New York Venue Directory
Museums & Cultural Spaces ART MUSEUMS
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART—THE CLOISTERS5
AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM
This institution is full of works by traditional and contemporary folk artists. Its atrium and mezzanine together seat 80 or hold 250 for receptions. The Esmerian/King Family Auditorium seats 70 theater-style and has audiovisual equipment. (45 West 53rd St., 212.977.7170 ext. 308)
In Upper Manhattan, the Cloisters is an assemblage of medieval monastic structures and a repository of a portion of the Metropolitan Museum’s medieval art collection. The buildings feature Romanesque and Gothic architectural sculpture, and the courtyard seats 250 or holds 400 for receptions. (Fort Tryon Park, 212.570.3773)
BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS5
THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM
In 2006, the Bronx Museum of the Arts unveiled its expanded space—a $19 million project that added 16,700 square feet to the 35-year-old institution. Designed by Arquitectonica, the additions include a facade of diagonally positioned glass and steel panels, a minimalist main gallery, an education center and media lab, additional gallery space, and an event area on the second level with an adjacent terrace. (1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, 718.681.6000)
This expanded institution reopened in 2006 with three glass-and-steel pavilions designed by Renzo Piano. The structures connect the original three buildings and added 75,000 square feet, including a 264-seat auditorium, a café and restaurant, a new reading room, and additional gallery space. (225 Madison Ave., 212.590.0326)
BROOKLYN MUSEUM5
A collection including centuries of Egyptian, European, and American art is found at Brooklyn’s largest museum. Its glass entry pavilion and grand lobby combine to seat 300 or hold 1,000 for receptions. The Iris B. and Gerald Cantor Auditorium seats 460. The renovated BeauxArts Court seats 500 or holds 1,000 for receptions, and the Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden holds 350. (200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn, 718.501.6408) CHELSEA ART MUSEUM
This museum houses its contemporary art collection in a building that dates to 1850, with refurbished loft-style interiors that feature glass and metal accents. The mezzanine holds 100, and the third floor and ground floor each seat 250 or hold 350 for receptions. (556 West 22nd St., 212.255.0719 ext. 105) COOPER-HEWITT NATIONAL DESIGN MUSEUM, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION5
The former mansion of Andrew Carnegie, this museum has a great hall that holds 500 for receptions. The Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden has views of Central Park and may be tented; it seats 650 or holds 1,000 for receptions. The museum also has a gallery that overlooks the garden, a glass-enclosed atrium, and a lecture room. A donation or corporate membership is required to schedule an event. (2 East 91st St., 212.849.8341) IN THE WORKS DIA: CHELSEA
In November 2009, the Dia Art Foundation announced that it will construct a new Manhattan home for itself on the footprint of the west Chelsea space it closed in 2004. The new venue will house commissioned art works, exhibitions, long-term installations, public programs, and performances. (545 West 22nd St.) NEW EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO5
This museum, devoted to the cultural heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean, launched its $20 million capital renovation project in 2006 and reopened in October 2009. The revamp included the installation of a new glass facade, a redesigned courtyard, updated gallery spaces, an expanded shop, and the addition of a café. (1230 Fifth Ave., 212.660.7195) FRICK COLLECTION5
Originally the residence of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, this building houses a collection of works that date from the Renaissance to the late 19th century. The mansion is rich with classically inspired details—rows of columns, detailed pilasters, and arches—and the entrance hall, reception hall, garden court, and music room may be used for events. The museum seats 200 or holds 500 for receptions. (1 East 70th St., 212.547.0706) INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Companies that donate $5,000 or more may entertain on this center’s two floors of modern gallery space. The museum is available for events before or after viewing hours, or during the day on Mondays. The space holds 500. Taste Caterers is the in-house caterer. (1133 Ave. of the Americas, 212.857.0034) JEWISH MUSEUM
