Beginning on June 18, Extended Hours, Pay-As-You-Wish Admission, Live Musical Performances, Family Programming, and Special Exhibitions Take Place to Commemorate the Nation’s 250th Anniversary
Rare printing of the Declaration of Independence on temporary view from June 18 – July 5.
New York, NY (June 5, 2026)—The New York Historical has unveiled the full slate of inaugural programming, special events, and public offerings that will be available at The New York Historical when the new Tang Wing for American Democracy opens its doors to the public on June 18, 2026. Designed by RAMSA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects), this landmark expansion ushers in a transformative new era for the institution, completing its campus and significantly enhancing its capacity to engage audiences and deepen public understanding of the nation’s democratic history. The opening will be commemorated with a dynamic, multi-week celebration featuring music, family events, immersive historical recreations, and a temporary display of a rare printing of the Declaration of Independence.
“The opening of the Tang Wing for American Democracy marks a defining milestone for New York’s first museum as we commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of The New York Historical. “This inaugural program invites the public to engage with the ongoing evolution of our democracy through exhibitions, live music, and family friendly activities. We’re thrilled to offer our visitors expanded hours and pay-as-you-wish admission during this moment of reflection and commemoration of our nation’s continuing story.”
Expanded Access, Public Programs, and Family Activities
Members of The New York Historical will have early access to the Tang Wing during the invitation-only Preview Day on Wednesday, June 17 as well as Members-only Morning Hours on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21. An evening opening celebration for Friend+ members will also take place. To learn more about Membership, visit nyhistory.org.
To mark the opening of the Tang Wing for American Democracy, The New York Historical will welcome visitors with expanded hours until 8 pm on Thursdays through Saturdays from June 18 to July 4. Admission during expanded hours on those dates are pay-as-you-wish admission from 5-8 pm.
“Songs of America,” a vibrant lineup of live music performances taking place at the Museum in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, features music from across two and a half centuries of the nation. Performances are free with pay-as-you-wish admission during expanded hours from June 18 to July 4. Revolutionary-era tunes, blues, classic jazz, turn-of-the-century jazz, soul jazz, and Americana are among the musical genres that will be featured. On Sunday, June 21, the New York Baroque Dance Company leads a lively dance workshop for children ages 8 and up, in which they’ll learn social dances from the 18th century. (Pre-registration is required.)
A rare printing of the Declaration of Independence, which has been in The Historical’s collections for generations though little was known about it, will be on temporary view from June 18 – July 5. This document is one of just a few broadside printings of the Declaration of Independence that lacks the name of a printer. Following close examination by leading scholars and in-depth research by library staff, this version of the Declaration is believed to have been printed by Samuel Loudon, a colonial New York printer who founded the newspaper, The New-York Packet. It was likely printed in the aftermath of July 4, 1776, and used to disseminate the new nation’s independence to the general public in town halls, houses of worship, and other meeting places.
On June 25, filmmaker Ken Burns joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the recent PBS series, The American Revolution. Livestream tickets are available. On June 28, historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin sits down with David M. Rubenstein for “Leadership for a More Perfect Union: Lessons from America at 250.” In-person and livestream tickets are available.
Families are invited to explore the new wing with summer socials on Sunday, June 21 and Sunday, June 28. Young visitors will have the opportunity to participate in art-making, games, live music, singing, dancing, and more. On July 4, children under 18 can enjoy free admission, and throughout the day family friendly activities include an Independence Day Sing-Along, Museum bingo, a drop-in dance party with Brooklyn Contra, and a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” followed by a craft.
The new wing festivities culminate on July 9, the anniversary of the date when the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to New Yorkers in 1776. Upon hearing the Declaration, Revolutionary soldiers and colonists pulled down a statue of King George III in Bowling Green. To mark the occasion, visitors of all ages are invited to watch as life-size replica of the George III equestrian statue is ceremonially pulled down at The New York Historical. Fragments of the original statue will be on view as well.
The Tang Wing for American Democracy
The 71,000-square-foot Tang Wing expands The New York Historical’s landmark building on Central Park West and its wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programs.
In addition to a roof deck, sculpture court, and a state-of-the art conservation studio, the new wing adds additional classroom space for the Chang Chavkin Academy for American Democracy, a fully immersive learning community designed to inspire a lifelong passion for civic engagement in young people. Students spend four days at the Museum, exploring its collections and learning about the origins of democracy, and online curriculum and teacher workshops expand the program’s reach across the nation.
The Stuart and Jane Weitzman Shoe Museum is a permanent gallery in the new Tang Wing for American Democracy, showcasing more than 100 pairs of historic shoes, using the evolution of footwear fashion from the late 19th century through the late 20th century to highlight American women’s history as a whole—from the suffrage campaign to war work to the impact of Hollywood and the sexual revolution. The Shoe Museum also features a collection of “fantasy shoes” commissioned by businesswoman and philanthropist Jane Gershon Weitzman for Stuart Weitzman store windows; a rotating display of celebrity footwear, starting with a celebration of the longlasting collaboration between Stuart Weitzman and the singer Beyoncé; and a rotating “Spotlight” case focused on different aspects of shoe history, with the first installation exploring the different rationales behind the collection and preservation of historic shoes.
A new installation celebrates the first public folk art collection in the United States, created by pioneering collectors, sculptor Elie Nadelman and his wife Viola Spiess Flannery. The display features weathervanes, chalkware, and paintings, among other highlights from the Nadelman collection. Other installations throughout the new wing explore the history of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, founded by Eastern European Jewish immigrants, a timeline of LGBTQ+ civil rights, and a photo display capturing moments of queer joy and visibility on stage, on screen, on the dance floor, and out in the streets.
The new wing will also provide a home for the American LGBTQ+ Museum, opening in 2028.
United States’ 250th Anniversary-Themed Exhibitions
During the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration, The New York Historical presents a wide-ranging slate of special exhibitions:
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- House Made of Dawn: Art by Native Americans 1880 to Now, Selections from the Hsu-Tang Collection, on view through August 16, 2026
Drawn from a promised gift to The New York Historical by Board Chair Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and her husband Oscar Tang in celebration of the nation’s semiquincentennial, the exhibition showcases distinct artistic expressions and practices of modernism by artists of diverse Indigenous heritage. - Old Masters, New Amsterdam, on view through August 30, 2026
This first-of-its-kind exhibition uses the paintings of Rembrandt and his contemporaries to help visitors envision life in the little Dutch settlement that would become New York. - Revolutionary Women, on view through October 25, 2026
The Jean Margo Reid Center for Women’s History marks the semiquincentennial with a new exhibition that asks: How did the Revolution and living through the experience of war impact New York’s women—and how did women impact the Revolution in New York and beyond? - Democracy Matters, on view June 18 – November 1, 2026
Bringing together art and historical objects from The New York Historical’s collections, the exhibition explores how the concept of democracy has stretched, contracted, and shifted through key moments in the history of the nation; how competing understandings of it have come into conflict; and how those conflicts have reshaped its boundaries. - You Should be Dancing: New York, 1976 and Beyond, on view October 2, 2026 – April 4, 2027
In 1976, New York City was in crisis. Its youth rescued and reinvigorated it. The exhibition surrounds visitors with music, fashion, instruments, photographs, and original documents to learn about the glitz and grit of this transformative era in New York City’s history.
- House Made of Dawn: Art by Native Americans 1880 to Now, Selections from the Hsu-Tang Collection, on view through August 16, 2026
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. It is home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. New York Historical’s mission is to elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.
New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
