New York Haunts Party, October 27, 2022. Photograph by Christopher Earnst
Pumpkin carving, parties, performances and more for Halloween Weekend at the Whitney!
The Whitney Museum of American Art invites visitors of all ages to celebrate Halloween with artmaking activities, performances, and festivities this October. Halloween at the Whitney is the perfect time to get creative with an art-inspired costume and join the fun all weekend long. The spooky celebrations kick off on Friday, October 27 with Halloween Teen Night, a free evening for teens full of lively music, dancing, and more! Festivities continue on Saturday, October 28 with Family Halloween Day, an afternoon of trick-or-treating, making delicious art with candy, creating shadow puppets, and a scavenger hunt with thrilling prizes. Halloween Member Night: Music and Mayhem closes out Saturday night with after-hours access to the galleries and a party inspired by the musical influences in the artworks on view in Henry Taylor: B Side and Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith.
All weekend long and during Friday evening pay-what-you-wish, visitors can check out Whitney-themed pumpkins designed by Maniac Pumpkin Carvers in the Lobby, including a pumpkin inspired by Archibald Motley’s Gettin’ Religion, 1948. Visitors will also have the chance to view the original artwork in the permanent collection galleries on the 7th floor of the Museum.
For more information on Halloween Weekend at the Whitney, visit whitney.org/halloween-2023. Tickets to the Museum must be reserved separately and advance booking is recommended.
PROGRAM LISTINGS
Halloween Teen Night
Friday, October 27, 4–7 pm ET
The Whitney will host an after-hours event for teens celebrating Halloween with live music, dancing, a spooky photo booth, and more! Organized by the Whitney’s Youth Insights Leaders, Halloween Teen Night invites NYC teens to come in costumes and enjoy festive activities and artist-led workshops. Refreshments and art materials will be provided.
Location: Floor 3, Susan and John Hess Family Theater Tickets: Free for teens; event registration required. Event Link: whitney.org/events/halloween-teen-night
Candy and Collage: Family Halloween Day
Saturday, October 28, 11 am–3 pm ET
Get dressed up and celebrate Halloween at the Whitney! Family Halloween Day is open to families with kids of all ages and offers artmaking throughout the Museum. Create delicious candy collages and your very own shadow puppets with the Whitney Educators or visit the new exhibitions on view. The Halloween scavenger hunt returns to the galleries with a chance to win exciting prizes and don’t forget to strike a pose in our special Halloween photo booth!
Location: Floor 3, Susan and John Hess Family Theater and Hearst Artspace Tickets: Free with Museum admission.
Event Link: whitney.org/events/halloween-family-day-23
Halloween Member Night: Music and Mayhem
Saturday, October 28, 7:30–10 pm ET
Inspired by the musical influences in the artworks on view in Henry Taylor: B Side and Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith, Halloween Member Night is an opportunity to explore the Museum after dark. Bring on the legendary looks with a costume inspired by your favorite music icon and enjoy after-hours access to all galleries, mini exhibition tours throughout the evening, or create your own artwork. The Maniac Pumpkin Carvers will bring Archibald Motley’s Gettin’ Religion, 1948 to life on festive pumpkins and party goers can view the original artwork in the permanent collection galleries on the 7th floor of the Museum.
Location: Throughout the Museum.
Tickets: Whitney Members can attend for free with their membership card; additional individual tickets are available for purchase. See the event listing for full details.
Event Link: whitney.org/events/halloween-member-night-23
A note on costumes
Halloween Weekend at the Whitney is an inclusive and safe celebration for all. In that spirit, we do not allow costumes that perpetuate cultural appropriation, discrimination, or violence of any kind, including fake weapons. We invite you to be inspired by the works in our collection and check out the #IAmNotACostume campaign to learn more about choosing a respectful costume.
ABOUT THE WHITNEY
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists when audiences were still largely preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for ninety years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.
Whitney Museum Land Acknowledgment
The Whitney is located in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape. The name Manhattan comes from their word Mannahatta, meaning “island of many hills.” The Museum’s current site is close to land that was a Lenape fishing and planting site called Sapponckanikan (“tobacco field”). The Whitney acknowledges the displacement of this region’s original inhabitants and the Lenape diaspora that exists today.
As a museum of American art in a city with vital and diverse communities of Indigenous people, the Whitney recognizes the historical exclusion of Indigenous artists from its collection and program. The Museum is committed to addressing these erasures and honoring the perspectives of Indigenous artists and communities as we work for a more equitable future. To read more about the Museum’s Land Acknowledgment, visit the Museum’s website.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Whitney Museum of American Art is located at 99 Gansevoort Street between Washington and West Streets, New York City. Public hours are: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10:30 am–6 pm; Friday, 10:30 am–10 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am–6 pm. Closed Tuesday. Visitors eighteen years and under and Whitney members: FREE. Admission is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays, 7–10 pm. COVID-19 vaccination and face coverings are not required but strongly recommended. We encourage all visitors to wear face coverings that cover the nose and mouth throughout their visit.
You must be logged in to post a comment.