What comes to mind when you think of New York City? Is it a certain song from the Bronx? Your favorite film shot in Brooklyn? That subway commute you take every morning into Manhattan? That’s what This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture aims to encapsulate. Created to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Museum of the City of New York, this exhibit is segmented into six parts of film, television, art, music, and literature meant to explore the stories that inspire the essence of New York City.

“You are Here” coupled with Scenes from the City” takes a look at New York on film. The latter serves as an introductory installation highlighting the popularization of filming in New York. Though New York for years has been the subject of many films, directors often looked to backlots in Hollywood to set the scene. However, beginning in the 1940’s, a growing interest to showcase the urban landscape across more boroughs than Manhattan and the texture of life in the city swept the industry. This was further catapulted in 1966 by Mayor John V. Lindsay. Soon enough some of the most iconic and imaginative films were shot solely in New York. “You are Here” is dedicated to those films. Through a stunning array across 16 screens, the near 10 minute immersive experience is derived from hundreds of movies about the city pieced together to tell a story of love, money, power, music, fashion, but most importantly highlights the beauty and magic that is New York City.

“Tempo of the City,” tells life from the heartbeat of the city, its shared spaces, most commonly the streets and subways. Shown through feelings of joy, loneliness, fear, and hardships, these stories are explored through many different lenses, perspectives, and art forms. From paintings of the vass subway infrastructure itself, to photos of young children enjoying a day outside, these emotions are evoked on an everyday basis in this challenging landscape though we may not realize it. There is loneliness in a place so big, but also freedom to set oneself apart here.

“Songs of New York” is an interactive installation that showcases the diversity of each borough through music. Step onto any of the lit panels from the Bronx to Staten Island and hear songs inspired by artists who call this place home. From sultry Spanish tunes, to gritty rap derived the streets, music plays an important role in telling the New York story.

Though the subway and streets are common for all in the city, the culture of New York is truly found in its “third spaces”. These spaces where people gather for entertainment and leisure are often the backdrop of the city’s identity. From it’s iconic landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, the spectacle of Broadway, to places more personal like rooftops and fire escapes, “Destination : NYC” bring these spaces to life. Viewers are invited anywhere from a dinner on a city rooftop, to the beach at Coney Island, to explore these destinations that bring us together.

“At Home in New York” is the Tiffany & Co. Foundation gallery that features literature, movies, and sitcoms to feature the unique opportunity and challenge that comes with making a home here. From blending life with neighbors, managing space, or bringing home outside, it is meant to showcase the good, and the bad, that comes with home life in the city.

As a viewer of this exhibit, you are left with a powerful feeling of inspiration and understanding. New York has always been seen as a place that cannot be talked about, but experienced. It’s a place that holds 8 million different stories that are inspired by the streets, the subways, the buildings, and the people. It’s a place that attracts locals and visitors from all over the world eager to share in all it has to offer. It has birthed experiences that have been told through many mediums of artistic expression. But overall, it’s a celebration of what this museum was founded on, presenting and preserving the history of New York City.

Images + Article by Melia Robinson, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Isabella Gonzalez, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine

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