Museum of the City of New York Opens New Activism Center

The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) inaugurated its new Puffin Foundation Center for New York City Activism on September 25 with "Raise Your Voice," one of two opening exhibitions in the multimillion-dollar wing funded by the nonprofit Puffin Foundation.

Curated by Sarah Seidman, "Raise Your Voice" builds on the framework of its predecessor, "Activist New York" (2014–2026), which examined how the city's population density, diversity, and class disparity proved critical to hundreds of social and economic movements with nationwide impact. That long-running display rotated its material over more than a decade and ranked as the most-visited exhibition among school groups at MCNY.

Seidman joined the museum as curator of social activism shortly after "Activist New York" opened. She said the new exhibition and the broader center mark a deliberate shift: they are more interactive and hands-on, "which really reflects the direction and top priorities of the museum."

The Puffin Foundation Center is the culmination of a multimillion-dollar gift from the Puffin Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to uplifting minority artists and organizations.

"Raise Your Voice" distills activism into five components. Four sections — "Demonstrations," "Organizing," "Arts & Media," and "Direct Action" — examine how frontline, behind-the-scenes, supplemental, and extrajudicial labor combine to advance social change. A final section, "Your City, Your Move," equips visitors with tangible means of instituting change at the local level, offering entry points for civic engagement regardless of experience.

The show arrives as marches, megaphones, and messaging dominate the public image of activism. MCNY's new center argues that these visible tactics represent only one strand of movement work, and it positions the museum as a place where visitors can learn the full recipe for a successful campaign — then act on it.

With the second inaugural exhibition in the Puffin Foundation Center now open alongside "Raise Your Voice," MCNY has converted more than a decade of activism scholarship into a permanent, participatory institution aimed at turning spectators into organizers.