Photographs by Martha Cooper and Fred McDarrah. Shops are a vital part of neighborhood life, yet most people take their appearance for granted. The City Shops reveals the masterpieces of folk art, eccentricities, historical reminders, and clues to changing economic patterns that can easily be found in any of the city's shopping streets. The exhibition features the work of Martha Cooper, well-known photographer of urban vernacular subjects, along with historically significant black-and-white photographs by famous press photographer Fred McDarrah.
Photographs by Martha Cooper and Fred McDarrah.
Shops are a vital part of neighborhood life, yet most people take their appearance for
granted. The City Shops reveals the masterpieces of folk art, eccentricities, historical
reminders, and clues to changing economic patterns that can easily be found in any of the
city's shopping streets. The exhibition features the work of Martha Cooper, well-known
photographer of urban vernacular subjects, along with historically significant
black-and-white photographs by famous press photographer Fred McDarrah. Organized
in three thematic sections, the exhibition explores different aspects of the New York shop
front. "Showing Off" probes the way in which neighborhood shopkeepers highlight (or
sometimes hide) their merchandise. "Changing Stores, Changing Streets" looks at both
traditional and new ways of shopping and highlights some of the strategies that shopkeepers
use to gain maximum advantage of their limited street front space. A final section "Places
That Matter" presents the social and political role of many neighborhood shops. The City
Shops was organized by Place Matters, a program of the Municipal Art Society and City
Lore, and was curated by Ned Kaufman, director of historic preservation at the Municipal
Art Society.
Hours and Admission
Open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. for pre-registered groups only, and Sunday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The Museum is closed on Mondays and on all legal holidays.
Admission is free, although the following contributions are suggested: $7.00 for adults,
$4.00 for senior citizens, students and children, and $12.00 for families.
The Museum of the City of New York is a private, not-for-profit, educational agency
established in 1923 to collect, preserve, and present original materials related to the history
of New York City. In addition to individual contributions and gifts from foundations
and corporations, the Museum receives public funds from the New York State Council on
the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for
the Arts. The City of New York, the owner of the Museum's building, provides support in
the form of operating and programmatic funds through the Department of Cultural
Affairs.
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue
103rd Street
New York, NY 10029
212/534-1672
Fax: 212/426-6891