The Beat

To Celebrate Chinese American Historymakers at the Semiquincentennial

New York, N.Y. (January 14, 2026) – In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, MOCA will dedicate 2026 to celebrating the enduring contributions of Chinese Americans. Through special exhibitions, public programs, performances, and storytelling, MOCA will be honoring Chinese American historymakers not included on the official list created for the National Garden of American Heroes in Washington, D.C. The MOCA Luminaries for America250 span historical eras and pursuits, but they are all individuals who are deserving of recognition for upholding and embodying American ideals of equality, fairness, inclusivity, hard work, civility and creativity.

Utica, N.Y. – Don’t miss an exclusive screening of Hidden History Unlocked at the Oneida County History Center, Saturday, January 24, at 2:00 p.m. This captivating new film unveils a rare and haunting glimpse into one of America’s oldest asylums, nestled in the historic town of Utica. Established in 1843, this facility was the first in New York State devoted to the care of the mentally ill during a time when understanding mental health was still in its infancy. The imposing structure, known as "Old Main," stood as a silent witness to countless stories until its doors closed in 1978.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will give the first 25 visitors a free commemorative packable Museum blanket with paid admission on Monday, Jan. 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Musuem will be open on the holiday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Kathy Butterly: Assume Yes

Major exhibition surveys three decades of artist’s radical ceramics

February 14–July 26, 2026

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (January 13, 2026) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents Kathy Butterly: Assume Yes, a major exhibition of approximately fifty works by one of the most influential and inventive sculptors working in ceramics today. On view from February 14 through July 26, 2026, the exhibition spans more than thirty years of Butterly’s practice, from early sculptures dating to the mid-1990s to recent works, offering a rare opportunity to trace the evolution of an artist who has transformed the language of contemporary ceramics.

New exhibition interrogates the implications of being able to see inside the body with works by Barbara Hammer, Ana Mendieta, and more

Astoria, New York (January 13, 2026) — Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) announces Overexposed: Art, Technology, and the Body, a major exhibition organized by Sonia Shechet Epstein, opening to the public on March 14, 2026. Taking its title from a Sylvia Plath poem, Overexposed examines how medical imaging technologies—from X-rays and ultrasounds to MRI, CT scans, and endoscopy—have reshaped how we look at, understand, and control the human body.

Saratoga Springs, NY (January 9, 2026) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces a series of free public tours for the spring 2026 season, including weekly Tang Guide Tours on Sundays, monthly Curator’s Tours, and a Collections Touch Tour on March 14 for visitors who have low-vision or are blind.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — Coinciding with the United States of America’s national celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will mark the occasion with a special exhibition, Racing at the Dawn of the United States. The exhibition opens Saturday, Jan. 10 in the Museum’s Link Gallery.

Launch of new season of Open Worlds free community programs, Curators’ Choice screening series, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day programs

Astoria, New York, January 7, 2026 — Museum of the Moving Image starts the new year with a look back at some of the best films released in 2025, many with filmmakers in person; launches an expanded season of Open Worlds, featuring free community programs; presents its annual celebration commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a free family day and special screenings; explores the first decade of immersive documentary with Inside the Story, a convening of artists and filmmakers; and more.

A Breathtaking Display of Orchids and a Love Letter to New York, from February 7 through April 26, 2026

On Select Evenings, Experience Orchid Nights, “the Lushest Bar in Town,” with the First on March 21, 2026

Bronx, NY—Tickets for The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) are now on sale. The 23rd edition of NYBG’s annual celebration of all things orchids runs from February 7 through April 26, 2026. Step into a dazzling floral dreamscape, where street scenes become floral dreams as visionary designer and native New Yorker Mr. Flower Fantastic transforms NYBG’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a breathtaking orchid tribute to the spirit, style, and streetscape of our beloved metropolis, N.Y.C.