To kick off the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary celebration, TWO exciting exhibitions are opening in our galleries.
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition brings together over 200 local artists in this major group show celebrating the creativity of our beloved borough.
Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art is the much-anticipated, radically transformative reopening of the American Art galleries.
At the heart of both is the Brooklyn Museum’s mission to amplify and honor the voices of our community.
Read more about the exhibitions below—and plan your visit soon!
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition
Spotlighting artists who have lived or maintained a studio in Brooklyn during the last five years, 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 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.
Check out the full list of artists here and get acquainted with their contributions through our virtual tour!
Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art
Black feminist and BIPOC perspectives act as through lines in this vast presentation of more than 400 works. In each of eight galleries, you’ll find a thought-provoking framework inspired by the abundant contributions of historically marginalized cultural producers. Every space is a distinct encounter with the collection, from the bloom-covered walls in “To Give Flowers” to the contemplative respite of “A Quiet Place,” to the chance to strut the runway before an audience of seated portraits in “Several Seats.”
Featuring both collection highlights, such as Laura Wheeler Waring’s Woman with Bouquet, and brand-new acquisitions, such as works by Japanese American artist Hisako Hibi, the galleries will reflect the beauty, wonder, and complexity of American art through the ages. Myriad voices—of curators, artists, Brooklyn Botanic Garden staff, and NYC drag queens, to name a few—add to the many conversations and questions that the reinstallation surfaces. While grappling with heavy histories, the display emphasizes joy, celebrating American art and artists in all their forms.
Become a Member
There are so many fantastic things in store for this momentous year. We’re celebrating 200 years of groundbreaking art and community—and your support helps pave the way for the next 200.
From the top: Brooklyn Museum, 2024. (Photo: Adrianna Glaviano); Jasmine Clarke. Olivia, 2022. Pigmented inkjet print. © Jasmine Clarke. Courtesy of the artist; Laura Wheeler Waring. Woman with Bouquet, ca. 1940. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum; Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Teresa A. Carbone, 2016.2. © Estate of Laura Wheeler Waring. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Brooklyn Museum, 2024. (Photo: Adrianna Glaviano)
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition is organized by Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli and coordinated by Sharon Matt Atkins, Deputy Director for Art; Lauren Bierly, Senior Exhibition Project Manager; and Jennie Tang, Special Exhibition Administrator; with support from Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art; Carmen Hermo, former Associate Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; and Catherine Morris, Senior Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum.
With tremendous gratitude, we thank the Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees for their visionary support and commitment to the breadth of Museum and citywide celebrations as we embark on our 200th year. It is with appreciation to them and to the supporters of The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition that we are honored to present the works of local artists who make our community what it is today.
Sponsored by UOVO
Leadership support for The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition is provided by Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation’s Social Justice Fund, and Barbara and John Vogelstein.
Significant support is provided by the Brooklyn Museum’s Contemporary Art Committee, Rona and Jeffrey Citrin, and Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia.
Generous support is provided by Shelley Fox Aarons and Philip Aarons, Molly Gochman, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Scott Rofey and Olivia Song.
Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art is organized by Stephanie Sparling Williams, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art; Caroline Gillaspie, Assistant Curator of American Art; Catherine Futter, Senior Curator, Decorative Arts; Liz St. George, Assistant Curator, Decorative Arts; Nancy Rosoff, Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator, Arts of the Americas; Dare Turner, Curator of Indigenous Art; with Grace Billingslea and Michael Gibson-Prugh, Curatorial Assistants, Arts of the Americas and Europe.
Special thanks to our Brooklyn Museum American Art Advisory Committee and Black Feminist Roundtable.
This exhibition is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Leadership support for this exhibition is provided by Tracey and Phillip Riese. Major support is provided by American International Group, Inc.; Saundra Williams-Cornwell and
W. Don Cornwell; Pfizer, Inc.; and the Brooklyn Museum Council for African American
Art.
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