The New-York Historical Society recently unveiled a brand new fourth floor, the Henry Luce III Center, and announced an upcoming Eloise exhibit.
The museum’s Luce Center is home to the new Center for Women’s History, a new Tech Commons, and a Gallery of Tiffany Lamps, as well as historic treasures from New-York Historical Society’s permanent collection.
The Center for Women’s History aims to tell the “untold stories” of women who have helped to shape America. Different sections within this exhibit include the Billie Jean King archive, where visitors can get a closer look at some of King’s personal items, including racquets and awards. The Center also houses the Women’s Voices multimedia installation, where visitors can see how women’s words and actions have driven social change from America’s earliest days to now.
Visitors to the Luce Center can also get a glimpse at several Tiffany Lamps. The exhibit will highlight contributions made by head designer Clara Driscoll and the “Tiffany Girls” who worked in her Women’s Glass Cutting Department.
The Tech Commons serves as a space for young people to read, study, or work on group projects. The space is complete with computers, scanners, and a 3-D printer. An interactive media wall holds three over-sized screens, and an audio recording booth for creating video projects.
Kids and families can have fun exploring the Luce Center by borrowing a History Detective Briefcase. Each free briefcase provides a variety of fun, interactive, family-centered challenges and includes binoculars, a detective notepad, colored pencils, and activity cards. Depending on the activity cards inside the briefcase a family gets, it could also have a materials pouch, scent jars, a secret decoder, color paddles, and/or modeling clay. Use of the briefcases is free with museum admission and can be returned at the end of your visit. The briefcases are available on Saturdays and Sundays, holidays, and public school vacation weeks.
The museum was founded in 1804 and is the oldest in New York City. It will be open on Memorial Day and has several family programs and exhibits throughout the year. An exhibit on picture book heroine Eloise will be coming soon, June 30-Oct. 9, with family programming throughout the summer. Called Eloise at the Museum, the exhibit will include original manuscripts, sketchbooks, photographs, vintage dolls, and toys.
Upcoming family programs—some of which are free with museum admission—include Meet the Fledglings with the Wild Bird Fund (May 20) and Centennial Saturday events (May 27, June 3) where children learn more about a time period or aspect of history. In addition to the History Detective Briefcases for Families, some recurring family programs include Little New-Yorkers, Cross-Stitch Circle, and Sunday Story Time. The second Friday of each month children younger than 24 months and their adults can join a Stroller Tour Through History with singing and art-making before the museum opens for the day.
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Main images: Guests interact at the New-York Historical Society.
Courtesy New-York Historical Society
