Queens Museum: a Cultural Hub that Brings Together History, Art, and Community

The Queens Museum is more than just a place where artworks and historical artifacts are preserved. It is a vibrant cultural hub that brings together history, art, and community. Home to a collection of over 12,000 works—including paintings, sculptures, and photographs—the museum reflects both the cultural diversity of Queens and the richness of global and American art of the 20th and 21st centuries.

One of its most iconic highlights is the Panorama of the City of New York, a massive model that covers all five boroughs. It offers visitors a unique perspective on the city’s architecture and evolution. Beyond exhibitions, the museum serves as a creative space with workshops, lectures, and artist talks.

History

The Queens Museum is housed in a building originally constructed for the 1939 World’s Fair, designed by architect Aymar Embury II. It later hosted sessions of the United Nations General Assembly during the 1940s and was renovated for the 1964–1965 World’s Fair.

The museum officially opened its doors in 1972, becoming a cornerstone of art, culture, and education for both Queens residents and the wider New York City community.

Collections and Exhibitions

The museum’s permanent collection features over 12,000 objects across genres and styles, celebrating the cultural richness of Queens. Among its treasures:

The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass — more than 440 stunning objects representing America’s decorative arts heritage.

The Panorama of the City of New York — a 9,335-square-foot scale model created for the 1964 World’s Fair, still updated today to reflect the city’s ever-changing skyline.

A Billion Dollar Dream: The 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair on its 60th Anniversary – exploring the legacy of the fair and its cultural impact.

The Gift: Building a Collection for the Queens Museum – highlighting how the museum’s collection has tripled in size over the last five years, showcasing works that reflect Queens’ diverse heritage.

Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk – a tribute to the legendary band from Queens, featuring photographs, posters, lyrics, and personal artifacts.

Relief Map of the New York City Water Supply System

A remarkable topographic model from 1939, restored and reintroduced in 2008, illustrating how New York receives more than a billion gallons of fresh water daily. Flashing lights show the path of water as it flows from the mountains and forests of southeastern New York State down dams, through aqueducts and tunnels, and eventually supplies the homes and apartments of New York City.

The size of the map (50 square meters) was so impressive that it did not fit into the city pavilion for which it was built. Only ten years later, at an anniversary exhibition in Grand Central Palace, the map was first presented to the public. And then it was forgotten: for decades, the panels gathered dust in warehouses, until in 2005 they were accidentally discovered and brought back to life. In 2008, the Queens Museum, together with the New York Department of Environmental Protection, restored all 27 segments, and the map once again sparkled with lights.

But this is not just a museum exhibit. The model has become a symbol of an entire era when technological progress was perceived as an unconditional benefit. To provide New York with water, grandiose hydraulic structures were built, villages were demolished, landscapes were changed. All this was considered justified for the sake of the “good of the city.” Today, when the system delivers more than a billion gallons of fresh water to the metropolis every day, the map reminds us that the comfort of the metropolis is directly related to the fragile nature outside it.

Education and Community Programs

The Queens Museum is deeply committed to education and community engagement. Its programs serve a wide range of audiences:

For Schools – Guided tours, workshops, and in-school residencies that integrate art into the classroom.

For Teens – The Queens Teens Institute for Art & Social Justice empowers young people through leadership training, art workshops, and community projects.