CUNY Arts

Free for CUNY students, faculty & staff

El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum) is a museum located towards the northern end in the neighborhood of Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the City of New York and south of the future Museum for African Art. Founded in 1969, El Museo specializes in Latin American and Caribbean art, with an emphasis on works from Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican community in New York City.

Address: 1230 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029

Phone: (212) 831-7272

Plan your visit: http://www.elmuseo.org/

Free for CUNY students, faculty & staff

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a military and maritime history museum with a collection of museum ships in New York City. It is located at Pier 86 at 46th Street in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan. The museum showcases the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the submarine USS Growler, a Concorde SST, a Lockheed A-12 supersonic reconnaissance plane, and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

Address: Pier 86, W 46th St & 12th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Phone: (212) 245-0072

Website: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/

Hours:
Monday–Sunday: 10am – 5pm

Free for CUNY Students

Nestled into the side of Lighthouse Hill, the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art is a uniquely peaceful retreat. The museum presents the art and culture of Tibet and the Himalayas to a world audience in order to educate about and to inspire others in the value of this significant cultural heritage.

Address: 338 Lighthouse Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10306

From the SI Ferry take the S74 to Lighthouse Ave

Phone: (718) 987-3500

Website: www.tibetanmuseum.org

Hours:
Wednesday–Sunday: 1pm – 5pm
January Hours Saturdays only.

Free for CUNY students 

The Jewish Museum is an art museum committed to illuminating the complexity and vibrancy of Jewish culture for a global audience. Located on New York City’s Museum Mile, in the landmarked Warburg mansion, the Jewish Museum was the first institution of its kind in the United States and is one of the oldest Jewish museums in the world. The Museum offers diverse exhibitions and programs and maintains a unique collection of nearly 30,000 works of art, ceremonial objects, and media reflecting the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years. Its collection exhibition, “Scenes from the Collection,” features almost 500 works including ancient artifacts to contemporary art, and it is supplemented by multiple temporary exhibitions each year.

Address: 1109 5th Ave at 92nd St, New York, NY 10128

Phone: (212) 423-3200

Website: http://thejewishmuseum.org/

Hours:
Friday-Monday: 11am – 6pm
Tuesday & Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 11am – 8pm

Free for CUNY Students

The Leslie-Lohman Museum is the only dedicated art museum in the world to exhibit and preserve artwork that speaks about the LGBTQ experience. Our roots trace back to 1969 when Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman held an exhibit of gay artists for the first time in their SoHo loft. In recognition of its importance in the collection and preservation of LGBTQ history, the organization was accredited as a museum in 2016. With a collection of over 30,000 objects, the Museum hosts six major exhibitions annually, offers several public programs throughout the year, publishes an arts newsletter, and maintains a research library of over 3,000 volumes.

Address: 26 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10013

Phone: (212) 431-2609

Website: https://www.leslielohman.org/

Hours:
Wednesday–Sunday: 12pm – 6pm
Thursday: 12pm – 8pm
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays, and all major Holidays

Free for individual CUNY students, faculty, and staff members; CUNY groups and classes must organize their paid visits through mcny.org/museum-tours

The Museum of the City of New York celebrates and interprets the city, educating the public about its distinctive character, especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation. Founded in 1923 as a private, nonprofit corporation, the Museum connects the past, present, and future of New York City. It serves the people of New York and visitors from around the world through exhibitions, school and public programs, publications, and collections.

Address: 1220 5th Ave (at 103rd St), New York, NY 1002

Phone: (212) 534-1672

Website: http://www.mcny.org/

Hours:
Monday–Sunday: 10am – 6pm

As part of MoMA and CUNY’s partnership, faculty, staff, and students across all 25 campuses receive free admission.

Together we aim to make MoMA more accessible to CUNY’s diverse campus communities. By fostering new and creative connections to meet the needs of CUNY faculty and students with MoMA learning resources, we create opportunities for exchange, collaboration, and learning.

Explore our exhibitions online; teach and learn about art from home with our free online courses, podcasts, and hands-on activities; and research the history of modern art remotely with resources from our Archives, Library, and Research Collections.

Additionally, through this partnership, MoMA makes a significant annual donation of exhibition catalogues and primary resource publications to CUNY libraries, and organizes special events and programs for CUNY faculty and students.

To receive a complimentary ticket, and purchase companions’ tickets if needed, check in at the Ticketing Desk onsite with a valid ID; advance timed-entry tickets are not required.

Changes to MoMA groups and admission:

Interested professors and faculty can book a free, unguided visit with their class through Groups and Tours.

Currently, MoMA does not allow third parties to lead groups through the Museum. Any unauthorized lecturers will be asked to end their tours immediately. To arrange a guided tour, please contact Groups and Tours.

MoMA Groups and Tours
(212) 708-9685
groupsandtours@moma.org

MoMA Hours
Sun–Fri, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Sat, 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Monday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. are reserved exclusively for members and their guests.

Free admission for New York City residents on the first Friday evening of every month, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., is made possible by UNIQLO.

