Whitney Museum Of American Art

THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART IS A MUSEUM DEVOTED TO AMERICAN ART OF THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES.

COLLECTION AND EXHIBITIONS OF AMERICAN ARTIN FY21, THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART PRESENTED 15 EXHIBITIONS. THESE INCLUDED: THE WHITNEY'S COLLECTION: SELECTIONS FROM 1900 TO 1965 (JUNE 28, 2019 - PRESENT); ORDER AND ORNAMENT: ROY LICHTENSTEIN'S ENTABLATURES (SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 - NOVEMBER 16, 2020); MAKING KNOWING: CRAFT IN ART, 1950-2019 (NOVEMBER 22, 2019 - FEBRUARY 22, 2022); CAULEEN SMITH: MUTUALITIES (FEBRUARY 17, 2020 - JANUARY 31, 2021); VIDA AMERICANA: MEXICAN MURALISTS REMAKE AMERICAN ART, 1925-1945 (FEBRUARY 17, 2020 - JANUARY 31, 2021); AGNES PELTON: DESERT TRANSCENDENTALIST (MARCH 13 - NOVEMBER 1, 2020); AROUND DAY'S END: DOWNTOWN NEW YORK, 1970-1986 (SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 - NOVEMBER 1, 2020); SALMAN TOOR: HOW WILL I KNOW (NOVEMBER 13, 2020 - APRIL 4, 2021); NOTHING IS SO HUMBLE: PRINTS FROM EVERYDAY OBJECTS (NOVEMBER 20, 2020 - APRIL 18, 2021); WORKING TOGETHER: THE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE KAMOINGE WORKSHOP, (NOVEMBER 21, 2020 - MARCH 28, 2021); JULIE MEHRETU (MARCH 25, 2021 - AUGUST 8, 2021); MADELINE HOLLANDER: FLATWING (MARCH 25, 2021 - AUGUST 8, 2021); PERMANENT COLLECTION: CAROL BOVE AND VIRGINIA OVERTON (APRIL 1, 2021 - FEBRUARY 7, 2022); DAWOUD BEY: AN AMERICAN PROJECT (APRIL 17, 2021 - OCTOBER 3, 2021); AND DAVE MCKENZIE: THE STORY I TELL MYSELF (MAY 1, 2021 - OCTOBER 4, 2021). FY21 PERFORMANCES AT THE MUSEUM INCLUDED DAVE MCKENZIE: THE STORY I TELL MYSELF (MAY 1, 2021 - OCTOBER 4, 2021). AN ONGOING SERIES OF OUTDOOR ART SHOWN ACROSS GANSEVOORT STREET FROM THE MUSEUM HAD TWO INSTALLATIONS: JILL MULLEADY: WE WITHER TIME INTO A COIL OF FRIGHT (MARCH 2, 2020 - JANUARY 24, 2021) AND ANDREA CARLSON: RED EXIT (JANUARY 25, 2021 - SEPTEMBER 19, 2021).THE FOLLOWING EXHIBITIONS TOURED NATIONALLY: ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG: FIVE DECADES FROM THE WHITNEY'S COLLECTION (THE NORTON MUSEUM OF ART, WEST PALM BEACH, FL); JULIE MEHRETU, CO-ORGANIZED WITH LACMA (LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART, LOS ANGELES, CA; AND HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, GA); DAWOUD BEY: AN AMERICAN PROJECT, CO-ORGANIZED WITH SFMOMA (SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, SAN FRANCISCO, CA; AND HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, GA); AND VANTAGE POINTS: CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM, ASHEVILLE, NC).

