Past Exhibitions

July 2017 - January 2020

Bounce, glide or leap to our exciting exhibition/dance space designed to introduce children and families to the delights of dance! Celebrate the beauty, spirit, and diversity of the form while learning about the important role dance can play in a child’s world. Discover dance from a variety of entry points: as an art form, as an expression of diverse cultures and traditions, and as a healthy physical activity.

• Interact with the immersive video projection dome dance portal to watch, learn and dance along with  professional, community, and student dance companies from New York and abroad. Learn more about organizations featured in the dance portal.
• Create multi-color shadow dances on the “stage” while exploring lighting design with a child-friendly lighting box
• Choreograph a series of dance patterns while learning the language of dance and using movable signs, engaging props and fun costumes
• Experiment with authentic percussion instruments, drumming unique beats and rhythms
• Explore and capture new dance positions by manipulating poseable figures
• Be inspired by photography and video that celebrates the breadth of the dance world, including the fabulous New York City Dance Parade and dance in New York City’s public schools as seen in PS Dance!
• Participate in a dance workshop or take a seat to experience world-class performances!

Special dance programming and performances completed this “moving” experience!

This exhibition was made possible with public funding from the Institute of  Museum and Library Services, the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support came from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and Jody and John Arnhold. Generous in-kind donations were made by Casio America, Inc., Drum Workshop, Inc., Harlequin Floors (American Harlequin Corporation), Putumayo World Music, Steps on Broadway, and Traveling Tutus Inc.

The Children’s Museum is also grateful for the support and insight provided by its Dance Advisory Board.

First Floor

Art, Artists & You was an interactive experience aimed at encouraging children and their families to explore self-expression and identity through art-making. This dynamic, hands-on environment at the Children’s Museum (212 West 83rd Street) offered visitors unique opportunities to watch, follow, collaborate with, and take inspiration from working contemporary artists in studio workspaces created especially for this exhibit at the Museum.

Part exhibit, part art studio, Art, Artists & You featured the work of a diverse set of artists who shared their singular approaches to manipulating materials. Four artists were in residence for the run of the exhibit working in their medium of choice in their home-away-from-home studios at the Museum. Art, Artists & You’s 2019 artists-in-residence included Gabino A. Castelán, Patte Loper, Tijay Mohammed, and Annesofie Sandal.

The art in Art, Artists & You consisted of sculpture and works on paper and fiber, as well as digital media. Visitors explored these elements as well as the artists’ innovative use of assemblage and technology. The art on display exemplified ways in which artists reimagine and transform familiar materials and ordinary objects. By doing so, they encourage viewers to examine the realms of narrative, meaning, and identity.  The works on view included those of the artists-in-residence and a curated selection of other artwork exhibited throughout the space.

Artists whose work will be on display in the exhibit included:

Leo Castaneda
Delano Dunn
Tai Hwa Goh
Amber Heaton
Robert Hernandez
James Hsieh
Sara Jimenez
Firoz Mahmud
Deborah Morris
Jasmine Murrell
Natalia Nakazawa
Ana Peñalba
daaPo Reo
Annesofie Sandal
Nyugen Smith
Adrienne Elise Tarver
Jennifer Williams
Ezra Wube
Yeon Ji Yoo

Funding for the exhibit was provided by the Gray Foundation, Ford Foundation, Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins. Funding for programming was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Funding for programming with Amir Hariri and Firoz Muhmad was provided by the Building Bridges Program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

First Floor

The popular Hello From Japan! exhibit was on the first floor gallery with new art and objects, a manga studio, and a hands-on origami workshop.  It is currently on tour.

Experience Tokyo’s vibrant culture in a new interactive exhibit!

Children will have fun learning about life in present day Japan in this playful, immersive environment. Hello from Japan! is a new interactive exhibit in the Museum’s First Floor Gallery. It will transport families to two distinct areas of Tokyo that exist side by side: one serene and exquisite, the other, too cute for words.

