NEW YORK, April 30, 2025 – The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) announces details about a planned, temporary closure of the Museum and Museum Shop, located at 2 Lincoln Square on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, over the summer to accommodate the first phase of renovations that mark the most significant changes to the Museum’s physical space in more than 30 years. The planned renovations will be completed in a multi-phase rollout beginning in fall 2025, with scheduled full completion in spring 2026 timed to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The large-scale renovations taking place at 2 Lincoln Square will inaugurate an entirely new American Folk Art Museum experience once completed. Among the many transformative changes planned include upgraded infrastructure and installation of new mechanical and operations systems; expanded and renovated on-site office space for Museum staff; remodeled public restrooms; new flooring throughout the Museum and Shop; and an overhauled and reconfigured Shop with new, custom-built display case cabinets (designed by Chris Parow) and new wall shelving throughout.
Additionally, the Museum will reimagine the existing courtyard located on 66th Street into a functional public space for outdoor gathering, Museum events, and artistic programming. The exterior facade of the Museum, including the entryway and signage, will also be redesigned to better attract pedestrians passing through the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan.
In preparation for the renovations, the Museum’s galleries will close in stages. AFAM’s current exhibition, Somewhere to Roost, will close effective Friday, May 2. The remainder of AFAM’s galleries will close beginning May 26, following the end of Madalena Santos Reinbolt: A Head Full of Planets, for a period of four months before reopening to the public on September 26 for AFAM’s fall exhibition. When the Museum reopens, visitors will enter through a temporary entrance located next door to AFAM’s current entrance facing Columbus Avenue, before unveiling a new facade and entryway in 2026.
The Museum Shop will be open during regular hours from May 28 – June 1. From June 2 – August 12, the Shop will be open in a limited capacity (for order pick-ups and assisted sales with Shop associates) and will reopen with regular service and hours beginning August 13, while the Museum galleries remain closed due to construction. The Museum’s online Shop (shop.folkartmuseum.org) will continue to be fully operational throughout this period.
The Museum and Museum Shop are located on the ground floor of 2 Lincoln Square, the same location as the Manhattan New York Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the owner of the building. The renovations of the Museum and Shop have been scheduled during the same time as a larger project being undertaken by the Church to renovate the Temple, which was announced by the Church in 2023 and is expected to be complete by 2028. The renovations to the American Folk Art Museum have been generously funded by the Church.
Jason T. Busch, Becky and Bob Alexander Director & CEO of the American Folk Art Museum, commented: “For more than 30 years, AFAM has invested in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, and there is much to look forward to with the most significant upgrades and renovations to our space in decades. As the nation’s museum of folk and self-taught art, we are excited to unveil a completely new AFAM in early 2026 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States in style. We are grateful to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their long-standing support of AFAM and commitment to the Museum as part of their Manhattan footprint. The modernization of our galleries, staff offices, and Museum Shop would not be possible without their generous subsidy and guidance throughout this project.”
About the American Folk Art Museum
Founded in 1961, the American Folk Art Museum is a global leader dedicated to the preservation and promotion of folk and self-taught art across time and place. Candid, genuine, and unexpected, the Museum celebrates the creativity of individuals whose singular talents have been refined largely through personal experience rather than formal artistic training. With a collection spanning 8,000 works of art from four centuries and nearly every continent, the American Folk Art Museum engages people of all backgrounds through its collections, exhibitions, publications, and public programs as the leading forum shaping the understanding and appreciation of folk and self-taught art. Thanks to the generous support of our members, patrons, and donors, admission to the Museum is always free. In 2025, AFAM was voted #1 in Newsweek’s Best Art Museum readers’ choice poll.