Press Room

Free First Thursday Nights and Open House: Museum of Arts and Design Heats up Summer with Cool Events

New York, NY (June 17, 2025)

This summer, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) invites New Yorkers to rediscover one of the city’s most imaginative museums through a season of boundary-pushing exhibitions, site-specific performances, and new opportunities for free admission. The festivities begin June 19 with special Juneteenth holiday hours and the first of three summer dance performances inspired by the critically acclaimed exhibition Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe. Also debuting this summer: Free First Thursday Nights (July 3, Aug. 7, and Sept. 4) and a free MAD Open House on Aug. 9, designed to activate the entire museum with art experiences for all ages.

FREE FIRST THURSDAY NIGHTS ALL SUMMER LONG

Mark your calendars for July 3, Aug. 7, and Sept. 4! MAD is staying open late and waiving admission from 5 to 8 pm on the first Thursday night of each month this summer. Enjoy the Museum until late and explore current, must-see exhibitions—Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe, a dazzling retrospective that blurs science fiction, cultural hybridity, technology, and art; The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler, the designer's irreverent look back at his own career and craft influences; Dana Barnes: Untamed Gestures, a tactile, textural experience in fiber and form; and OUT of the Jewelry Box, aprovocative display of jewelry as a form of personal and political expression. Reserve tickets in advance at madmuseum.org.

MAD OPEN HOUSE

On Sat., Aug. 9 from 10 am–6 pm, the MAD Open House welcomes makers of all kinds for a day of free admission and exhibition-inspired creative activities to spark your inner artist! The daylong celebration welcomes all ages and invites first-time and returning visitors to experience all that MAD has to offer. Advanced registration required at this link. Early registrants will receive a full schedule of activities in the coming weeks.

IN-GALLERY DANCE PERFORMANCES

Cosmic Choreographies, a series of dance performances inspired by the exhibition Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe, will activate the galleries. A collaboration between advanced dancers from the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance and Saya Woolfalk, these site-specific performances bring the artist’s imagined worlds to life through movement.

Performances are scheduled on the Juneteenth holiday, June 19, at 7 pm; July 17 at 7 pm; and Sept. 7 at 4 pm, to close out the exhibition. Free with Museum admission.

THE STORE AT MAD’S END OF SEASON SALE & LATE HOURS

Shoppers take note! The End of Season Sale at The Store at MAD takes place from Aug. 14–31, offering discounts of up to 75% off design-forward gifts, books, jewelry, home goods, and more. On Free First Thursday Nights, The Store will stay open until 8 pm. Explore The Store online at thestore.madmuseum.org.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

From screenings of films selected by artist Saya Woolfalk in conjunction with her exhibition to the return of Design Happy Hour, the Museum’s signature art-making workshop with open wine bar, there are several programs to enjoy at MAD during the summer months. Highlights include:

July 10 (6 pm): Film: Space is the Place
July 15 (6 pm): Design Happy Hour: Maximalist Design with Joël Brodovsky-Adams 
July 18 (6:30 pm): Artist Talks and Open Studios 
Aug 3 (2 pm): Film: The Last Unicorn 
Aug 7 (6:30 pm): Film: The Dark Crystal
Aug 12 (6 pm): Puppet Felting Workshop with J Hann

For more information about summer happenings at MAD, visit madmuseum.org.

EXHIBITION AND EVENT CREDITS

Generous funding for Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe was received by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support for the exhibition was provided by The Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley. The gift supporting the exhibition's dance performances is made in honor of Kali Marie Oliver. 

The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler and Dana Barnes: Untamed Gestures are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Out of the Jewelry Box, part of the Craft Front & Center exhibition series, has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Museum of Arts and Design together: Democracy demands wisdom. The exhibition is also supported, in part, by public funds from 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. Research was supported by a Craft Research Fund grant from the Center for Craft. Additional support from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

Free First Thursday Nights are currently supported through November by the generosity of one anonymous donor.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

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