The legacy of 20th century World's Fairs
Built as the New York City Pavilion for the 1939–1940 World’s Fair, this museum’s home in Flushing Meadows Corona Park had many uses—including as the General Assembly of the United Nations and an ice rink—before becoming an art and cultural center in 1972. The collection is as eclectic as its past. It includes a large archive of artifacts from the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, including the “Panorama of the City of New York,” a vast architectural model of the city that has been updated several times since it was built in the 1960s. The museum is also home to 4,000 photographs from the 19th to 21st centuries and 4,000 prints and drawings from the 1930s to the present. The museum’s collection of Louis C. Tiffany glass is a long-term partnership with The Neustadt, which supports a permanent gallery in the museum dedicated to the renowned American decorative artist. There is also a strong focus on education and the museum hosts diverse contemporary exhibitions that aim to engage and reflect its multicultural neighborhood.
Read Less