Kawaii Central is a streetscape inspired by Tokyo’s bustling Harajuku district, bursting with color, trendy shops and cuter than cute kawaii styles, (pronounced like Hawai’i). Kids sing karaoke, smile for the photo booth camera, serve up a seasonal Japanese meal, and design adorable mascots for their families.

The beautiful, natural Shinto shrine park invites children to build a bridge, crawl through a forest, encounter kami spirits, and make a wish at a wishing tree.

The exhibit highlights how old and new traditions coexist in Japan, giving visitors a family-friendly window into Japanese culture.

Learn more about contemporary Japan through our fun and educational programs for the public, free with admission.

There is also a fun app and game for your family to play: The League of Extraordinary Bloggers. It is a game developed for the Asian Culture Series to explore the Asian cultures featured in the five children’s museums traveling exhibits.

Love anime and manga? Visit anime-manga.jp to learn common Japanese expressions used in anime and manga. Created by the Japanan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai.

This is exhibit was created by the Museum and is part of the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series, funded by The Freeman Foundation and administered by Association of Children’s Museums.

Funding for programs is provided by the Japan Foundation, New York.

View full exhibition credits »

4th Floor

Step into the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s EatSleepPlay™: Building Health Every Day exhibit and experience interactive ways for families to create a healthier lifestyle together. All activities and information are based on the latest medical and behavioral research and are linked to most important elements of a child’s day. Learn the essential facts and skills to make simple changes to build a strong and healthy future. EatSleepPlay™ offers fun, tried and true solutions to help get your child to eat fruits and vegetables, prevent your child’s bedtime from getting later and later, and to help increase your child’s level of physical activity.

Learn by doing

• Crawl through a digestive system, follow nutrients into the body and pretend balls are blood cells traveling through the amazing circulatory system.
• Explore the power of play while pedaling, running, balance and jumping together as a family.
• Meet the Super Sprowtz™, a team of super-powered vegetable heroes and explore the benefits of fruits and vegetables at a NYC Green Cart.
• Pretend to drive a NYC bus to a city park or greenmarket!

Find out More

• Learn more about EatSleepPlay™: A CMOM Health Initiative »
• Read the Hunter College School of Urban Public Health evaluation of CMOM’s EatSleepPlay™ exhibition »
• Read the evaluation’s Executive Summary »

The Children’s Museum is pleased to welcome NewYork-Presbyterian as a supporter of the EatSleepPlay exhibit and as a partner in its important efforts to help New York children and families make healthy choices every day. Get toddler-friendly recipes and other tips on: Healthy Beverage Portions, Healthy Snacks, More Healthy Snacks, Reading Labels, Lightening up on Liquids, Picky Eating, Building Sleep Habits, Misconceptions about the Flu, Pediatric Emergencies, Bullying, and Concussions.

EatSleepPlay™: Building Health Every Day is funded by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund; the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency; Goldman Sachs Gives and the Joan Ganz Cooney Fund at the New York Community Trust.

Tour Sites: Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga, TN (February 3 – May 13, 2018); Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, KY (May 25 – December 30, 2018); Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, PA (Winter 2019 – Spring 2019); Sabeel Center, Des Plaines, IL (September – December 2019)

Travel the world in a single museum visit!  Enjoy innovative hands-on experiences and discover fascinating objects, images and information from over 50 countries. Children can explore ancient trade routes on a two story Indian Ocean dhow (boat) or on a camel. They’ll thrill to the excitement of a global marketplace as they pretend to buy, sell and trade fruit, fish, spice, ceramic, textiles, and rugs. The exhibit environment is rich with art, architecture and design elements from across the globe. Visitors will marvel at a 3D exploration of mosque architecture from the Maldives to China. Original works by emerging American Muslim artists join traditional art forms including intricately designed tiles, ornate ceramics, and complex patterned rugs. There’s even an interactive replica/interpretation of a Pakistani truck for children to decorate.

Families can also compose music using an app featuring the rebana, tabla, kora, oud, ney, and ghijak, listen to stories and view objects shared by local America Muslim families and even learn how to write and say “My name is …” in 21 languages.