In the onetime Warburg mansion, this museum presents exhibitions showcasing 4,000 years of Jewish culture and identity. Scheuer Auditorium—featuring original stained-glass windows—seats 160 or holds 300 for receptions; it seats 230 for lectures or performances. The Nancy and Morris W. Offit Gallery seats 50 or holds 100 for receptions. The Skirball Lobby holds 75 for receptions. (1109 Fifth Ave., 212.423.3239)
MUSEUM OF ARTS & DESIGN
In September 2008, the Museum of Arts and Design unveiled its new Columbus Circle headquarters. Designed by Allied Works Architecture, the 54,000-square-foot museum houses a 155-seat auditorium, a store, and a 1,880square-foot event space. A new 3,650-square-foot ninthfloor restaurant operated by Ark Restaurants Corporation is in the works. (2 Columbus Cir., 212.956.3535) MUSEUM OF BIBLICAL ART
Exhibitions of Judeo-Christian art and history are presented at this museum. Its event space, which looks through a glass pavilion across Broadway, seats 50 or holds 90 for cocktails. Guests may peruse exhibits, but without food or drink. (1865 Broadway, 212.408.1495) MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Previously only available to corporate members, MoMA is now offered for a variety of functions, including fundraising, political, and promotional gatherings. The entry lobby and adjacent Agnes Gund Garden Lobby seat 700 or hold 1,000 for receptions. Above the lobbies is the Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium, which seats 400 or holds 700 for receptions. A smaller atrium on the sixth floor seats 70 or holds 250 for receptions. The Roy and Niuta Titus theaters are available for film screenings and panel discussions on Tuesdays; Titus 1 seats 400, and Titus 2 seats 200. (11 West 53rd St., 212.408.8429) NATIONAL ACADEMY MUSEUM
This museum’s rotunda and spiral staircase have an inlaid marble floor and hold 60 for receptions. The Stone Room has 16-foot Palladian-style windows and a blackand-white marble floor, and seats 80 or holds 125 for receptions. The Huntington Room is wood-paneled, lined with bookcases, and seats 140 or holds 225 for receptions. (1083 Fifth Ave., 212.369.4880 ext. 202) NEUE GALERIE NEW YORK
Dedicated to German and Austrian art, this facility allows corporate patrons to entertain in Café Sabarsky, a Viennese-style coffeehouse with carved-wood walls, which seats 64. The café and all other spaces—including the bookshop, in the original library of the mansion— hold 350. (1048 Fifth Ave., 212.994.9491) NEW MUSEUM5
The museum’s new 60,000-square-foot location on the Bowery opened in 2007. The top floor of the eight-story structure has southern and eastern views, and is a multipurpose space available for events, with a warming kitchen as well as an adjoining terrace. (235 Bowery, 212.219.1222 ext. 254) P.S.1 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER5
An affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art, P.S.1 mounts contemporary art exhibitions in a former public school in Long Island City. The large courtyard holds 3,000, and the building—when exhibitions allow—can hold 2,500. The café seats 100 or holds 200 for receptions. (22-25 Jackson Ave., Queens, 718.784.2084) QUEENS MUSEUM OF ART
The Unisphere Gallery seats 120 or holds 300 for receptions, with a wall of windows that provides views of the spherical sculpture of the same name. The Triangle Gallery seats 300. A 100-seat theater is also available. (New York City Bldg., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718.592.9700) RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART
Once occupied by Barneys New York, this 70,000-squarefoot building houses a collection of Himalayan art. The colonnade and the museum’s lobby, with its spiral staircase, seat 220 or hold 500 for receptions. A theater has 137 removable seats; it holds 100 for receptions or seats 96 cabaret-style at tables. (150 West 17th St., 212.620.5000)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
SCULPTURE CENTER5
Corporate patrons at the $60,000 level may entertain at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which unveiled its Greek and Roman galleries in 2007, a project that took more than a dozen years to complete. The Temple of Dendur space seats 500 or holds 800 for receptions. Other spaces include the great hall and its balcony, the Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court, and an auditorium. The Charles Engelhard Court in the museum’s American Wing reopened in May 2009. (1000 Fifth Ave., 212.570.3773)
In an industrial Long Island City setting—the building once housed a trolley-repair operation and was renovated in 2002 by noted architect Maya Lin—this center exhibits contemporary sculptures and holds 600 for receptions when installations permit. A sculpture yard may be tented and holds 150 for receptions. (44-19 Purves St., Queens, 718.361.1750)