The New 42nd Street College Corps provides year-round, part-time employment for CUNY undergraduates who desire a flexible and supportive work environment as they pursue college success. Designed to accommodate a changing academic schedule and address the obstacles that often prevent students from graduating, the New 42nd Street College Corps pairs exciting employment in the arts with the academic, financial, and personal support undergraduates need to navigate and complete their college education.

Website: www.new42.org/About/YouthCorps/CollegeCorps

50% off for CUNY Students 

Queens Botanical Garden is an urban oasis where people, plants and cultures are celebrated through inspiring gardens, innovative educational programs and demonstrations of environmental stewardship.

Address: 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355

Phone: (718) 886-3800

Website: http://www.queensbotanical.org/

Hours:
FREE admission November through March:
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 8am − 4:30pm.
Closed on Mondays, except Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day.
Visitor & Administration Building, Gift Shop, and Gallery close at 4pm.

April through October:
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 8am − 6pm.
Closed on Mondays, except Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day.
Visitor & Administration Building, Gift Shop, and Gallery close at 5pm.

CUNY Students Receive FREE Admission to the Shed Exhibitions (excluding live performance in the galleries) with a valid CUNY ID

The Shed commissions original works of art, across all disciplines, for all audiences. We bring together established and emerging artists in fields ranging from hip hop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, and sculpture to dance. Our home, The Bloomberg Building—designed by Diller Scofido + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect—is an unprecedented movable structure that adapts to support ambition and invention in all creative fields.

Address: 545 West 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues New York, NY 10001

Phone: (646) 455-3494

Website: https://theshed.org/

Email: info@theshed.org

Hours:
Tuesday–Wednesday: 11am – 6pm
Thursday–Saturday: 11am – 8pm
Sunday: 11am – 6pm
Closed Mondays
Days and times for live productions vary by show.

We are thrilled to share that the entire CUNY community is eligible to participate in one (and ONLY ONE!) of two TDF membership programs. The choices are below. 

CHOOSE ONE:

• The TDF Broadway Passport Series offers low-cost tickets to select community groups throughout New York State and is only for tickets to participating Broadway shows. Tickets are $20 and $40 for these shows and the membership is free. Click this link for more information about the program and how to join.
• TDF Community Partners offers TDF membership, which includes many more offerings, from Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-off Broadway to Dance, Music, and other live performance offerings, all at deeply discounted rates. Tickets range from $11 to $57 and the membership is $10/year when you use the promo code CUNYArts. Learn more about membership and click this link to join TDF for only $10.

Free for CUNY students, faculty & staff

The Whitney Museum of American Art – known informally as the “Whitney” – is an art museum located in Manhattan. It was founded in 1931 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), a wealthy and prominent American socialite and art patron after whom the museum is named. The Whitney focuses on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Its permanent collection comprises more than 21,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, films, videos, and artifacts of new media by more than 3,000 artists. It places a particular emphasis on exhibiting the work of living artists for its collection as well as maintaining an extensive permanent collection containing many important pieces from the first half of the last century. The museum’s Annual and Biennial exhibitions have long been a venue for younger and less well-known artists whose work is showcased there.

Address: 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014

Phone: (212) 570-3600

Website: http://whitney.org/

Hours:
Monday: 10:30am − 6pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10:30am − 6pm
Thursday: 10:30am − 6pm
*Friday: 10:30am − 10pm
Saturday: 10:30am − 10pm
Sunday: 10:30am − 6pm

*Museum admission is Pay-What-You-Wish on Fridays, 7–10 pm

Free for CUNY students

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust offers free admission to CUNY students. A valid student ID is required. The Museum educates people of all backgrounds about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Exhibitions include The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, an expansive presentation of Holocaust history told through the Museum’s renowned collection of artifacts and testimonies from around the world. Learn more about the Museum at: http://mjhnyc.org/.

Address: Edmond J. Safra Plaza 36 Battery Place New York, NY 10280

Phone: (646) 437-4202

Website: http://mjhnyc.org/

Hours:
Updated Hours (we’re not currently open Monday and Tuesdays):
• Wednesday: 10 AM – 5 PM
• Thursday: 10 AM – 8 PM
• Friday: 10 AM – 5 PM
• Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM

Free admission anytime for CUNY students; walk-up tickets only as available; students required to show valid school ID

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a nonprofit organization located at the World Trade Center in New York City, bears solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The organization honors the 2,983 victims of these attacks, those who risked their lives to save others and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath through commemoration, exhibitions and educational programs that tell the story of the attacks and explore the continuing global impact of 9/11 and the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and communities.

Address: 180 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007

Phone: (212) 312-8800

Website: www.911memorial.org

Hours:
Monday–Thursday: 9am – 8pm (last entry at 6pm)
Friday–Sunday: 9am – 9pm (last entry at 7pm)

Free for CUNY Students

Poster House is the first museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to posters.

