With Labor Day upon us, I thought it would be nice to recap some of the amazing art we’ve seen over the past few months here in New York—and how my two-and-a-half-year-old, Zachary, has enjoyed it. (It’s sort of an East Coast counterpart to last week’s guide to art and trains in Los Angeles although not everything is still open!)
The impending change of seasons also comes with a major life milestone. Zachary is starting 3K next week, which is crazy. Naturally, I am literally sending him to school at a museum: the Sugar Hill Museum Preschool, which is attached to the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling!
I actually wrote for Artnet News about the building where the school is located when it opened way back in 2014, inaugurated with an exhibition from now-defunct arts nonprofit No Longer Empty. (The architect is the since-disgraced David Adjaye, and it is a grim black box that looks like a futuristic prison.) And I got to do a studio visit with the super-talented Derek Fordjour during his residency at the museum, in 2017. As you can imagine, I’m very excited that this is where Zachary is going to school!
As we await the start of the academic year, I’ve been successfully continuing Zachary’s indoctrination as a New York art baby. Here’s the art that our little guy has been loving this summer.
“Another Wonderland: Abram Champanier’s Alice Mural” and “He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model” at the Museum of the City of New York
I’m looking forward to the Museum of the City of New York’s (MCNY) September opening of its Puffin Foundation Center for New York City Activism, which I announced in Hyperallergic. But I also want to shout out two current exhibitions at the MCNY that are basically toddler catnip. “Another Wonderland” is essentially a larger-than-life picture book. The 16 mural paintings, created by Abram Champanier for the children’s ward of Gouverneur Hospital in Lower Manhattan from 1938 to 1940, tell the tale of Alice after she leaves Wonderland—and ventures into the Big Apple.
Each painting has a storybook caption along the bottom, as Alice, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the other well-loved Lewis Carroll figures cram onto a crowded subway car, threaten to behead the Statue of Liberty, and stage an impromptu concert at the Central Park Zoo. (Fabzio, a character of Champanier’s own invention, leads them out of the original book on this next adventure.) The hospital shuttered in 1961, leaving the murals, commissioned by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), to rot.
Thankfully, a pair of married conservators, Alan Farancz and Denise Whitbeck Farancz, had the foresight to salvage the murals just days before the building’s demolition in 1981. The full cycle (minus two that are lost and have been replicated) is finally restored and reunited on public view in this show. They’re destined for NYC Health and Hospitals/Gouverneur on the Lower East Side, just a few blocks from their original home.
The other must-see is Joe Macken’s scale model of New York City, which I wrote about this spring for Artnet News. It measures 50 by 27 feet, and took the truck driver 21 years to make.
This labor of love comes to the museum in large part thanks to Chris Gorman, the museum’s vice president of marketing and communications, who heard about the model after it went viral on TikTok and was determined to exhibit it. After sliding into Macken’s DMs failed, Gorman found a bar in Cobleskill, New York, that was hosting a talk with Macken about the work timed to the project’s debut at the Cobleskill Fairgrounds. Gorman’s persistence—and Macken’s tireless dedication to his expansive vision of the city—have certainly paid off with this impressive display of self-taught model-making.
“Another Wonderland: Abram Champanier’s Alice Mural” at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd Street, New York, New York, June 6–October 12, 2026; “He Built This City” is ongoing.
“Summer of Moomin” and “Flower Power” at the New York Botanical Garden
I did not grow up with Moomin, but the beloved Finnish hippo character introduced by author and illustrator Tove Jansson in 1945 seems to be all the rage right now. (We also visited the brand new Moomin store in Bergen, Norway, and got Zachary and his baby cousins matching swag.) The artist is a fascinating figure in her own right, and I would love to see the miniature Moominhouse she built with her life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä.
At the NYBG, I wish there was even more Moomin goodness in the Children’s Adventure Garden, but there is a giant sculpture of a sleeping Moomin at the entrance and other fun cutouts and play spaces dotting the grounds.
Zachary also really loved the hippie-themed VW Bugs on view as part of the garden’s other summer exhibition, a groovy celebration of the 1960s with giant peace signs, colorful flowers, and other psychedelic installations. The NYBG is always beautiful, and it’s one of our favorite places to visit, especially combined with a stop on Arthur Avenue for hero sandwiches from Casa Della Mozzarella and Italian groceries.
