Pursuing the Unpredictable: The New Museum 1977–2017

This anniversary exhibition presents a selection of past exhibitions, programs, and initiatives through key archival documents and select artworks. These highlight occasions that have been pivotal in shaping the New Museum and contributing to broader discussions about contemporary art and museum practice. Additionally, a select chronology designed by Project Projects, featuring select highlights from the Museum’s history, is presented within the exhibition, alongside a display of the entire collection of New Museum publications. The adjacent Resource Center functions as a press room, presenting critical and popular responses to the New Museum throughout its forty years. These materials bear testament to the themes and discussions that the New Museum has consistently pursued, from issues of gender and sexuality to the relationship between art and technology, as well as the mandates that have characterized its institutional practice: responsiveness to cultural crises, championing new forms of art making, and the belief in art as a social force.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.