11 Mar The Whitney Museum Partners With the New York Public Library to Bring Free Sunday Storytimes Back

Storytimes hosted by NYPL librarians will take place at the Museum during its Second Sundays free admission program – free Sunday storytimes are getting a new chapter.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is partnering with The New York Public Library (NYPL) to offer free storytimes to families on the second Sunday of every month. The storytime programs will take place at the Whitney (located at 99 Gansevoort Street in Manhattan) as part of the Museum’s Second Sundays free admission initiative, launched in January to help connect more people to the Museum and its mission of celebrating contemporary American art and artists. On the second Sunday of each month, the Museum offers free admission for all (visitors 18 and under are always free), all-ages artmaking projects, performances, tours, Spanish-language programs, and more.

Second Sundays will also feature NYPL librarians conducting their popular and engaging storytimes throughout the day. The first installment of the partnership on March 10 will include an appearance by Patience, the Library’s beloved lion mascot. Additionally, in honor of the Oscars happening the same day, families who attend the March 10 Second Sundays event will also have an opportunity to walk a “yellow carpet”—as the official Second Sundays color is yellow—and take family photos.

The partnership between the Museum and Library system brings free Sunday storytimes back to the City, as NYPL—which operates branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island—announced it had to eliminate Sunday service in November due to budget cuts.

“The New York Public Library’s talented librarians are an exceptional resource for families seeking fun and informative activities for their children and we’re thrilled to collaborate with the Whitney, another great New York City institution, to offer this innovative and delightful program to young New Yorkers. While we work to restore funding, we will continue to support our patrons with opportunities that inspire curiosity and a life-long love of learning,” said Brian Bannon, Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education at The New York Public Library.

“I am excited about partnering with NYPL to bring the joy of books and art to more children,” said Cris Scorza, the Whitney Museum’s Helen Rubinstein Chair of Education. “As a parent, I am thrilled that my child has developed a passion for books. I got her a library card when she was a baby, and now, at sixteen-and-a-half, she loves books about artists. She finds children’s books particularly exciting because of their illustrations, which she considers works of art. When she was just two years old, we used to read Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol by James Warhola over and over again. Whenever we went to museums and saw a Warhol painting, my daughter would be able to spot it from a mile away and say, ‘That’s my uncle.’ This would often surprise people around us. Every child should have the opportunity to discover artists like Faith Ringgold, Yayoi Kusama, or Georgia O’Keeffe, and what better way to do that than through books and art at the Museum?”

Second Sundays is made possible by a generous three-year grant from the Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All Program, which supports increased access to museums across the country and fosters engagement with local communities by focusing on common barriers to access. Earlier this year, the program announced $40 million in grants to over 60 cultural organizations across the country, including the Whitney.

The program and another Whitney initiative that launched in January, Free Friday Nights, both aim to reduce barriers to access, removing admission fees and offering programs that are entry points for anyone interested in visiting. While admission is free for these programs, tickets are still required and can be reserved at whitney.org/tickets. Advanced tickets are strongly encouraged.

Location:

The Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St
New York, NY 10014

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