Open City
The Open City series showcases projects that have received the annual OHNY Open City Award for their sizable contribution to quality of place in New York City. Awardees include Powerhouse Arts (2023); Moynihan Train Hall (2022); Trust for Governors Island (2021); TWA Hotel (2019); and Cornell Tech Campus (2018). These are the singular projects, often born from visionary aspirations and years in the making, that embody the spirit of openness, access, and connectivity that are essential to New York’s continued growth and preeminence.
Building Capital: The Value of Place
How does the combination of financial, cultural, and community capital enrich quality of life? The “Building Capital: Value of Place” series showcases places that play a vital role fostering community connections and local culture, telling the story of how the space was designed, built, and financed, how it’s being used, and how they contribute to the financial security and well-being of residents long displaced by systemic racism. Building Capital is the latest installment of OHNY’s Urban Systems program and is presented in partnership with Bloomberg Connects.
Factory Friday
Factory Fridays spotlights makers and manufacturers to give New Yorkers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at local production. Manufacturers will explain what they do and demonstrate the ways in which manufacturing is important to the past, present, and future of the city. Factory Friday is presented in partnership with Made in NYC.
Open Studios
A peek inside the offices of some of our city’s arts and design leaders. Visitors are invited to explore the spaces where architects, artists, designers, and engineers work, see new projects in the planning phase, and meet the individuals who are shaping the future of New York. The varying size, location, and scope of the featured studios serves as a cross-section of our city’s contemporary architecture and arts scene.
Bloomberg Connects
Want to take a deeper dive into your favorite museum or cultural space—or discover somewhere new? The Bloomberg Connects series opens doors physically and digitally to promote broader access to exhibitions, collections, and renowned artists featured at museums, gardens, historic houses and other cultural institutions across the five boroughs.
OHNY @ Night
Lighting design showcased in partnership with the Illuminating Engineering Society. From parks, to infrastructure, to skyscrapers, this series demonstrates the ways in which the art of lighting the urban environment shapes our perceptions of the city. Explore the city after dark with this unique set of experiences. Presented in partnership with the New York City Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IESNYC).
50th Anniversary of Hip Hop
The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop Series celebrates the birth of Hip Hop in the Bronx and its meteoric rise to become a global phenomenon. On August 11, 1973, Hip Hop was born at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. Working two turntables, DJ Kool Herc began playing break-beats on a continuous loop, rapping with the rhythm of the extended instrumental beat and encouraging the audience to break dance. At a time when economic depression and public disinvestment plagued New York’s Black and Brown neighborhoods, Hip Hop represented a flourishing, socially conscious cultural movement—encompassing music, dance, fashion, and the visual arts—imprinting our city’s physical fabric. DJs, MCs, break dancers, and graffiti artists spread out from the Bronx, across the five boroughs, around the country and globally. The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop series offers perspectives on the place-based impacts of this cultural movement and highlights the stories behind these places.