“Flower Power” is on view at the New York Botanical Garden, Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, May 23–October 18, 2026; “Moomin” is on view May 23–October 18, 2026.
“Genesis Belanger: Heads or Tails” at City Hall Park
Zachary and I had the privilege of a private tour of this show with artist Genesis Belanger, who has created two monumental bronze figures reinterpreting the Lady Justice statue mounted atop the cupola of New York City Hall. But she’s inverted the traditional view that “justice is blind” by having one Lady Justice staring in the mirror, distracted from the task at hand by her fragmented body.
“There’s so much distrust or dissatisfaction with the justice system right now that I don’t think that Lady Justice up there really properly depicts the feeling that we have toward justice at the moment,” Belanger told me.
Yes, that might be a bit much for a toddler to take in, but there are also bronze birds sitting in the fountain, each with a penny in its mouth in an ode to the recently discontinued coin. (The idea is that they are decommissioning wishes in the fountain.) And Zachary was drawn to the trio of brightly colored potted plants on handcarts that you also might have seen at Frieze New York with Perrotin.
“I wanted to make a 3D object that was an imposter of nature,” Belanger said. “And so they’re being wheeled in, like ‘Oh, nothing to notice here,’ coming to replace the real trees.”
“Genesis Belanger: Heads or Tails” at City Hall Park, New York, New York, June 2–November 15, 2026.
“Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley” and “Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding” at the Museum of Arts and Design
The Haas Brothers’ show at Museum of Arts and Design looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, in the best kind of way. There were giant furry creatures, towering mushrooms, and fantastical plants. In short, it was a delight. (And I was so happy to see this incredible showcase for Nikolai and Simon Haas, who I had the pleasure of interviewing back in 2018.) Zachary was really interested in the exhibition, and started asking “is that art?” about the different tables, lamps, and other objects designed by the artists. That is always the question, my boy.
Equally engaging was the “leaf pit” installation in Jessica Lichtenstein’s show. The artist mainly works digitally, creating colorful landscape scenes where, upon close inspection, the foliage is revealed to be made up of 3D models of the female body, duplicated over and over again.
Lichtenstein was one of the last artists I spoke with before lockdown in 2020. I featured her booth at SPRING/BREAK Art Show in my fair write-up for Artnet News, and returned to the fair on Sunday, March 8, to give a tour of the show’s best presentations by women artists for the group I was running at the time, Young Women in the Arts. Throwing around her pink “leaves” then was one of the last fun things I did before the world shut down, and it was wonderful to see Zachary tramping back and forth in her new installation.
“Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley” was on view at the Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, New York, April 11–August 16, 2026; “Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding” is on view 2026–April 18, 2027.
“Forbidden Fruit” at Fugue Gallery
Artist Eric J. Chan recently opened Fugue Gallery in a gorgeous fourth floor apartment in Little Italy, with an eye toward showcasing how art, furniture, and design can coexist in the home. I was intrigued by the premise—which also involves hosting weekly listening sessions on a custom speaker system—and there was definitely some beautiful work on view. The standout was this incredible glowing kinetic flower sculpture, Comarum Palustre, by Vincent Sachtler, that was absolutely mesmerizing with its shape-shifting petals.
But I also went because Chan was hosting an event promising live snakes billed as a “Snake and Sip.” The snakes, which also featured in photographs in the show by David Zheng, came courtesy of Pythons of NYC, run by lifelong snake lover Jason Melendez. The Coney Island resident showed us a childhood photo of himself on the boardwalk, smiling ear-to-ear during his first encounter with a giant python. Zachary was definitely intrigued by the eleven snakes in attendance, but I don’t think we’ve discovered his life’s passion yet. (Unless we have and it is just trains, which I honestly wouldn’t rule out.)
“Forbidden Fruit” was on view at Fugue Gallery, 132 Mulberry St. 4C, New York, New York, May 21–August 21, 2026.
