NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY INVITES VISITORS TO EXPLORE
NEW YORK CITY’S RESILIENT HISTORY WITH NEW AUDIO TOUR
ON THE BLOOMBERG CONNECTS APP

Special Panel Discussion and Family Programs Examine the City’s History of Trauma and Recovery
on September 26

Additional Open Hours and New Exhibitions Launch This Fall

NEW YORK, NY – September 23, 2021 – The New-York Historical Society welcomes visitors this fall with the launch of a new, free digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects cultural app which will help deepen the museum experience for in-person visitors and bring the collections to virtual visitors around the world. Ever Upward: Resilience and Recovery in New York is a new audio tour weaving together key moments in the city’s long history of rebirth and renewal that will be featured in the new digital guide. Also planned: an exciting slate of engaging exhibitions and installations; additional visiting hours; and a special event on September 26 featuring scholars discussing recovery during perilous times, as well as special activities for families.

“New York City has seen its share of traumatic events throughout the centuries that have reshaped the city,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “As we continue to emerge from the darkest moments of the pandemic, remembering these moments allow us to take inspiration from the strength that previous generations demonstrated. The Museum’s new digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app will let more people share the power of our collections, and the audio tour, in particular, illustrates these moments for our visitors with its focus on remarkable objects from our collection that are imbued with history.”

Launching on September 26 on the Bloomberg Connects app, Ever Upward: Resilience and Recovery in New York was created to mark the city’s continuing emergence from the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the British occupation of New York City during the American Revolution and the Great Fire of 1835 to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, September 11, and the current pandemic, visitors learn about devastating events from which the city rebounded with renewed strength. Interpretive audio is accompanied on the app by photographs and other materials highlighting the dozen historical artifacts and artworks on display throughout the Museum. 

Among the highlights of the audio tour are some of the first vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson vaccines administered in New York; New York’s Liberty Bell, which rang in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was read to Washington’s troops and more recently survived the devastating fire in Middle Collegiate Church’s sanctuary; the damaged truck door from the FDNY’s Rescue Company 2 salvaged in the wake of the September 11 attacks; and Keith Haring’s signature icons Radiant Baby and the AIDS Alligator, created during the height of the AIDS epidemic.

The tour is narrated in English by Rev. Dr. Jacqueline J. Lewis, senior minister of New York City’s Middle Collegiate Church, whose sanctuary was recently destroyed by fire; the tour in Spanish is narrated by David Gonzalez.

In addition to Ever Upward, the digital guide includes photographs, video, and other digital content covering many aspects of the Museum’s collection and current exhibitions. Whether guiding an onsite visit or enjoyed from home, the free Bloomberg Connects app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play Store for iOS and Android. Launched in 2019 by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg Connects makes it easy to access and engage with a portfolio of participating cultural partners through dynamic content exclusive to each organization.

On Sunday, September 26 at 10 am in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium, New-York Historical Scholar Trustees Annette Gordon-Reed, David Blight, and Akhil Reed Amar explore how the Constitution held together a fragile nation and ensured its recovery and perseverance in perilous times—from America’s early years in the wake of a traumatic war for independence through the Civil War, the abolishment of slavery, and Reconstruction. The program is also offered via livestream. Tickets are available online.

For families, an in-person Sunday Story Time focuses on the picture book, Send a Girl!: The True Story of How Women Joined the FDNY. Brenda Berkman, the FDNY firefighter depicted in the book, discusses her inspiring fight for women to have a fair shot at being a firefighter, followed by a Q&A and book signing. At 1 pm, visitors of all ages can meet historical interpreters to discover the many different methods used by suffragists such as Alice Paul, Frances Harper, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to push their government and fellow citizens to recognize their right to vote.

Beginning September 29, New-York Historical restores public hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays 11 am – 5 pm; the Museum continues to be open to visitors Fridays 11 am – 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays 11 am – 5 pm. Pay-as-you-wish admission is on Fridays from 6–8 pm. As part of New York City’s Key to NYC program, all visitors to New York City museums age 12 and over are required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Opening this fall at New-York Historical is a full slate of new exhibitions and installations including:

• Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (opening October 1)

• Close Encounters in the Colonies: Treasures from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection (opening October 1)

• Scenes of New York City: The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection (opening October 22)

• “Turn Every Page": Inside the Robert A. Caro Archive (opening October 24)

Also on view are Aristotle: From Antiquity to the Modern Era (through January 2), Cover Story: Katharine Graham, CEO (through October 3), and Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove (through October 11), along with permanent galleries, including the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps, Objects Tell Stories, Meet the Presidents and the Oval Office, and the recently reopened DiMenna Children’s History Museum. Timed-entry tickets are available online.

Support
Lead support for Ever Upward: Resilience and Recovery in New York is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.

About New-York Historical Society
New York City’s oldest museum, the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library was founded in 1804. The Patricia D. Klingenstein Library—one of the most distinguished in the nation—fosters research through its outstanding collections, which include more than 10 million items. The Museum presents groundbreaking history and art exhibitions as well as public programs that convey the stories of New York and the nation’s diverse populations to the broadest possible public.

The New-York Historical Society is located at 170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street), New York, NY 10024. Information: (212) 873-3400. Website: nyhistory.org. Follow the museum on social media at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Tumblr.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

Press Contacts
Ines Aslan, New-York Historical Society | ines.aslan@nyhistory.org
Marybeth Ihle, New-York Historical Society | marybeth.ihle@nyhistory.org