El Museo del Barrio NYC

NYC has some of the best museums in the world and is diverse just like the city itself. There’s a mile long stretch on 5th Ave filled with museums that locals and tourists alike go and check out. The street is known as Museum Mile. It’s home to museums such as The MoMa and the Guggenheim. As you travel further north, there’s a special museum called El Museo del Barrio NYC (or El Museo) which we decided to check out.

What is El Museo del Barrio NYC?

The museum was founded in 1969 in Spanish Harlem. The museum moved in 1977 to its current and is located in Harlem on Museum Mile, right across the street from Central Park. It’s considered one of the most important Latin American institutions in the United States. At El Museo del Barrio NYC, there are more than 800 years worth of Caribbean, Latin American and Latino art. It also includes artifacts, traditional art, modern paintings, sculptures, photography and many more. El Museo del Barrio NYC hold exhibitions (THESE are the best art exhibitions right now) as well that represent the community and culture. They bring in work from local artists as well as artists from around the world. Museums are always an ideal place for families with kids because of the learning experience it brings and this institution is no different.

At times, El Museo del Barrio offers screenings of classic and contemporary films with Latin American roots. There’s also workshops, live musicals lectures and educational programs designed specifically for children.

The Exhibitions at El Museo del Barrio NYC

The exhibitions we saw were from Liliana Porter and Lucio Fontana. Liliana was born in Argentina and her exhibition at El Museo del Barrio NYC is called “Other Situations”. For more information on the exhibit please visit the link here.

Lucio Fontana has work displayed at The Guggenheim Museum just down the road from where El Museo del Barrio is. Mr. Fontana is of Italian descent but born in Argentina. His abstract space can be found in this museum. For more information, please click the link here.

El Cafe at El Museo (Park Side Cafe)

The cafe at the museum is fairly simple, but the food is amazing. You have the option of just going up to the counter and ordering to-go, or you can get have a seat and someone will serve you. We had the fajita with steak and shrimp and was served with rice, beans and tortillas. They also provided us with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

We definitely recommend this museum to everyone. Also, just to give you a tip, admissions costs $9 (which is very affordable), but you can also purchase the New York Pass which would give you access to many museums in NYC, including El Museo del Barrio NYC. Please, click here for more information on the New York Pass.