Dear Friends,

Summer is heating up at the American Folk Art Museum! After an exciting spring, highlighted by the stellar presentation of the exhibition Madalena Santos Reinbolt: A Head Full of Planets, the Museum is temporarily closed to undergo the most significant renovations to our home at Lincoln Square in more than 30 years. 

Among the many transformative changes taking place are expanded and renovated office spaces for Museum Staff; new public restrooms; remodeled floors; upgraded infrastructure and mechanical systems; and a reconfigured Shop with custom-built display cabinets and shelving. These enhancements will inaugurate a completely new American Folk Art Museum when we reopen the first phase of renovations in early autumn. The second phase is scheduled to be completed in spring 2026, timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. My gratitude to the entire AFAM Staff for managing this massive undertaking. In particular, Director of Operations Betsy Lewin is brilliantly overseeing every aspect of construction in tandem with our partner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the owner of our building that has generously funded the project.

While the renovations are underway, the Museum remains a hive of activity this season. We were thrilled to see so many of our Members and friends at the Harlem School of the Arts on June 23 for a special screening of the film Paint Me a Road Out of Here. The inspiring and moving documentary tells the story of Faith Ringgold’s 1971 mural For the Women’s House, which was commissioned for New York’s Rikers Island women’s facility, and the painting’s journey from obscurity to the Brooklyn Museum 50 years later. In parallel, the film also explores the journey of multimedia artist, activist, and prison reform advocate Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, whose life in many ways reflects the symbolism of Ringgold’s mural. Paint Me a Road Out of Here is a poignant reminder of art’s power to connect with all of us, and to the importance of self-expression and representation in artmaking. 

Also in June, we welcomed two new Trustees to the Museum’s Board: Dennis Paustenbach, Chief Scientist in Risk Assessment at TRC, and Rodney Beard, Partner and General Counsel of Lumiere LLC. Both Rodney and Dennis are passionate advocates for folk and self-taught art, and they are longtime supporters of AFAM and other institutions. With decades of executive, philanthropic, and organizational expertise between them, I am confident Rodney and Dennis will help us achieve new milestones as we chart the future of AFAM. 

Looking ahead, I am excited to welcome you back to the Museum when we reopen in September with our fall exhibition, An Ecology of Quilts: The Natural History of American Textiles (September 26, 2025 – March 1, 2026). A groundbreaking exploration of the natural history of American textiles, An Ecology of Quilts brings together dozens of quilts spanning the 18th to 20th centuries, all drawn from the Museum’s exceptional collection of more than 600 examples. Presenting the quilts from an ecological perspective, the exhibition explores the environmental and social impact of cultivating and harvesting raw materials; the networks of overland and ocean trade required to transport dyestuffs, fibers, and fabrics; and the technologies and industrial techniques developed to process them—all of which allowed quiltmaking to flourish as a quintessential American art form.

An Ecology of Quilts sets the stage for America250 in 2026, and is a fantastic example of how the American Folk Art Museum continues to reevaluate and recontextualize the history of folk and self-taught art for more balanced and accurate interpretations in the 21st century. 

We are also using this summer as an opportunity to gather insights from you on AFAM! I welcome you to complete this brief, anonymous survey, and participants will receive a 10% discount on a purchase at the Museum Shop. Your responses will be tremendously valuable in helping us to better understand how we can improve your visitor experience at the nation’s Museum of folk and self-taught art.

Building on the national recognition that AFAM recently received, from our Newsweek accolade as 2025’s Best Art Museum to ARTnews recently naming AFAM among the top 10 museums in New York City, there is much to be excited about as we embark on a new chapter with our renovated home at Lincoln Square. See you in the galleries soon!

With gratitude~

Jason 

Jason T. Busch
Becky and Bob Alexander Director & CEO