May 25, 2012
Also Visit NY State Arts
Brooklyn Museum
Free for children under 12 & companions or aides of persons with disabilities
Admission fees are suggested donations
Thurs: 11 am – 10 pm
Only a borough that used to be an independent city could have a museum as grand as the Brooklyn Museum. With its collection of over one million artworks representing most of the world's great cultures, the museum is one of the country's great art institutions. The magnificent six-story, 450,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts building was designed in 1893 by the renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White and was renovated and expanded in 2004. Children love watching the fountains in front of the museum's new facade.
The museum's collections represent virtually the entire history of art, ranging from one of the world's foremost Egyptian collections—filling ten galleries and covering 5,000 years—to comprehensive holdings of American painting and sculpture. The Brooklyn Museum has the distinction of in 1923 being the first American museum to exhibit African objects as art rather than artifacts. The dramatic masks and videos on view are sure to intrigue children. There is also a fine collection of Native American objects.
The family-friendly First Saturdays, when the museum is free from 5-11 pm and presents a wealth of special events, is an enormous success, attracting visitors of all ages and from all communities.
Foreign-language Programs
With far advance notice, private guided tours in French, Russian and Spanish can be booked.
Enhance your day in Brooklyn by visiting the museum's neighbor, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden! Buy an Art & Garden Ticket at the museum and present your receipt for same-day admission to the garden: Adults $16; Seniors $9 (except Fridays); Students (12+) $9
Seniors (62 and older) receive $10 off individual, dual and contributor level museum memberships.
Senior groups receive $3 off guided tour rates.
Special needs groups are admitted for $1.75 per person. Caretakers and staff receive complementary admission.
Free admission the first Sat of the month, 5–11 pm. Every month except September, when First Saturday does not take place.
- Landmark Status: National Register of Historic Places, New York City Landmark
- Directions: Subway: 2, 3 to Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum
- ADA Compliant Restrooms
- Coat Check
- Disability Access: Fully accessible. Wheelchairs available at coat check on a first come, first served basis. For further information on accessibility, contact access@brooklynmuseum.org or call (718) 501-6229.
- Disability Assistance: With advance notice, the museum offers guided gallery visits to children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Hearing: Assistive listening devices and sign language-interpreted gallery talks are available. Infrared hearing devices available in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium. Transcripts of permanent collection audio guides available.
Vision: Audio guide and Braille materials are available. Touch tours available by appointment. - Gift Shops
- On-Site Parking
- Tours: Museum guides and student guides lead free tours Wed, Thurs & Fri at 1:30 pm, and Sat & Sun at 1, 2 & 3 pm.
Get involved with Brooklyn Museum
- Donations through NYCharities.org
- Donations through Brooklyn Museum's Web site
- Memberships: Yearly memberships include Individual ($55), Dual ($85), and Family ($100) levels. Benefits included at all levels are free admission, free parking during members-only events, and discounts in the Museum Café and Shop.
See more at NYC-Arts
Brooklyn Museum Listings
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Rachel Kneebone: Regarding Rodin
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 – Sun, Aug 12, 2012 Rachel Kneebone: Regarding Rodin features 15 iconic works by 19th-century French master Auguste Rodin, selected from the museum's collection by British artist Rachel Kneebone and shown alongside eight of her own large-scale porcelain sculptures.
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Ongoing This 90-minute workshop for children ages four to seven and their adult companions engages families in a work of art and art-making activity. Each session addresses the repeating visual elements of lines, colors, shapes and materials. A different program is offered each week, based on current museum exhibitions.
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Extended Family: Contemporary Connections
Ongoing A new installation of contemporary art presents recent acquisitions displayed along with notable works that have entered the collection over the past five decades. The presentation focuses on familial relationships, broadening the definition of family to include larger groups or communities united by shared values, identities, lifestyles, or emotional needs. Extended Family: Contemporary Connections, now on view through summer of 2010, includes some forty works.