View the exhibition layout »

Major support has been provided by:

National Endowment for the Humanities, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, MetLife Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services – a federal agency, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Open Society Foundations, National Endowment for the Arts, Children’s Museum of Manhattan Board of Directors and scores of individuals.

Additional support provided by:

The El-Hibri Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Goldman Sach Gives, National Endowment for the Arts, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center,  The Violet Jabara Charitable Trust. Citywide program support provided by the New York City Council under the leadership of Speaker Mark-Viverito

Advisors

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is grateful to the international advisors and partners who guided this project over the past five years. We thank the following organizations for their wisdom, deep thoughts, and partnership.

30 Mosques in 30 Days, Aga Khan Museum, Al Amana Centre, Albanian Institute New York, Arab American Association of New York, Auburn Theological Seminary, BoomGen Studios, Columbia University, Fordham University, The Halal Guys, Honest Chops, Indian Ocean World Centre, The Interfaith Center of New York, International Museum of Women, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center Manhattan, Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market, Manhattan College, Marble Collegiate Church, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Middle Collegiate Church, MIIM Designs, Muslim Community Network, New York City Government, NYC Office of the Mayor, New York Public Library – Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Pakistan Mission to the United Nations, Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness, Sikh Coalition, Tarek Atrissi Design, Temple University, Unity Productions Foundation, University of Pennsylvania

Thank you all!

October - December 2016

History! Inspiration! The excitement of the 2016 presidential election cycle!  I Approve This Message offers children a clever introduction to our American heritage with a 40-foot display of framed historical documents complete with authentic autographs from every American president and even a few first ladies! These notable objects are part of the private collection of the late Fred B. Tarter.

In addition to learning about our electoral process, children can

• Feel the power of the Oval Office, and enjoy a photo-op while sitting at a pretend-play presidential desk and signing documents similar to those featured in the display
• Add a signature to a wall-hanging for potential future presidents
• Cast a vote in a faux voting booth
• Participate in presidential-related scavenger hunts
• Make a snazzy slogan button to promote their candidacy

The exhibit features presidential profiles and fascinating factoids, brought to life by the charming illustrations of Mike Lowery, from Ken Jenning’s Junior Genius Guides: U.S. Presidents (used with the permission of Little Simon – an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division).

Renowned artist Leah Tinari’s President Project series, contemporary presidential portraits with a splash of color and whimsy, will also be on display for the first time ever. Visitors may recognize her work from the illustrations in the popular children’s book, The Magical Fantastical Fridge (Penguin Random House – Dial Books).

The Children’s Museum would like to acknowledge the generosity of Tarter Family in sharing the extraordinary collection of the late Fred B. Tarter, and of Leah Tinari for sharing her artwork, with the children and families of New York City.

Open May 26 – June 25, 2017

Building Wonderlands returns! This popular interactive installation of more than 5,000 Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks, enables children of all ages and their families to construct colorful pretend worlds up, down, sideways and around!

With a little imagination, the possibilities are endless for visitors to Building Wonderlands. Children can craft spaceships, snowflakes or castles, or even build a wondrous New York City of the future complete with towers, skyscrapers and bridges all while exploring elementary principles of construction and physics.

Tegu Blocks are unique not just because they are magnetic but because of the play value the magnets add. With Tegu, children can build beyond the traditional constraints of gravity; they can build out, not just up! Also, working with the polarity of the magnets on the fly is a fun challenge, generating more critical thinking and educational opportunities than you might expect.

Children will also be able to play with KEVA planks, another popular building toy.

May – December 2014

Get jazzed at CMOM! Find your own beat as you tap, snap, clap and stomp your way through. Live music, hands-on art workshops and an immersive environment celebrates the rich history and lasting legacy of jazz in America. This interactive exhibition and program series features rarely seen images, archival footage, and original jazz artifacts.

Enter a world of big bands, intimate jazz clubs and shimmering stages . . .

SCAT with Ella! Delight at the sounds of your favorite nursery rhymes being sung by the great Ella Fitzgerald, then sing along at the 1930’s pretend-play microphone.

