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SPECIAL INTEREST
NEW YORK: CITY OF IMMIGRANTS
When it comes to immigrants, New York City is number one. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than one third of
New York City's eight million residents were born outside of the United States, making the Big Apple home to the
largest foreign-born population in the country.
Amas Musical Theatre
This multi-ethnic performance group mounts six to seven productions a year at its theater on 42nd Street in Manhattan.
115 MacDougal Street, Suite 2B
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 563-2565
www.amasmusical.org
Brooklyn Historical Society
Founded in 1863 as the Long Island Historical Society, the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) is a museum, library and education center that fosters appreciation and
exploration of Brooklyn's rich heritage. After substantial renovations to its landmark building at 128 Pierrepont Street that began in 1999, BHS reopened its
doors in October 2003.
128 Pierrepont Street
(at Clinton Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 222-4111
www.brooklynhistory.org
Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture
The Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture presents exhibitions and programs designed to educate families and schoolchildren about Jewish culture and heritage.
515 West 20th Street, Suite 4E
(between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 924-4500 x1
www.jcllcm.com
Eldridge Street Project
The Eldridge Street Project was established to preserve the 1887 landmark Eldridge Street Synagogue, the first large-scale house of worship built on the Lower East Side by
Eastern European Jews. A visit to the synagogue constitutes a foray not only into the structure's many architectural particulars, but also into the lives of its earliest
congregants. Concerts, literary events, art installations, workshops and other cultural and educational programs serve audiences of diverse ages and backgrounds.
12 Eldridge Street
(between Canal and Division Streets)
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212-219-0888
www.eldridgestreet.org
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
Twelve million immigrants passed through the buildings of Ellis Island between the years 1892 and 1954. Galleries filled with artifacts, historic photographs, posters,
maps, oral histories and ethnic music evoke their experience and the cultures they brought with them to American shores.
Ellis Island
New York, NY 10004
Phone: (212) 363-3200
www.nps.gov/elis
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
During the 1850s, two remarkable Italians—Giuseppe Garibaldi and Antonio Meucci—shared a humble white clapboard house on Staten Island. After returning to Italy, Garibaldi
went on to become that nation's most famed 19th-century revolutionary hero. Meucci, meanwhile, invented a prototype telephone when Alexander Graham Bell was only two
years old. This building now houses a museum that pays honor to the two men's lives and their contributions to history.
420 Tompkins Avenue
(at Chestnut Avenue)
Staten Island, NY 10305
Phone: (718) 442-1608
www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum preserves, studies and interprets Jewish cultural history through its collection of art and artifacts.
1109 Fifth Avenue
(at 92nd Street)
New York, NY 10128
Phone: (212) 423-3200
www.thejewishmuseum.org
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
As many as 18 people shared some of the three-room flats of the tenement at 97 Orchard Street during its 72 years as a residential building. Today, this building,
now restored, along with another across the street, houses the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, a memorial to the immigrant families who lived there during the late
19th and early 20th centuries.
90 Orchard Street
(between Broome and Delancey Streets)
New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 431-0233
www.tenement.org
Museum of Chinese in the Americas
Chinatown is a symbol of the rich and complex Chinese-American experience, preserved and displayed at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas. Established in 1980, the museum
celebrates Chinese American history and culture, both in New York City and throughout the Americas.
70 Mulberry Street, 2nd floor
(at Bayard Street)
New York, NY 10013
Phone: (212) 619-4705
www.moca-nyc.org
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society has for almost two centuries collected, preserved and displayed a collection of art and artifacts related to the history of New York City
and State. That collection, much of which is housed in a "visible storage" facility, includes 1.6 million objects.
170 Central Park West
(at 77th Street)
New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 873-3400
www.nyhistory.org
South Street Seaport Museum
The South Street Seaport Museum is an 11-square-block historic district of stone-paved streets and 19th-century commercial buildings. It encompasses four galleries, a fleet
of historic sailing ships, exhibitions of maritime art and artifacts, and a re-creation of a 19th-century printing shop.
12 Fulton Street
(between Front & South Streets)
New York, NY 10038
Phone: (212) 748-8600
www.southstseaport.org
Statue of Liberty National Monument
For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of freedom to the world, as well as an image closely associated with New York; few tourists consider a
trip complete without at least a passing glimpse of it. The same ferry that transports visitors to the Statue of Liberty takes them to Ellis Island (see separate entry).
Liberty Island
New York, NY 10004
Phone: (212) 363-3200
www.nps.gov/stli
Wave Hill
A 28-acre public garden and cultural center, Wave Hill has views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, as well as an expanse of green lawns.
