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Museum's mission: Explore New York City history

By Emily Hulme | amNew York staff writer

May 13, 2008

Artifacts to be displayed as part of 'Campaigning for President: New York and the American Election,' on view at the Museum of the City of New York from June 24 through Nov. 4. (Handout photo / May 12, 2008)

For curious out-of-towners or locals who would like to get to know their city a little better, The Museum of the City of New York has a lot to offer.

The museum, which takes all aspects of city life as its subject, has a busy schedule of exhibits and events designed to engage the public in civic discourse. We spoke with Sara Henry, the museum's deputy director and chief curator.

What is the basic mission of the museum?

The Museum of the City of New York was founded in 1923 as the first museum of the country to be devoted to the study of a single city. Today we connect the past of New York to the present and the future.

We also look at the qualities that make New York New York. In particular, we look at the heritage of tolerance, diversity and its perpetual transformation. The clash between conserving history vs. encouraging expansion, seems like it has always been a New York issue.

It's true that perpetual transformation has been something that has characterized New York from its beginning, and people always remarked on it.

You look back at documents from the 19th century, they're always remarking about how the city is being torn down faster than anyone can believe it and a new city is rising daily before our eyes. That's partly what gives the city its dynamism. But it's also important to know what came before as the city changes so quickly.

What is the process of translating a given topic into a series of representative objects?

Once we have a subject that we want to look at, we frame it with an interpretation that has a narrative. Then we employ every means at our disposal to be able to visualize it. We have a collection here that we use to illuminate stories, we borrow from other institutions and [often times] we make an appeal to the public to see if they have materials related to the topic we're exploring.

Because we're committed to telling the story of the diverse people of the city, we're looking to find things that may not ordinarily be in the collections or archives of institutions, but maybe in the attics or drawers of New Yorkers.

And each exhibition is supplemented with public programs?

We really see the exhibitions as a springboard for discussion. An exhibition is a visual medium, and although we have interpretation in them, it's not like writing a book.

So throughout an exhibition we schedule diverse voices and points of view to come here -- we don't have a point of view; we provide a forum for them to present perspectives on issues related to the city and to the exhibition. So scholars will come and present their work, people involved in the issues today will come and debate the meaning of the history and how it applies to today.

Who would you say makes up your patrons, locals or tourists or both?

We have a very broad audience. Certainly we get lots of people from out of town who want to know something about the city that they¹re visiting.

But we draw very heavily from New York City. We have a very active schedule of changing exhibitions that resonate with people who live here, in considering where the city has been and where it¹s going. We have public programs that discuss current issues. \

We found that as time has gone by and as we¹ve gotten more involved in these issues of contemporary concern, the proportion of our audience that is from New York is growing steadily.

On view

- Manhattan Noon: Photographs by Gus Powell Through Sunday. A large-scale presentation of the recent photographs of Gus Powell.
-Catholics in New York, 1808-1946 May 16 through Dec 31. An exhibit exploring the social and political history of the people who established the Catholic presence in New York.

Ongoing exhibits

-Timescapes: A Multimedia Portrait of New York n Perform An exploration of the link between New York and theater.
-New York Interiors (1690-1906)
-Protect A look at fire and firefighting in the city.
-Trade: A History of New York City Ports and Commerce n New York Toy Stories

Visiting the museum

1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd St., 212-534-1672 Tue-Sun 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Suggested admission: $9; seniors, students $5; families $20 (max. 2 adults); children 12 and under, members FREE.