TAP like Bojangles! Marvel at the skill of iconic tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson doing his famous staircase dance in rarely seen archival footage, then make your own tap shoes and choreograph a unique routine on the Bojangles Tap Staircase.

SWING with Duke! Meet Duke Ellington, legendary bandleader, pianist and composer through artifacts and photos from his band. Experience a contemporary jazz band at a large touchscreen interactive that encourages you to be the bandleader by choosing which musician and instrument to feature. And make your own instrument to take home!

The Children’s Museum partnered with The National Jazz Museum in Harlem to develop this exhibition.

January – June 9, 2013

Children get into trouble with the mischievous, yet brave and loyal Monkey King in this epic Chinese adventure tale. Visitors discover the wonders of traditional and modern China as they join Monkey to fly in the clouds, cause havoc in the Heavenly Palace and battle the Bull Demon.

This exhibit was created by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan as part of the Asian Exhibit Initiative, funded by the Freeman Foundation and administered by the Association of Children’s Museums.

May 2006 – October 2011

Learn about the impact of ancient Greece on the modern world. Find the Greek roots of everyday words, build an ancient temple, and investigate the Antikythera Mechanism, a mysterious machine from approximately ca. 150 BC widely considered to be the world’s first computer. Follow the story of Odysseus in The Odyssey, who sang with the Sirens and climbed into a large Trojan horse. Arm-wrestle an ancient Greek athlete using a mechanical arm or challenge an animatronic Aristotle to a game of “Twenty Questions.” Learn about the heroism of ancient Greek women in myth and daily life as you engage in a virtual weaving contest with goddess Athena, weave on a fixed loom or discover the steps of textile production from sheep shearing to weaving.

Sponsored in New York by American Express; Media sponsor WNYC.

November 2005–May 2006

Art legend Andy Warhol created an exhibit for children in the early 1980’s in Zurich called “Paintings for Children.” Families visiting CMOM viewed a recreation of this exhibit that included a selection of paintings depicting animals and tin toys, and six original screenprints from Warhol’s Myths series, featuring personalities such as Uncle Sam and Superman. Developed to inspire creativity and help children understand how images communicate ideas, values and beliefs, the exhibit included silk-screening workstations and a digital photography kiosk, giving families opportunities for an in-depth exploration of American cultural myths.

The Art of Andy Warhol was organized by the Andy Warhol Museum and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Premiere New York Sponsor Fujifilm.

October 2004 – February 2005

Visitors viewed Romare Bearden’s original, vibrant work, Sunday Morning Breakfast and explored the relationship between visual art, storytelling and collage through a series of interactive games and looking activities. This exhibit was mounted in conjunction with a major Bearden retrospective at the Whitney Museum of Art and the Romare Bearden Homecoming Celebration (September 2004 – March 2005), a New York Citywide celebration honoring one of America’s foremost artists.

October 2002 – May 2005

Art Inside Out was a breakthrough exhibit that literally invited children and their families to step into works by three great contemporary artists: Elizabeth Murray, William Wegman and Fred Wilson. CMOM worked with the artists to create an exhibit that combined over two-dozen original works and interactive multi-media displays into three playful, immersive environments. Art Inside Out exposed families to the working processes of artists and provided a welcoming entry point into New York’s world of art and museums.

October 2000

Fifty years of the funnies come alive with the art and artistry of cartoonist Charles Schulz! Good Grief at the Children’s Museum invites you to step into the world of the Peanuts comic strip. Explore Schroeder’s Piano, Snoopy’s Doghouse, Woodstock’s Nest and learn about all of your favorite Peanuts friends! Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and the gang will help visitors understand others, learn to empathize, and develop tolerance while having fun and navigating the tough road of childhood together.

Peanuts and the exhibit offer an entertaining multi-generational experience:
• Ages 2-6 play in the Land of Peanuts
• Ages 6-12 explore relationships and solve dilemmas
• Adults reflect on 5 decades of American culture through the eyes of Snoopy & Charlie Brown