675 West 252nd Street
(entrance at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue)
Bronx, NY 10471
Phone: (718) 549-3200
www.wavehill.org
Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum
The Wyckoff House, which dates back to 1652, is the oldest building in New York State. It was built by Pieter Claesen Wyckoff, who came to America in 1637 as an
illiterate indentured servant but soon became a successful farmer and the wealthiest person in the area.
5816 Clarendon Road
(between East 59th Street and Ralph Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11203
Phone: (718) 629-5400
www.wyckoffassociation.org
JOURNEY TO CHINA
New York is a great place to begin exploring Chinese
art, culture and history. The city is full of museums, cultural
centers and performing arts venues that showcase contemporary or
traditional Chinese art, artifacts, dance, theater or music. Below is a
brief sampling of organizations and collections which offer a window into the rich and diverse
cultures of China.
Asia Society and Museum
Created to build bridges between Americans and Asians,
the Asia Society presents art exhibits, film series and performances.
725 Park Avenue
(between 70th and 71st Streets)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 288-6400
www.asiasociety.org |
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A Naxi musician, one of the performers in China's Land of
Clouds: Music and Dance of the Yunnan presented by the Asia
Society and Museum.
Photo: Margaret Lawrence |
Asian American Arts Centre
A community-based group in Chinatown, AAAC promotes and preserves Asian-American culture though performances,
exhibitions and education programs.
26 Bowery
(between Bayard and Pell Streets)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 233-2154
www.artspiral.org
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM is well-known for bringing an international roster of artists
to Brooklyn each year.
30 Lafayette Avenue
(between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 636-4100
www.bam.org
Brooklyn Museum
Housed in a 560,000-square-foot,
Beaux-Arts building down the street from picturesque Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Museum boasts an
impressive collection of Chinese art. More than 100 objects covering more than 5,000 years of Chinese culture and civilization,
from Neolithic times to the present, are on permanent display in the Asian and Islamic galleries.
200 Eastern Parkway
(at Washington Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 638-5000
www.brooklynmuseum.org
China Institute in America Since 1926, the China Institute
has been introducing New Yorkers to Chinese art, history and culture through exhibitions, films, children's programs, painting, language
courses and more.
125 East 65th Street
(between Lexington and Park Avenues)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 744-8181
www.chinainstitute.org
Chinese Theatre Works
Dedicated to performing traditional and contemporary Chinese work,
Chinese Theatre Works presents six major performances each year
in addition to smaller readings and workshops.
34-17 Steinway Street
(between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard)
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 392-3493
www.chinesetheatreworks.org
Ma-Yi Theater Company
(212) 971-4862
www.ma-yitheatre.org
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met houses one of the largest collections of Asian art in the West, including an extraordinary selection of
Chinese paintings and calligraphy, as well as sculpture, ceramics and jades dating from the second millennium B.C.
to the early 20th century. Among the highlights is the Astor Court, modeled on a Ming dynasty scholar's courtyard
in the Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets in Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai famous for its gardens.
1000 Fifth Avenue
(at 82nd Street)
New York, NY 10028
(212) 570-3961
www.metmuseum.org
Museum of Chinese in the Americas
One of the foremost facilities of its kind in the United States, the museum offers exhibitions, walking tours of Chinatown,
an extensive physical archive and reference library, radio and video programs and a slide show on Chinese-American history.
70 Mulberry Street, 2nd floor
(at Bayard Street)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 619-4785
www.moca-nyc.org
Music From China
Music from China gives audiences a unique opportunity to hear traditional
Chinese instrumental music performed on instruments such as the
erhu, yangqin, zheng and dizi. Performances
are scheduled in various boroughs.
(212) 941-8733
www.musicfromchina.org
New Victory Theater
Known for its sophisticated family offerings, the New Victory Theater
presents performances of theater, circus, dance, music and puppetry
in its Times Square space.
209 West 42nd Street
(between Seventh and Eighth Avenues)
New York, NY 10036
(646) 223-3020
Rubin Museum of Art
A new museum in Chelsea, the Rubin Museum of Art has a permanent collection of more than 1,500 paintings
and sculptures and other examples of art from the Himalayas and the surrounding regions, including works
from China, dating from the 12th to the 19th centuries.
150 West 17th Street
(between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 620-5000
www.rmanyc.org
Staten Island Botanical Garden
Nestled within the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, this sanctuary of
naturalized and cultivated land—the borough's only public garden—includes
the serene Chinese Scholar's Garden.
1000 Richmond Terrace
(at Snug Harbor Road)
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 273-8200
www.sibg.org |
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The Chinese Scholar's Garden, a popular attraction at the Staten Island Botanical Garden.
Photo: Courtesy of the Staten Island Botanical Garden |
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