While most of the time, I have somewhat of a plan of where I will go when exploring the city, this past weekend, I ended up in a place that I did not know about — and did not plan on going to. However, once there, I discovered a wonderful place of culture and history, and I had an enjoyable time: the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM).
AFAM, located in the Upper West Side on Lincoln Square, right next to the Lincoln Center, was founded in 1961 by Joseph B. Martinson and Adele Earnest. However, in its early days, AFAM did not have the infrastructure that a museum typically has: no permanent collection, no endowment, and no physical building to house the museum.
AFAM’s focus is American Folk Art. As per AFAM’s website, folk art is self-taught, untraditional, and individualistic art representing nationalism, ingenuity, and community. Most works in AFAM’s current collections focus on art not often in traditional museums: unprofessional pieces from marginalized groups and sets.
When I visited the museum last weekend, I wandered by and decided to go in. The museum is free admission, but they ask for a small donation to allow for the museum to remain open. The museum’s layout features loops and different rooms, which help separate the different exhibitions and make what is otherwise not an enormous museum seem much more extensive.
The exhibit on display when I was there is called “Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North.” Opening back in November 2023, Unnamed Figures focuses on early American and colonial works of art that either have and do not identify or omit the inclusion of African-American subjects. The artifacts include paintings, photographs, and even needleworks from the early 1600s to the late 1700s and the American Revolutionary War. The exhibit does a fantastic job of balancing the representation of marginalized groups and helping to show how these groups are a part of history despite their opinions from most mainstream media.
AFAM is a cheap option for students learning about history, art, and culture while having a good time. Being in the neighborhood of the Lincoln Center, there are countless restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries to grab a bite to eat, as well as libraries and theaters to enjoy. Getting to AFAM is not easy, but it is alright. If it is nice out, it is about a 30-block walk from the PATH or NY Waterways Ferry, but it is also a few stops from PATH on the 1 or 2 Subway or the M5 or M7 bus service.
AFAM is a fantastic place to visit if you’re interested in American folk art, history, and culture. The museum is free to enter, and its current exhibit, Unnamed Figures, is a must-see. The museum’s location in the Upper West Side, close to the Lincoln Center, offers plenty of food, drink, and entertainment options. With its unique focus on untraditional and self-taught art, the American Folk Art Museum is a gem well worth visiting.
