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New York Times ArtsBeat Blog

Jazz – its history, its talents, its sounds – is the subject of a new exhibition at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan that will run May 23 through Oct. 19, in partnership with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. “Jazzed! The Changing Beat of 125th Street” is an interactive, multimedia exhibition that will make use of jazz artifacts, music education workshops and live performances each day.

The 1,500-square-foot exhibition at the Upper West Side children’s museum features a jazz club, ballroom and theater, all of which mimic the kinds of places found in the Harlem Renaissance era of the 1920s-1940s. In the jazz club, one can hear Ella Fitzgerald and children can sing using a 1930s-style microphone. A video of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, the tap dancer, can be seen in the theater. The ballroom — which features the lively sounds of Duke Ellington — has a piano that will be used for live performances by local young jazz pianists.

A timeline connects the featured artists with the history of Harlem’s 125th Street and the influence of jazz. Video kiosks will show original films and objects from the time period. Families will also have opportunities to participate in hands-on art and music-making workshops at child-size, instrument-shaped tables, and will be able to construct Big Band era-style musical instruments and use authentic sheet music from the Harlem Renaissance to create original scores.

“Jazz is truly a New York City story and we’re honored to be partnering with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem to introduce children to this multifaceted musical genre, many perhaps for the first time,” Andrew Ackerman, the executive director of the children’s museum, said in a statement. “The exhibit will provide a unique opportunity for families to learn about this vital period in our city’s cultural history, develop music literacy, and interact with local jazz musicians, artists and dancers.”

“This is a magical opportunity for us at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem to share ideas with one of the most popular and respected museums in New York City,” Loren Schoenberg, the artistic director of the jazz museum, added. “We’re looking forward to this exhibit as just the beginning of a fruitful partnership.”

By Felicia R. Lee