“The Ark: What Is Wild Is Sacred” at Powerhouse Arts
Brooklyn’s Powerhouse Arts has become an important art center and fabrication workshop, but this was actually its first proper exhibition. A fun summer group show featuring a mix of bold-faced and emerging names including Nari Ward, Nicole Cherubini, and François-Xavier Lalanne, the exhibition was entirely dedicated to sculptures of animals. And as if that wasn’t kid friendly enough, the opening featured a dog runway show, and there was a literal ark playspace for the children to explore. It was all I could do to tear Zachary away.
I had actually hoped to write about the show for my CULTURED column the Overlook, with a focus on Moving Earth, a giant carved wooden elephant sculpture by Toshio Sasaki, a Japanese-born artist who died in 2007. Sasaki is best known for his 332-foot-long relief wall, The First Symphony of the Sea, on Coney Island. It was NOWHERE Gallery, a New York gallery that promotes Japanese artists in the city, that connected Powerhouse president Eric Shiner with Sasaki’s widow, Miyo Sasaki. The piece dates from 1989, and debuted in Central Park in an animal-themed group show called “Noah’s Art,” but has languished in the artist’s Park Slope studio for over 20 years.
“The Ark: What Is Wild Is Sacred” was on view at Powerhouse Arts, 322 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, June 11–August 30, 2026.
“Raphael: Sublime Poetry” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
I would not have expected one of art history’s most renowned Old Masters to still be capable of captivating the attention of a two year old, but clearly, I underestimated the timeless appeal of Raphael. It was my husband Nathan who insisted on bringing Zachary to see this once-in-a-generation blockbuster uniting over 170 masterpieces by the Renaissance great. He thought that our son would enjoy Raphael’s paintings of the Madonna and child—and Nathan was totally right.
Shockingly, Zachary was content to move through the exhibition at my customary snail’s pace, taking in the artwork as I read all of the wall text. He especially responded to Raphael’s tender depictions of Mary, the baby Jesus, and John the Baptist. (It got him hyped up to visit his cousin Johannes, who is just four months younger, just a few weeks later in Norway.) And then, as Zachary’s attention span inevitably began to wane, there was a giant tapestry featuring a larger-than-life ram that looked just like his favorite stuffed animal, Ramon, who had tagged along on our museum visit.
Better critics than I have weighed in on the significance of this exhibition, and the importance of Raphael’s contributions to art history. For me, it reinforced my belief in the power of art, and how it can be both beautiful and universal.
“Raphael: Sublime Poetry” was on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, March 29–June 28, 2026.
“Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw – Hot Dog: The Second Serving” in Times Square
This one holds a special place in my heart because Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw were the very first artists I ever interviewed in person, way back in 2013.
I was Art in America’s editorial assistant, and one of my responsibilities was sending in department attendance. This enabled me to play hooky on one of our particularly dead summer Fridays so I could head to Rockaway Beach, where Creative Time was throwing an artist sand castle competition. (It was my first article reporting on an event I had attended, and the first I had heard of Creative Time, believe it or not—and the contest is actually coming back this year, which is super exciting.) Catron and Outlaw had won the inaugural competition, and were back as judges, wearing wrestling-style championship belts and metallic gold bathing suits.
I’ve gotten to know the art couple over the years, and always get a kick out of their zany, larger-than-life art displays. One time, I interviewed them sitting inside a giant cereal bowl they were exhibiting at Miami’s Satellite Art Show.
Catron told me some months ago that the hot dog’s return was scheduled to coincide with the Fourth of July, and the artists were expecting a visit from President Donald Trump for the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations. Obviously, plans changed. But their hot dog was an all-American spectacle in the heart of Times Square, with a gold winged goddess of liberty standing, torch held aloft, atop the biggest wiener you’ve ever seen. I didn’t have the heart to tell Zachary: when it comes to our country, you definitely don’t want to know how the sausage was made.
“Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw – Hot Dog: The Second Serving” was on view in Times Square, Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets, New York, New York, July 21–August 8, 2026.
“Cj Hendry: Pastel” at Salon 94
I already wrote a feature about Cj Hendry‘s “Pastel,” but suffice to say that Zachary is still talking about the bead pit! The beads are all super cute and designed by the artist, based mostly on her past artworks (she specializes in hyperrealistic drawings). Zachary loved playing in the installation, and he’s been practicing his fine motor skills stringing all the beads that we brought home. (Stay tuned on my Instagram for a giveaway and your chance to win some!)
