What: New York New Music
Where: Museum of the City of New York
1220 5th Ave.
New York, NY
Who: Teens and Up
(The exhibit is open to all but probably most interesting for older children and adults)
The 1980s was an extremely influential decade in music history. Not only did it see the rise of a variety of new types of music like Electonic Dance Music and New Wave but it was also the decade that saw the creation of MTV, an event that affects the way we consume music and television even to this day. The exhibit, New York New Music at the Museum of the City of New York thoroughly covers this important historical time period. It covers numerous styles of music that were or became popular at the time including (aside from those previously mentioned) hip hop, pop, jazz, salsa, and more. It gives an overview of many artists of the time with several receiving specific emphasis including Madonna, and Talking Heads. Numerous tour posters, pictures of artists of the time, and a wide variety of other memorabilia are on display.
There is a whole section of the exhibit devoted to the birth and rise of MTV. Here you can see an actual MTV video award as well as a press release regarding the first MTV Music Video Awards. You can also find pictures of the original VJs and more. You can even watch clips of early MTV.
On the whole, the entire exhibit is very nostalgic for anyone who grew up in the 80s. Even if you didn't that doesn't mean you won't enjoy this fascinating exhibit. Whether you love the 80s, music, and/or history, or even if you are just curious you can definitely enjoy this compelling look back at a transformative decade of music.
The Museum of the City of New York is currently open Friday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission is $20 for adults, $14 for seniors and students with ID, and free for those 19 and under as well as members of the museum. For more information or to view current Covid safety guidelines for the museum and/or to purchase timed tickets to visit, go to https://www.mcny.org/exhibition/new-york-new-music
Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.