Dear Friends of the HRM,

We often equate spring with renewal, and with all that is happening at the HRM, the association is fitting. I want to bring your attention to some important dates and exciting upcoming events.

This Saturday, May 21, we are thrilled to be a partner in Yonkers Arts Weekend, the annual city-wide celebration of the thriving art scene in Yonkers. Enjoy free admission to the Museum, fun activities and games in the courtyard, and art workshops that celebrate our current exhibitions. You are invited to try out “Chisme Con Chocolate” (Gossip with Chocolate), a special tasting and demonstration with Teaching Artist-in-Residence David Enriquez of how traditional Mexican hot chocolate is made using a molenillo. Make sure to visit this artist’s compelling work, which is exhibited in the Joyce Green Education Center.

We are now heading into the final weekend of our exhibitions dedicated to the iconic and visionary Frida Kahlo. Don’t miss The World of Frida and Frida Kahlo in Context before they close on Sunday, May 22. It is striking how many artists and visitors have responded to the artist’s resilience and creative vision around issues that resonate deeply today, including mental health, sexuality, and women’s rights.

I certainly don’t mean to bury the lede when I mention that incredible progress continues on our preparations for the Museum’s new West Wing, whose galleries will open in October 2022. We appreciate that WAG Magazine devoted a May 2022 feature story to this transformative project, entitled Expanding Its Footprint and Outreach. As part of our preparations for moving into these new spaces, we have embarked on an exciting new project that reenvisions our collections in Order / Reorder: Experiments with Collections, co-curated by Laura Vookles and Bentley Brown, which opens on June 17. We are shaking things up, so plan to see some of your favorites, exciting new work, and some very special loans, in entirely new configurations and get ready to suggest new juxtapositions yourself.

As we grieve from the devastating news about the painful loss of our fellow New Yorkers in Buffalo to racist violence, I hope you’ll join us on Saturday, May 28 for a meaningful program about nurturing transformation: Black Hands, Gray Lands, Green Spaces: Advocating for Urban Gardens. Karen Washington, co-founder of Black Urban Growers (BUGS), and voted one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the US by Ebony magazine, will share insights on urban farming as a way for all city dwellers to access fresh, sustainable, and locally grown food.

Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. The World of Frida and Frida Kahlo in Context exemplify these values and have brought joy and enrichment to so many. As Kahlo once said, “I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint.” With this as inspiration, we invite you to come to the HRM this weekend to leave a special message in our dedicated floral installation about what lifts your spirits, and let art be a source of solidarity and hope for all.

With best wishes,

Masha Turchinsky
Director and CEO

Left: Kerstin Bruchhäuser (Hamburg, Germany). Larger Than Life (Frida Kahlo), 2018. Appliqué and embroidery with cotton, linen, leather, and silk thread on cotton gauze. Courtesy of the artist. Right: David Enriquez (American, b. Mexico), Abue, Portrait of Crescenciana Flores Pacheco, 2021. Acrylic on watercolor paper. Courtesy of the artist.