“Cj Hendry: Pastel” was on view at Salon 94, 3 East 89th Street, New York, New York, August 6–16, 2026.
Phil Buehler‘s No Man Is an Island in “Harlem Sculpture Garden,” St. Nicholas Park
I encountered Phil Buehler’s photography, installed as a giant cyclorama, at New York’s SPRING/BREAK Art Show on two occasions before I realized he was actually married to fellow artist Lisa Levy, whose work I had known for years. I recently was on Levy’s podcast, “Dr. Lisa Gives a Sh*t,” on Radio Free Brooklyn, to discuss the trauma of my recent career developments. Just a few days later, I was excited to stumble upon Buehler’s photos of little-known sites in New York installed in St. Nicholas Park as part of this year’s edition of “Harlem Sculpture Gardens,” which I had been meaning to check out.
The large-format images are all beautifully composed and vibrantly colored, and offer an intriguing snapshot of unique historic places. Most are in ruins, and you probably haven’t heard of them, let alone visited—such as the crumbling Bannerman Castle, a former munitions storehouse on an island in the middle of the Hudson that I once visited for a Melissa McGill installation. I’m so curious how Buehler gains access to these locations, such as the Execution Rocks Light, a 55-foot-tall lighthouse that has apparently stood on a tiny island in Long Island Sound since 1849. One of my early school projects was to draw a map of Long Island in fourth grade, and this definitely got left off mine!
“Harlem Sculpture Garden” is on view in Jackie Robinson Park, Montefiore Square, Morningside Park, and St. Nicholas Park, May 2–October 30, 2026.
Cemile Sahin‘s YOU MOVE EARTH at Plaza Alianza Dominica in “The Art of the Game“
This is absolutely the kind of story I would have been chomping at the bit to write about during my time at Artnet News—an exhibition directly tied to a major non-art event. In celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which played its final at the Meadowlands, Jersey City’s ARTS 14C nonprofit organized a public art exhibition of giant soccer ball sculptures designed by contemporary artists including Hank Willis Thomas, FUTURA, and Melissa McGill (who I interviewed for this newsletter back in May at the Venice Biennale). It was actually the last project from the great philanthropist Agnes Gund, who died last September after a lifetime of supporting the visual arts here in New York.
Zachary and I especially enjoyed this exhibition because one of the 23 sites was just a few blocks from our house, on the way to the subway. We actually saw the piece, by Cemile Sahin, getting installed before I even got the press release about the show, and I was thrilled to finally learn what it was. It’s become one of our highlights of our walks around the neighborhood, and Zachary even showed it to Nathan and suggested they take a picture with it. The show closes on Labor Day, but ARTS 14C is planning to donate the works to institutions and municipalities across New York and New Jersey, so there’s a good chance you’ll see them again in the not-too-distant future.
“The Art of the Game” is on view at 23 sites across New York, New York, and Jersey City, Newark, Hoboken, East Rutherford, New Brunswick, and Asbury Park, New Jersey, June 11–September 7, 2026.
“Clinamen: Céleste Boursier-Mougenot” at the Park Avenue Armory
Technically, Zachary didn’t get to experience this one, but I feel confident including it because it was just so unique and captivating that I know he would have just been riveted. Céleste Boursier-Mougenot was originally a composer, and he has become known for acoustic art installations with sonic elements. He builds environments where nature and chance generate music.
The only other time I have seen his work was at the Copenhagen Contemporary in 2016, where he turned his exhibition into a giant aviary, housing 88 zebra finches. The space was stocked with 17 electric guitars and basses, plugged in and installed horizontally so the birds could alight on the strings, making ambient music. The piece, from here to ear v. 21, originally debuted at MoMA PS1 in Queens in 1999. It is, in essence, a never-ending live concert.
In New York, Boursier-Mougenot, who is 65, built a large wooden deck surrounding three 40-foot-wide circular pools. Hundreds of ceramic bowls floated on the surface, gently propelled by circulation jets so that they continually bump into each other, the collisions creating a cacophony of clinking noises. Watching and listening was strangely hypnotic—and actually seeing when the bowls hit was such a satisfying experience.
“Clinamen: Céleste Boursier-Mougenot” was on view at the Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, New York, New York, June 10, 2026–August 9, 2026.
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