American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art museum is a center for studying and enjoying American Folk Art in Midtown Manhattan. You can visit with your Queens car rental while you are in town.

Museum history

The American Folk Art museum was founded in 1961 and opened to the public in 1963. Since it opened, the museum has been at a number of locations. It was originally located at 49 West 53rd Street, and soon bought the adjacent properties as well for expansion. In 1984, they opened in a former carriage house t 125 West 55th Street, but that building was demolished soon after. The museum used public spaces, corporate galleries, and offered a travelling exhibition program to museums throughout the country. In 1989, they took up a space across from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1989. You will find the current building next to the Museum of Modern Art when you visit with your car rental Queens.

The collections

Since the 1990s, diversity in their exhibitions has been a major focus of the museum. They feature presentations of African American and Latino artwork on a regular basis for their exhibitions and permanent collections. In 1998, they announced the Contemporary Center, which is focused exclusively of twentieth and twenty-first century art by self-taught artists, as well as non-American art in the tradition of art brut (art that is created outside of the boundaries of official culture, “outsider art”). When you visit with your Queens rental car, you will find the Contemporary Center has grown since it opened, and now prominently features works by Chicago artist Henry Darger, including books, tracings, drawings, and source materials for the artist.

Take a tour

Group tours are available when you visit with your Queens car rental. For adults and college students, there are guided tours of the museum and a discussion of themes and contexts of art on view. Reservations are required for this tour and is $12 per participant. There are also self-guided tours for adult groups. Adults are encouraged to explore the museum. There is no additional fee for this tour beyond the admission fee.

Plan your visit

The American Folk Art Museum is located at 45 West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) with your rental car Queens. There is also a branch location at 2 Lincoln Square. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. until 5:50 p.m., and Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. They are closed on Mondays. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and free for children under 12 and Friday after 5:30 p.m. They can be reached by car and by subway at Rockefeller Center Station (B, D, F, V) and 5th Avenue-53 Street (E, V).

Want to save some money?

When you are here with your Queens car rental, you can save some money with a Museum Discovery Pass if you plan on visiting a few area museums. The pass includes the American Folk Art Museum, Asia Society Museum, Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Museum of Chinese in America, the Noguchi Museum, Robin Museum of Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. This pass will give you unlimited two-for-one admission at these museums.

When you visit with your Queens car rental, you will find that the American Folk Art Museum give you a unique opportunity to learn about the history of folk art in this country, as well as folk art from around the world. The museum is well-known in the area, and is conveniently located in the heart of the city.

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