New York Responds Online

A man walks by a boarded up wall with the words "What is essential" spray painted across it.

1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd St., HOURS: Mon-Fri 10-5 | Sat-Sun 10-6

New York Responds: The First Six Months is part of a Museum-wide project documenting and interpreting New York City during the COVID pandemic and the racial justice uprisings of 2020, and looking toward the future of New York. The exhibition was crowd-sourced from tens of thousands of submissions received via Instagram, through email, and from partner institutions across the city who have been working to collect the stories of this historic moment. A jury of New Yorkers from many walks of life reviewed and voted on the submissions and guided the curators in the creation of the exhibition.

At the Museum, public programs, educational programs, and ongoing collecting efforts continue the conversation about the effects of these events and aim to challenge us all to discuss what a just recovery would like for our city.

Explore the Exhibition

Drawn from tens of thousands of submissions and selected with the help of a community jury, the images, objects, and artworks presented here bear witness to a crisis that is still unfolding.

Behind the Scenes

A jury of New Yorkers from many walks of life reviewed and voted on the submissions and guided the curators in the creation of the exhibition. Meet them and the team behind the exhibition.

New York Responds: A One-Year Remembrance

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID pandemic arriving in New York City, we take a moment to look back at the transformative events of 2020. Over the next 12 days, through March 13, we’ll share words, images, and music of New Yorkers responding to the crises of the past year—not only the virus, but also racial injustice, and economic upheaval.

New York Responds: Timeline

Explore a timeline of Year One of the COVID-19 pandemic and renewed Black Lives Matter protests in NYC.

Be a Part of the Exhibition with StoryCorps

History is happening now. Archive your story at the Library of Congress. Every New Yorker has a story to tell. We’re here to hear it.

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Supporters

New York Responds is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Additional support provided by M&T Bank and the Honorable Diana Ayala - New York City Council District 8.