On Wednesday, October 10, the Museum of the City of New York launched its Urban Design Council with a cocktail reception and viewing of Elegance in the Sky: The Architecture of Rosario Candela, its latest architecture exhibition. The event was sponsored by Kramer Levin, a Founding Member of the Urban Design Council. As of October 10, the Museum had raised nearly $100,000 for this initiative.
The Urban Design Council was formed in 2018 to bring together leaders in the industries of urban planning and design, architecture, real estate, construction, landscape architecture, and related fields in support of the Museum of the City of New York. The Council represents a partnership between the Museum and the real estate, construction, and design communities to preserve the vibrancy of New York City and the Museum. Through its three annual networking events, the Council explores new trends and innovations in New York’s built environment, while providing vital support to the Museum’s mission. The Council will also contribute ideas to the Museum’s programming and exhibition content to ensure that the Museum remains at the forefront of conversations in New York’s urban design.
As Whitney Donhauser, Ronay Menschel Director and President of the Museum of the City of New York, stated at the October 10 launch, “The Council is a natural outgrowth of our ongoing work to provide in-depth exhibitions that explore New York’s urban design. Our incredibly strong collection of photographs, works on paper, ephemera, and other materials related to New York’s past and present built environment are the foundation of these exhibitions. For more than a decade, the Museum has been producing landmark exhibitions on New York’s urban design and development.” These exhibitions have included the 2017 show Mastering the Metropolis; Affordable New York, Saving Place, and Everything is Design in 2015; Making Room in 2014; the landmark exhibition The Greatest Grid in 2012, which lives on as an online exhibition; Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future in 2009; and Robert Moses and the Modern City: Remaking the Metropolis in 2007.
Michael Sillerman, Co-chair of Kramer Levin’s Land Use Group and Trustee of the Museum of the City of New York, stated, “We are honored to support the Museum of the City of New York as a Founding Member of the Urban Design Council. The intention of the Council is to give the design community a forum to provide input to the Museum’s exhibition and public programming content. There is no better place to celebrate the industries of urban planning and design, architecture, real estate, construction and landscape architecture than in the City’s own Museum.”
The Museum’s mission is to foster understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis and engage visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city’s past, present, and future. As the city’s official Museum, the Museum of the City of New York offers unique opportunities to explore urban trends through our Future City Lab, our special exhibitions, and our renowned public programming. What says New York more than the urban design of our City?
About the Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis. It engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city’s past, present, and future. To connect with the Museum on social media, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @MuseumofCityNY and visit our Facebook page at Facebook.com/MuseumofCityNY. For more information please visit www.mcny.org.
About Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Kramer Levin provides its clients proactive, creative and pragmatic solutions that address today’s most challenging legal issues. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Silicon Valley and Paris and fosters a strong culture of involvement in public and community service. For more information, visit www.kramerlevin.com.
