The Nelson-Atkins Trip to NYC

Art & Architecture in Manhattan and Brooklyn

The Nelson-Atkins Museum is pleased to offer its patrons an innovative and packed three day experience in New York City! Led by Julián Zugazagoitia, Director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, this trip showcases a wide variety of art and architecture in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with a focus on innovative visitor experiences. Accompanying this trip will be Lauren Kaplan, an art educator at Artful Jaunts with a BA in History and Art History from Columbia University and a PhD in Art History from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. She has an expertise in both architecture and contemporary art. There will be art guests greeting us throughout the program.

We will begin the trip on Friday afternoon with a tour of Tribeca and Chelsea's leading galleries. We will see several exhibitions displayed in recently-redesigned spaces, like PACE's seven-story flagship gallery, designed by New York firm Bonetti/Kozerski. With 75,000 square feet of gallery space, a library, and an open rooftop sculpture garden, this gallery feels much like a museum. We will walk along the High Line to visit architect Annabelle Seldorf's stunning gallery space for David Zwirner. For our opening night dinner, we will get to know each other a little better at Balaboosta's wine cellar where their owner will make sure the table is not only full of gorgeous food, but also full of friends, love, laughter.​

Saturday will be spent in upper Manhattan, where we will look at the intersection of art and architecture in a number of major institutions. Our guiding question throughout the day will be: How does architecture affect our viewing experience? We will start the day with a tour of the massive new Richard Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History with President Sean Decatur. This structure, designed by Jeanne Gang Studio, utilizes a novel construction technique called shotcrete on the interior. It is a space that provokes wonder, exploration, and awe. After lunch at the restaurant at the Gilder, we will head across the park to explore a similar building—Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. There we'll see a photography exhibition, Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility. A few blocks away, we will visit the Frick Madison with Annabelle Selldorf — where Henry Clay Frick's collection of Old Masters is temporarily hung in Marcel Breuer's Brutalist masterpiece— and some uptown galleries, where contemporary art is shown in century-old townhouses. The merger of old and new is especially redolent on the Upper East Side. We will finish the day with a tour of the Fotografsika museum and dinner at the spectacular Verōnika. 

On Sunday, we will take in the vibrant and eclectic art scene in Brooklyn.  In the morning, we'll begin at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where the Steinberg Visitor Center serves as a transparent and eco-friendly bridge between the city and the serene gardens. Just next door, the Brooklyn Museum also has a sleek, modern entrance of glass, which envelops and connects to its original Beaux-Arts Facade. We'll explore this entry experience, then see the special exhibition, Maria Magdalena Campos Pons with curator Catherin Futter. Dr. Kimberli Gant, curator of modern and contemporary art, will also lead us through her newly curated exhibition of Spike Lee: Creative Sources. After lunch at The Norm, we will make a quick stop at the Brooklyn Library to see the JAY-Z show. After lunch we will have the special experience of two artist studios, Jane Dickson and Alison Elizabeth Taylor.  We will be met by architects from SO-IL at Amant before ending at the Faurschou Foundation, a private collection space in Greenpoint, which will be featuring an exhibition on the British artist, Tracey Emin. For our finale dinner we will stay in Brooklyn to experience the hottest NYC dining experience, Ilis.

We will stay at The Beekman, a five star Thompson Hotel, and treasure of Lower Manhattan since 1761, with timeless luxury and inherent charm that is as inviting as ever. From the moment you cross the mosaic marble threshold, you experience a new side of Old New York glamor. Dine on culinary creations by acclaimed chefs Tom Colicchio and Daniel Boulud, mingle on the main floor of the impressive nine-story atrium, or admire curated artwork and singular aesthetics throughout, brought to life by award-winning designer Martin Brudnizki.

Guests should plan to arrive Friday at La Guardia no later than 2pm at the latest. Delta and American have non-stops that arrive by 10:30am and Southwest at 1:55pm. Monday's departure is at your leisure with hotel check-out set at noon. 

Your Nelson-Atkins contact is Kaitlyn Bunch (kbunch@nelson-atkins.org). Your Artful tour contact is Latasha Thomas (latasha@artfuljaunts.com or 781-658-2270, office phone).

The Nelson-Atkin New York City and Brooklyn trip is priced at $3750 per person in a double room sharing and $4469 for a single traveler and includes all transportation, lodging, and specific meals during your trip. This trip is limited to 18 guests and your booking is requested by October 4th, 2023. A minimum of 14 guests is required to operate this trip.

No refund will be provided for cancellations within sixty days of the trip's start date. If the museum has another patron to fill a spot a substitution will be allowed. After the trip has commenced, no refunds are available, even if the client does not partake in all of the trip's activities or leaves the trip early. We highly recommend trip insurance offered when booking.

All programming may change and is subject to availability of hosts, collectors and artists.