieces from the museum's larger collection that inspired the work. McKenzie's exhibit leaves the Whitney on October 8th.

There are also two longer-running exhibits currently making their home at the Whitney Museum. Making Knowing: Craft in Art features over 80 pieces from the Whitney's collection with a focus on crafting artists. The Whitney's Collection: 1900 - 1965, a larger selection of the museum's pieces, shows the evolution of art and its many movements through recent history.

If you'd like a keepsake to remember your visit, stop by the museum shop on your way out or order a souvenir online and have it shipped to you. You can even browse the shop without a ticket during museum hours. If you do take advantage of this Friday admission offer, our Midtown Manhattan offices are just a 30 minute walk away from the museum. Schedule a tour with us to see which of our accommodations is best suited to your business.