Spring Centennial Celebration

Sunday, May 5, 2024, 11 AM–3 PM
Tickets: 
Free; no advance registration necessary

Celebrate the Morgan’s 100th birthday and the reopening of the Morgan Garden with a special celebration for all ages featuring live music, exhibition tours, artmaking, scavenger hunts, and more!

After a full day of activities, end the celebration with a family concert from 2–3 pm! Join Michael Hearst and his band for a performance of Songs for Unusual Creatures, Extraordinary People, Curious Constructions, and Unconventional Vehicles geared to curious families, extraordinary children, and their unusual friends. The show draws from Hearst's books, albums, and PBS series. On this musical and visual adventure, discover some of the most bizarre animals that roam the planet, impressive and daring characters, vehicles you never knew existed, fascinating buildings, and odd-ball instruments such as the Theremin, claviola, and stylophone. Fun for the whole family!

Review and download a social narrative to prepare for your visit to the Morgan during the Centennial Celebration.

Schedule of Activities

Ongoing: 11 AM–3 PM

Welcome Table & Raffle
Welcome to the Morgan! Check in at the welcome table to pick up a schedule and enter a raffle.

Poetry Wall: Enter the Multi“verse”
Write your own unique verses on the Morgan’s Poetry Wall inspired by poetry in the Morgan’s collection.

Morgan Scavenger Hunt
Seek out highlights of the Morgan’s campus inspired by the new picture book Morgan by Deana Sobel Lederman.

Centennial Celebration Time Capsule
What is your favorite thing to do or see at the Morgan? What can we create together over the next 100 years? Share your message with the visitors and staff of 2124 by contributing to our time capsule.

Gilded Glamor
Get into character, literally, as J. Pierpont Morgan or the museum’s first director, Belle da Costa Greene, with our head-in-a-hole photo opportunity.

Quiet Space
Take a quiet break in one of the Morgan’s historic rooms with sensory friendly supports such as fidgets, noise canceling headphones, and books.

Family Guides
Explore the Morgan at your own pace with Family Guides for the Morgan Garden and the exhibition Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature.

Up Close & Personal
Art meets science in this observational drawing activity. Look closely at feathers, flowers, rocks and more and sketch the intricacies that you observe in nature.

11–11:30 AM, 11:30 AM–12 PM, 12-12:30 PM
Animated Film: The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends
This Emmy-nominated BBC series adapts Beatrix Potter's classic stories through a combination of live action and animation to bring Potter's recognizable watercolor illustrations to life. (1992, Rated G, 24 minutes) Copyright © Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., 2002 www.peterrabbit.com

11:30 AM–12 PM
Off the Page: Family Storytime in the Library
Join author and illustrator Deana Sobel Lederman for a storytime and book signing. Lederman’s new picture book Morgan tells the story of a young girl named for the museum and her adventures in its modern and historic spaces. Recommended for families and children ages 4–8.

12–12:30 PM
Garden Tour
Explore the history and symbolism of the Morgan Garden’s statues, sculptures, and flora on a guided garden tour.

12:30–3 PM
Music in the Garden
Enjoy live jazz by Alex Nguyen Trio as you stroll through the Morgan Garden.

12–2 PM
Senses of Spring Artmaking
Experiment with materials and explore themes of spring with an art activity inspired by current exhibitions at the Morgan.

1–1:30 PM
Gallery Tour: Walton Ford: Birds and Beasts of the Studio
Discover Walton Ford’s working process and the role that historical, literary, cultural, and scientific research plays in his practice on a guided tour of Walton Ford: Birds and Beasts of the Studio.

2–3 PM
Family Concert: Michael Hearst & The Unusual Creatures

Join Michael Hearst and his band for a performance of Songs for Unusual Creatures, Extraordinary People, Curious Constructions, and Unconventional Vehicles geared to curious families, extraordinary children, and their unusual friends. The show draws from Hearst's books, albums, and PBS series. On this musical and visual adventure, discover some of the most bizarre animals that roam the planet, impressive and daring characters, vehicles you never knew existed, fascinating buildings, and odd-ball instruments such as the Theremin, claviola, and stylophone. Fun for the whole family!

Illustration by Deana Sobel Lederman, Courtesy of the Morgan Library & Museum.

Please call (212) 685-0008 ext. 560 or e-mail tickets@themorgan.org for information.