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SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS—THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION5
This space has two galleries that seat 80 or hold 100 for
receptions when combined. The dining room features works by N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell and seats 75 or holds 100 for receptions; a small terrace adjoins the room. A library can accommodate small receptions or business meetings. The main gallery is also available for rent. (128 East 63rd St., 212.838.2560) SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
Within this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building is the soaring rotunda, which—depending on the size and configuration of exhibitions—seats 300 or holds 1,000 for receptions. The Peter B. Lewis Theater seats 281, and a separate screening room seats 70. In mid-December 2009, the Guggenheim added the Wright, a 58-seat restaurant serving a menu of modern American fare from David Bouley protégé Rodolfo Contreras. (1071 Fifth Ave., 212.423.3670) STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM5
This uptown institution mounts exhibitions of African and African-American artists’ work. The museum has completed a construction project that added a film theater, a café, and educational facilities; its event spaces also include the lobby, the atrium, and a courtyard (which may be tented). (144 West 125th St., 212.864.4500 ext. 247) WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART5
Corporate members who contribute $10,000 or more may entertain at this museum. The building’s modern lobby holds 150 for receptions, and its lower gallery seats 170 or holds 500 for receptions. An outdoor sculpture court is connected to the lower gallery (and may be tented), and seats 320 or holds 800 for receptions. (945 Madison Ave., 212.606.0388)
ART SPACES & AUCTION HOUSES AGORA GALLERY CHELSEA
This gallery exhibits the work of international contemporary artists and has a total of 5,800 square feet. The space has polished hardwood floors, a kitchen, wireless Internet, and holds 350. (530 West 25th St., 212.226.4151) THE ART DIRECTORS CLUB
This 5,000-square-foot gallery displays works of graphic design, advertising, publishing, illustration, new media, and photography. The gallery—which has a wall of windows facing the street—seats 250 or holds 450 for receptions. The space has a kitchen and a coat check. (106 West 29th St., 212.643.1440) ARTISTS SPACE
This nonprofit displays works from international emerging artists in its current 3,800-square-foot gallery; however, the venue is planning a renovation to be completed by the end of September, and the space will increase to 7,000 square feet. The venue has a kitchen for catering preparation. The current space seats 80 or holds 300 for receptions. (38 Greene St., 3rd Floor, 212.226.3970 ext. 305) ASIAN FUSION STUDIO
This 2,000-square-foot gallery owned and operated by the Asian Cultural Center is available for rent in the evenings. The venue has lighting and audiovisual equipment, as well as tables and chairs available for events. The space holds 100 for seated events or receptions. (15 East 40th St., 2nd Floor, 212.679.8833 ext. 123) BONHAMS
In April 2008, Bonhams auction house—founded in London in the 18th century—expanded to New York with a facility in the space that formerly housed the Dahesh Museum of Art. Spread across three floors, this Midtown venue began offering its 30,000 square feet of space for corporate events in 2009. In addition to a 2,880-squarefoot auditorium and a mezzanine, Bonhams offers gallery space, the largest of which holds 175 for receptions. (580 Madison Ave., 212.644.9001) CHRISTIE’S
The London-based auctioneer’s New York location has seven galleries and two auction rooms available for events (subject to exhibition schedules). The building seats 300 or holds 1,500 for receptions. The boardroom seats 120 or holds 175 for receptions. (20 Rockefeller Plaza, 212.636.2690 ext. 2687) COOPER CLASSICS COLLECTION
A showplace of classic cars and home to a collection of contemporary art, this West Village venue has 2,500 square feet on its ground level and a 1,500-square-foot upper level that overlooks the main room. The entire venue seats 150 or holds 400 for receptions. The museum recently opened a new gallery across the street; both spaces can be rented. (137 Perry St., 212.929.3909) CUE ART FOUNDATION
The street-level gallery owned and operated by the Cue Art Foundation is available for private rental. The 2,600-square-foot space has windows facing the street, drive-up access, and a skylight atrium; it seats 150 or holds 350 for receptions. (511 West 25th St., 212.206.3583) DABORA GALLERY
Exhibiting local artists’ work in a variety of media, this