If you like viewing art, learning new information and seeing special exhibits, you will find a number of facilities to explore in New York City. New York is a city, which, thanks to its diverse population and eclectic atmosphere, has become home to museums that are themed around a variety of subjects. These include expansive institutions that are known the country over, as well as some smaller museums tucked away into the city's corners.
Set up in 1929, New York's Museum of Modern Art focuses its attention on exhibiting modern and experimental art in its differing forms, while appealing to local and international visitors, whatever their background. The museum seeks to present the latest modern art, as well as to reflect the movements and artists whose work in the recent past led to the state of contemporary art in the 21st century. Some of the museum's ideals, expressed through its various exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, are to accept change and new ideas. The museum offers works in its permanent exhibit by such well-known artists as Dada, Henri Matisse, Max Ernst and Paul Klee. The Museum of Modern Art houses sculpture, film, photography, more than 150,000 paintings, prints, architectural models and design objects.
Originally entitled the Institute for Art and Urban Resources Inc. when founded in 1971, this art institution aims to display experimental work by contemporary artists, with its exhibitions exploring the latest trends, movements and ideas in the modern art world. Each year, the MoMA PS1 is home to around 50 temporary exhibitions, with artists taking over the building's various rooms to create their own artistic spaces for the duration of their works' residence at the institution. Artists who have exhibited at the MoMA PS1 include Lawrence Weiner and Richard Serra.
New York's Museum of the Moving Image is centered around the fields of television and film, presenting exhibits connected to everything from animation to video clips. Much of the appeal of this museum comes from its voluminous collection of artifacts connected to this media; in total, the museum houses some 13,000 pieces, ranging from video games to photographs, production materials and film costumes. All of these artifacts are searchable via the collection's management system, entitled "CollectionSpace." The museum also offers film screenings, accompanied by notes and even appearances by directors and producers, as well as temporary exhibitions that look behind the scenes at the filmmaking process.
A not-for-profit organization operating out of downtown Brooklyn, the focus of the Micro Museum is on the arts, whether in terms of performance-based activities or via exhibitions of art in other media. Micro Museum was founded in 1986; some of its exhibits have been installed for over a decade. For example, the museum hosts "AC/DC Window," a piece of artwork that is powered by solar energy and is in constant operation and has been displayed here since 1994.
