Explore the Exhibition

White text on a black background reads "New York Responds The First Six Months"

New York Responds: The First Six Months includes photographs, artworks, audio, video, and artifacts documenting New Yorkers’ response to the crisis of COVID-19 and their uprising against structural racism. It covers the events of March 1 to September 1, 2020, and it is the digital companion to the physical exhibition that opened at the Museum of the City of New York on December 18, 2020.  

Learn more and explore the content of the exhibition in the thematic sections below.  

Two windows in an brick building that are filled with stacks of toilet paper rolls.

The COVID City

The cityscape in New York was dramatically transformed by the pandemic.
A woman places a mask with a name written on it on a fence covered in other blue face masks with names.

Facing the Virus

In a climate akin to wartime, New Yorkers came together—often virtually—to remember, to mourn, and to heal.
A person on a stretcher is being wheeled into an ambulance assisted by three medical workers. A fourth person stands nearby.

Healthcare Crisis

As NYC faced down the virus, healthcare workers met the challenge with determination and a spirit of innovation.
Pan used to cheer for essential workers at 7 p.m

Clapping

Clapping and banging pots at 7 p.m. became a way to thank essential workers for their service and sacrifices.
Masks Drying Over My Kitchen Sink

Masks

Wearing a mask became an opportunity for personal expression – whether in the form of levity or as a message of protest.
A man sits on a bed shirtless, facing his window with an AC unit installed.

Isolation

For the first time in the city’s modern history, isolation became a constant for millions of gregarious New Yorkers.
An older couple with their masks hanging on one ear talk to an older woman through a window.

Coping

Keeping healthy, connecting with loved ones, and avoiding boredom became tools for sanity amidst the tragedy.
Graduation ceremony at St. Charles School in Staten Island

The New Normal

Empty streets and playgrounds, the wailing of ambulances, a life lived at a distance: COVID ushered in a “new normal.”
A man with a mop cleans the floor of a subway car in front of a subway door.

Getting Around

One of the greatest challenges during the lockdown was how to keep New Yorkers moving safely.
Avant Garden preparing free meals for frontline workers.

Restaurants

For the New York restaurant industry, which operates on thin margins, COVID-19 was catastrophic.
A man holding a water bottle in one hand addresses a crowd of people with bags and masks standing in front of a wooden fence.

Mutual Aid

As the pandemic spiraled across the five boroughs, New Yorkers launched initiatives to help their neighbors.
Protesters on bikes gather at Washington Square Park

The Protest City

The city's streets, parks, bridges, and edifices became scenes of protest, passion, and sometimes confrontation.
Marchers at the Million People March, Brooklyn NYC on June 19, 2020

Uprising

Thousands of New Yorkers captured images of the mass Black-led uprisings against police violence and systemic racism.
a crowd of marchers wearing masks and holding signs. One reads "I'm not afraid of COVID—I'm afraid of cops."

Policing

Witnesses captured images of clashes between protestors and police, as well as acts of solidarity.
A black and white photograph of a sign on a fence that reads "COVID PANDEMIC No work....No Income...No Insurance...#PassNYHealth #CancelRent"

The Politics of COVID

Like the anti-racist uprisings, the COVID pandemic exposed and amplified existing social and economic inequality.
Supporters of a Black Lives Matter march on the occasion of Breonna Taylor's birthday

Working Together for BLM

During the pandemic, activists used varied means to push for a future in which Black lives would truly matter.
Portrait of George Floyd

Art as Response

Art was a potent tool for political expression and communication in a moment of social reckoning for our city, nation, and world.
Plywood artwork created during the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice uprisings in 2020. Colin Kaepernick is in the foreground, on bended knee, with the American flag waving behind him.

Street Art

NY Responds looks at how street art took on a special urgency during the events of 2020.
A man and woman, each holding a young child, stand smiling next to each other in front of a blossoming tree and brick building.

Voices

Listen to the voices of New Yorkers as they speak about these critical six months and how their communities responded.

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.

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