Through exhibitions, events, and publications, Poster House presents a global view of posters from their earliest appearance in the late 1800s to their present-day use. Poster House takes its mission from the medium, aiming to engage and educate all audiences as we investigate this large-format graphic design and its public impact.

Posters explore:

• Mass communication and persuasion
• The intersection of art and commerce
• Control of the public domain

Website: https://posterhouse.org/

Address: 119 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011

Phone: (917) 722-2439

Hours:
Tuesdays closed to the public
Weekdays and Weekends open from 11am – 6pm

Your home for art from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. The Frick Collection—whose renovated buildings reopen in late 2024—offers intimate encounters with renowned works by Rembrandt, Fragonard, Bellini, Vermeer, and more. Its research center, the Frick Art Reference Library, provides public access to world-class art historical resources. Stay connected at frick.org/explore

Free and discounted concert tickets for CUNY students and faculty (+1)

Our artists reach beyond the stage to communicate with audiences in the intimacy and acoustic vibrancy of Merkin Hall at concerts that excite your curiosity and freshen your ears. Performances travel from Bach to Broadway to visionary composer-performers making history right now.

Kaufman Music Center offers deeply discounted and Free tickets for CUNY students and faculty to many performances in Merkin Hall.

New Season! https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/2023-24/

Details about the student prices for the various series are here: https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/about/ticket-discounts/

Free tickets are available on a first-come-first-served basis they last. To reserve yours, call the Box Office at 212.501. 3330 and identify yourself as a CUNY student. Be sure to bring your ID when you pick them up before the concert.

Address: 129 W. 67^th St., New York, NY 10023

Phone: 212.501.3330

Website: The Kaufman Music Center

Hours:

Box Office hours:

Sun-Thu 12-7 pm
Fri 12-5 pm
Open before performances on Saturdays

[NEW] Extra Especial discounted tickets for our CUNY students, required to show valid school ID

The art world gathers at the Javits Center this September 8–10 for one of the most anticipated cultural events of the fall: The Armory Show, New York’s Art Fair. Enjoy priority booking and get your discounted tickets online now. Use promo code CUNY23 to get student tickets at $28 instead of $35!

**Student can buy more than one ticket at this especial price. The special discount is only available online.

**Armory Live program will be announced soon and the panels are open to the public. Students can attend any panel of their choice.

Discover more than 225 leading international galleries and 800+ artists!

Address: Javits Center, 429 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001

Website: https://www.thearmoryshow.com/

Public Days and Hours:

• Friday, September 8, 2023 11am—7pm
• Saturday, September 9, 2023 11am—7pm
• Sunday, September 10, 2023 11am—6pm

[NEW] Moth Story Lab (Free for undergraduate and current graduate students)

Moth Story Lab: All CUNY is a free 5-week virtual workshop program where CUNY students (both undergrad and graduate) can learn the art and craft of true, personal storytelling. Students will interact and connect with others from across CUNY campuses as they develop their own story and learn how storytelling creates community and opportunities for self-reflection. The tools and skills learned can be used to improve interpersonal communication, interview preparation, and an overall understanding on which details make communication more compelling.

The program will culminate in a virtual final share, with an opportunity to share in an in-person GrandSLAM show in the Spring. Students who complete the program will get a free one-year pass for themselves and a guest to The Moth’s NYC StorySLAMs.

The program runs once in the Fall semester, and again in the spring. Check here to apply.

The application information for the Spring 2024

Application is open through February 18, 2024, with the following schedule:

Weekday option:

Mondays from 5:30-7:30pm ET – 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22
Tuesdays from 5:30-7:30pm ET – 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23

Weekend option: Sundays from 1-3pm ET – 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12

[NEW] New Museum of Contemporary Art (Discounted admission fee for undergraduate and current graduate students)

The New Museum of Contemporary Art is a center for today’s art and ideas, and a catalyst for dialogue between contemporary artists and the public. Founded in 1977 by curator Marcia Tucker, we present exhibitions of contemporary art from around the world and collaborate with artists to support experimental new forms of art-making.

When you visit the New Museum, there will always be exciting exhibitions of work by living artists on view. We also invite you to join us for public programs, performances, and events that explore the critical issues of today.

Free public programming admission for CUNY students.

Reduced guided tour fee for CUNY groups and classes. Request a tour here.

Faculty interested in incorporating exhibitions into class syllabi can contact the Education and Public Engagement department at epe@newmuseum.org.

Address: 235 Bowery, New York, NY 10004

Phone: (212) 219-1222

Website: https://www.newmuseum.org/

Hours:

Monday:          CLOSED

Tuesday:         11 AM–6 PM

Wednesday:    11 AM–6 PM

*Thursday:      11 AM–9 PM

Friday:             11 AM–6 PM

Saturday:        11 AM–6 PM

Sunday:           11 AM–6 PM

*Museum admission is Pay-What-You-Wish on Thursdays, 7–9 pm

New Museum Public Programming includes our November 2023 program, Birth: A Convening on Art and Human Reproduction featuring the director of the Center for the Study of Women and Society at the CUNY Graduate Center, Dána-Ain Davis.