Kick off the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary celebration with Birthday Bash. This full weekend of programming highlights the best of the borough and marks two centuries of championing Brooklyn’s artistic communities. Bring the family for music and karaoke, dance and poetry, gallery tours and art-making, piñatas, and so much more. 

This program is free; registration is required and includes Museum general admission. Tickets will be released on a rolling basis starting September 20 for Members and September 23 for the public. Sign up for the Brooklyn Museum newsletter to be notified of the next release. 

Materials are provided for all art-making activities; first come, first served.

For visitors with disabilities or accessibility needs, including ASL interpretation, email us at access@brooklynmuseum.org.

Schedule

11 am–5 pm Curator Pop-Up Talks
Throughout the Museum
Learn about selected artworks in the galleries during 10-minute talks by our expert curators and conservators.

• 11 am–12 pm Sakimatwemtwe: A Century of Reflection on the Arts of Africa, 3rd Floor
• 12–1 pm Arts of Asia, 2nd Floor
• 1–2 pm Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies, 4th Floor
• 3–4 pm Decorative Arts and Design in the American Art Galleries, 5th Floor
• 4–5 pm The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, 1st Floor

11 am–8 pm Shop: Brooklyn Charm Bar 
Shop, 1st Floor 
Create your own charm necklace or bracelet to purchase, adding as many Brooklyn-inspired charms as you choose!

11:30 am–5 pm Drop-In Printmaking: Shoestring Press
Education Studios, 1st Floor 
Join Crown Heights–based printmaking studio Shoestring Press to make your own tote.

11:30 am–7 pm Art-Making: Mini-Pull Piñatas
Education Studios, 1st Floor 
Keep the birthday celebration going by making piñatas in the Education Studios. 

12–5 pm Art-Making: Museum on Wheels 
Plaza, 1st Floor 
Check out our mobile museum within an Airstream trailer and start the day with art-making activities.

12–5 pm Oral Histories Archive: WNYC
Pavilion, 1st Floor
Document your story and become part of WNYC’s ever-growing Oral Histories Archive.  

12–5 pm Voter Registration Drive
Pavilion, 1st Floor
Sign up to vote! HeadCount, a nonpartisan voting advocacy nonprofit, hosts a voter registration drive ahead of the general election. 

1–4 pm Art-Making: Life Drawing
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Drop in to sketch from live models.

2–4 pm Music: Ahmed Abdullah’s Diaspora
Lobby, 1st Floor 
Stop by the lobby for a performance by trumpeter, composer, and educator Ahmed Abdullah and his ensemble Diaspora. Known for his work in the 1970s Loft Jazz movement, Abdullah was a member of Sun Ra Arkestra and a cofounder of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. Presented in partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America.

5–6 pm Music: Brooklyn United Marching Band 
Plaza, 1st Floor 
Get in step with Brooklyn United as the youth marching band performs on our plaza steps.

5–9:30 pm Brooklyn Pop-Up Market
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Shop one-of-a-kind, handmade items highlighting artists and vendors from across Brooklyn, featuring artwork, jewelry, fashion, and home and apothecary goods.

5–10 pm Poetry Marathon: Can I Get a Witness?
American Art Galleries, 5th Floor
Hear poets and writers activate our new American Art galleries throughout the evening. 

• 5–6 pm Youth poets Fatima Ahmad, Kai Giovanni Diata, Sharjah M’Bodji, Ari Newman, and Fatima Saidysall from Urban Word open the marathon.
• 6–7 pm Poets Fatimah Asghar, Noah Arhm Choi, River 瑩瑩 Dandelion, Ayesha Raees, and Viplav Saini read selected works. Copresented by Kundiman. 
• 7–8 pm Writer Simon Wu reads from his recent collection of essays Dancing on My Own, then is in conversation with poet and artist Oscar yi Hou. 
• 8–9 pm Poet and artist Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, selected from The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition open call, reads and hosts fellow writers JP Howard, Jacqueline Johnson, Rosamond S. King, and Rachelle Parker. 
• 9–10 pm Close out the marathon with the cocurators of Supa Dupa Fresh: poets Mahogany L. Browne, Adam Falkner, Rico Frederick, Jive Poetic, and Jon Sands.

6 pm Special Birthday Moment
Lobby, 1st Floor
Wish the Museum a happy 200th with cake by Junior’s Cheesecake and a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber.

6–7 pm Roundtable: Brooklyn Arts Leadership Collaborative
Auditorium, 3rd Floor 
Join leaders of arts organizations across Brooklyn as they reflect on the Museum’s history and discuss the future of cultural institutions in our borough.

6–10 pm Karaoke: Bubble_T
The Norm, 1st Floor 
Grab the mic as beloved Brooklyn-based collective Bubble_T transforms our restaurant into a karaoke lounge. 

6:30–7 pm Dance: Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor 
Enjoy intergenerational performances by Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet, a nonprofit that uses dance-related education, performance, and programming to uplift communities. 

6:30–10 pm Music: Burnt Sugar SmokeHouse
Lobby, 1st Floor
Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber returns with an evening of “avant groidd” soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop. The performance showcases local and international talent and reflects the vibrant cultural mix that the Brooklyn Museum has cultivated for 200 years. Emceed by Black Rock Coalition president LaRonda Davis.

6:30–7:30 pm Teen Talks: The Dinner Party
Center for Feminist Art, 4th Floor
Join teen Museum Apprentices as they host 10-minute pop-up talks on Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, a landmark feminist artwork. 

7–10 pm Music: The Lay Out
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor 
The Lay Out, a Brooklyn-based community platform that centers Black joy and creative expression, returns to close out the evening with sets by Quiana Parks and DJ 9AM.