CURATORIAL AND RELATED SUPPORTIN FY21, THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART CONTINUED ITS ONGOING STUDY INTO THE MORE THAN 26,000 OBJECTS IN THE COLLECTION BY OVER 3,600 ARTISTS. THE WHITNEY CONTINUED ITS WORK ON A MULTI-YEAR, CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL, AND CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN, SCOPE, EVOLUTION, USE, AND IMPACT OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION. THE PROJECT, WHICH WILL CULMINATE IN THE WHITNEY'S FIRST EVER COLLECTION STRATEGIC PLAN, WILL OFFER RECOMMENDATIONS, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WHITNEY'S COLLECTION THAT IS INFORMED BY THE INSTITUTION'S HISTORY AND ENRICHED BY ITS DESIRE TO MAKE ITS HOLDINGS USEFUL, DYNAMIC, AND RELEVANT FOR TODAY AND THE FUTURE. THE WHITNEY CONTINUES TO REFINE AND EXPERIMENT WITH ITS STRATEGIES FOR DISPLAYING MORE OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION WITHIN ITS GALLERY SPACES. THE RESULTING COLLECTION DISPLAYS CREATE THEMATIC, ART HISTORICAL CONTEXTS AND COUNTERPOINTS TO THE ONGOING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS PROGRAM, AND EXPLORE HOW THE INSTITUTION CAN CONTRIBUTE TO NEW NARRATIVES ABOUT AMERICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY. RICH DOCUMENTATION OF THESE INSTALLATIONS AND MANY OF THE ARTWORKS WITHIN THEM ALLOWED THESE EXHIBITIONS TO REMAIN ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE MUSEUM'S WEBSITE. THE WHITNEY HAD TO CLOSE TEMPORARILY DUE TO COVID-19. THE WHITNEY'S ON-SITE PROGRAM REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 WITH COVID-19 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN PLACE. WORK WAS ONGOING TO DIGITIZE THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS, A PROJECT THAT IS A CRUCIAL ASPECT OF THE INCREASED SCOPE OF THE CURATORIAL, CONSERVATION, AND RESEARCH RESOURCES TEAMS IN ITS GREATLY ENLARGED FACILITY. THE WHITNEY'S PERMANENT COLLECTION REMAINED ONLINE AND AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AS A SEARCHABLE RESOURCE AND IS UPDATED REGULARLY AS NEW WORKS ENTER THE COLLECTION. IMPORTANT LIBRARY AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HOLDINGS ARE KEPT ON SITE, AS WELL AS ABOUT 15,000 WORKS ON PAPER THAT ARE STORED IN THE SONDRA GILMAN STUDY CENTER, FACILITATING ACCESS TO THEM FOR CURATORS AND SCHOLARS. THE SONDRA GILMAN STUDY CENTER SUPPORTS CROSS-MEDIUM, CROSS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH, ALLOWING MUSEUM STAFF, ARTISTS, SCHOLARS, AND RESEARCHERS ACCESS TO THE COLLECTION AND OPPORTUNITY FOR CLOSE MATERIAL AND TECHNICAL EXAMINATION OF OBJECTS. AS SUCH, THE STUDY CENTER IS AN EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE FOR HISTORIANS AND CURATORS OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART, MAKING THE WHITNEY'S WORLD-CLASS HOLDINGS AVAILABLE FOR PRIMARY RESEARCH AND IN-DEPTH CONSULTATION. IN FY21, THE STUDY CENTER REMAINED CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19, HOWEVER, PLANS FOR ITS REOPENING WERE UNDERWAY.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS DURING FY21, THE WHITNEY'S EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TRANSITIONED TO REMOTE-ONLINE LEARNING IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19. ALL TEAMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPED A NEW ROSTER OF PROGRAMS TO ENGAGE THE WHITNEY'S WORLD-CLASS COLLECTION OF AMERICAN ART AND REACH THE DIVERSE ONLINE AUDIENCE THAT TYPICALLY VISITS THE MUSEUM. DURING THIS PANDEMIC YEAR, THE MUSEUM SAW A REMARKABLE GROWTH OF A VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE AND ONLINE PROGRAMMING ABOUT THE WHITNEY COLLECTION AND EXHIBITIONS DESIGNED BY MUSEUM EDUCATORS. THE WHITNEY SERVED A TOTAL OF 123,515 ONLINE VISITORS THROUGH VIRTUAL SCHOOL, YOUTH, FAMILY, PUBLIC, AND ACCESS & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. AN ADDITIONAL 619,330 ASYNCHRONOUS USERS ONLINE WERE SERVED THROUGH DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT WITH INTERPRETIVE CONTENT OF AUDIO GUIDES, RECORDED VIDEOS OF PROGRAMS ON YOUTUBE, AND PODCASTS. A TOTAL OF 20,782 OF THESE ONLINE VISITORS WERE K-12 STUDENTS. THIS FIGURE INCLUDES A TOTAL OF 4,020 STUDENTS SERVED THROUGH ONLINE LESSONS. EDUCATION