NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organisation for the five boroughs of New York City — in partnership with, Department of Cultural Affairs and Mayor’s Office for Media and Entertainment is highlighting ways to experience the City’s iconic cultural scene virtually, for those who may be seeking an escape in light of the current global COVID-19 situation. The resource for this information, nycgo.com/virtualnyc, will be updated on a regular basis during this time.
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“During this unprecedented time, New York City’s world-class tourism community is offering a wide-ranging virtual taste of the destination’s renowned cultural experiences. We encourage New Yorkers and would-be travelers alike to show support and embrace escapism through the currently available, online offerings of the City’s attractions, museums, performing arts venues and beyond,” said NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon.
“New York City is home to the world’s most talented, committed, and diverse arts and entertainment community who continue to find ways to inspire us even in the most difficult times,” said Anne del Castillo, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “We’re proud to connect everyone to the best the creative capital has to offer and bring all of us together, even when we’re apart.”
“New York City is home to one of the greatest cultural communities on earth, and this community’s response to the unprecedented challenges we’re facing has been exactly what we need,” said Acting Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Kathleen Hughes. “From streamed opera performances to arts education courses for youth, our city’s cultural community has moved their remarkable programming into the virtual realm, and continues to serve residents and engage audiences.”
From educational programmes to critically-acclaimed independent films; soaring orchestral arrangements to inspired choreography; innovative theater to engaging visual arts; and digitized museum exhibitions to virtual neighborhood tours, there’s something for everyone interested in experiencing NYC from the comfort of their home. Examples include:
Educational Programming
92Y @ Home
The iconic cultural and community center will continue to connect with audiences through archival and live-streamed performances, family-friendly activities and a virtual reading series. Further, diverse online crash-courses, talks and workshops (ranging from a blues guitar intro to a PhD-taught course on emotional intelligence), will keep the homebound-mind occupied.
American Museum of Natural History
By visiting the museum’s Explore page, children and children-at-heart can view educational videos and enjoy interactive activities that intend to foster investment in and passion for the natural world.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan
The museum is sharing “CMOM at Home,” interactive STEM activities for kids and families to enjoy through videos, sing-a-longs, games and more. Activities will be tweeted from @cmomNYC or parents can sign up here.
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
On the new “Experience Intrepid Anywhere” section of the website, families can take a virtual tour of this World War II aircraft carrier, browse images of the artifacts on-board, watch interviews with former crewmembers and take advantage of educational resources.
Museum of the City of New York
With more than 200,000 items in the museum’s online collection, videos of dozens of recent programs available on its YouTube channel and more, the museum is continuing to spotlight the history of New York City.
The Society of Illustrators will continue to promote its mission with exhibits, panels, podcasts and children’s activities all hosted at the SI At Your Service section of its official website.
The theater is offering “New Victory Arts Break,” a weekly series of performing arts activities for children and parents to do together at home. Percussion and Just Move! have launched to-date.
Families can continue to discover the world of STEM through a selection of free, NYSCI digital resources including online tutorials, interactive apps, web-based graphic novels, hands-on activities and instructional booklets.
In addition to expanding the number of free e-books available on the e-reader app SimplyE, the library is expanding virtual offers with off-site access to popular research databases such as the New York Times, 1851-2016; Wall Street Journal, 1889-present; and more. Staff are also available Monday-Saturday (during normal business hours) to perform virtual consultations.
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