STAFF WORKED WITHIN AND ACROSS PROGRAM AREAS ON ZOOM TO PRESENT DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING THAT EXPLORED CRITICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT AMERICAN ART, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY. AS NYC CLOSED DOWN TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, THE WHITNEY'S EDUCATION STAFF WERE EARLY TO IDENTIFY THE DISTINCT NEED AND GROWING GAP IN PROVIDING ARTS EDUCATION TO K-12 STUDENTS AND SUPPORT FOR EDUCATORS ACROSS THE CITY. IN RESPONSE, PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS MOVED ONLINE FOR A SECOND YEAR. THE SCHOOL PROGRAM TEAM COMPLETED 975 ONLINE LESSONS WITH 71 DIFFERENT K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS NYC. IN ADDITION, THE WHITNEY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CONTINUED ALL TEEN YOUTH INSIGHTS COHORTS WITH A TOTAL OF 92 ONLINE MEETINGS AND TEEN'S EVENTS, SERVING 192 TEENS TO EXPAND THEIR ARTISTIC PRACTICES FROM HOME.TODAY, PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT CONTINUE PRESENTING PROVOCATIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL EVENTS THAT ENGAGE AUDIENCES IN CRITICAL DIALOGUES ON ART AND CULTURAL PRODUCTION. FOR EXHIBITIONS VIDA AMERICANA: MEXICAN ARTISTS REMAKE AMERICAN ART, CAULEEN SMITH: MUTUALITIES, SALMAAN TOOR: HOW WILL I KNOW, WORKING TOGETHER: THE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE KAMOINGE WORKSHOP, ANDREA CARLSON: RED EXIT, DAWOUD BEY: AN AMERICAN PROJECT, AND JULIE MEHRETU. PUBLIC PROGRAMS PRESENTED 41 VIRTUAL PROGRAMS SERVING 22,480 SYNCHRONOUS VIEWERS, WITH 45,373 INDIVIDUALS REGISTERED FOR THE PROGRAMS. WITH THE SHIFT TO ZOOM AS A PLATFORM FOR PROGRAMMING, THE MUSEUM ENGAGED WITH AUDIENCES IN NEW AND EXCITING WAYS. THE WHITNEY'S EMAIL LIST GREW TO OVER 24,000 SUBSCRIBERS, AND THE MUSEUM HAS BEGUN TO COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM PROGRAM ATTENDEES THROUGH SHORT SURVEYS AFTER PROGRAMS. PUBLIC PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON MAKING EVENTS MORE ACCESSIBLE: STARTING IN SEPTEMBER 2020, ALL EVENTS ARE OFFERED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING AND PROVIDE ASL INTERPRETATION WHEN REQUESTED, AS WELL AS FIVE FREE WITH LIVE SPANISH TRANSLATION.FAMILY PROGRAMS HAD 71 ONLINE ART CLUBS AND WORKSHOP STUDIOS SERVING 11,153 PEOPLE (BETWEEN KIDS AND ADULTS). ONE SUCH INITIATIVE WAS WHITNEY KIDS ART CHALLENGE, DESIGNED FOR KIDS AND GROWNUPS TO DO TOGETHER WITH MATERIALS EASILY FOUND IN THE HOME BASED ON WORKS IN THE WHITNEY'S PERMANENT COLLECTION. IN FY21, THE DEPARTMENT OFFERED ITS ANNUAL ART COLLEGE NIGHT FOR NYC TEENS, ON ZOOM. REPRESENTATIVES FROM COLLEGES IN THE NEW YORK AREA GAVE INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING TIPS, AND MUCH MORE. THE MUSEUM ALSO CONTINUED ITS COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY FOR DISABLED AND NON-DISABLED VISITORS OF ALL AGES BY DEVELOPING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE VLOGS, RUNNING VERBAL DESCRIPTION TOURS, FAMILY FUN FOR KIDS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM WORKSHOPS, WHITNEY SIGNS ONLINE, AND PROGRAMMED SPECIAL ACCESS PROGRAMS EVENTS ONLINE. THIS YEAR THE MUSEUM ALSO DESIGNED PROGRAMS FOR THE INSTALLATION OF DAVID HAMMONS'S DAY'S END, A PUBLIC ART PROJECT LOCATED IN HUDSON RIVER PARK ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF GANSEVOORT PENINSULA DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THE MUSEUM. IN FY21, THE MUSEUM CONTINUED TO BUILD OUT A VARIETY OF DIGITAL INTERPRETATIVE MATERIALS RELATED TO DAY'S END AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FREE OF CHARGE ON-SITE AND ONLINE. THESE MATERIALS INCLUDE NEW AUDIO, VIDEO, OR PODCAST CONTENT OF HOW WILL I KNOW, WORKING TOGETHER: THE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE KAMOINGE WORKSHOP, DAVID HAMMONS: DAY ENDS, JULIE MEHRETU, DAVE MCKENZIE: THE STORY I TELL MYSELF, AND DAWOUD BEY: AN AMERICAN PROJECT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHITNEY EDUCATION, PLEASE VISIT WHITNEY.ORG/EDUCATION.

PUBLICATION AND RETAIL SALES:MUSEUM RELATED AUXILLARY SERVICES THAT PROVIDE PRODUCTS RELATED TO THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION AND EXHIBITIONS.