Art creates a space for the past, present, and future to live together. Explore how people from around the world have looked to their ancestors to build our global community. Discover what your future holds through performances, storytelling, interactive gallery activities, and artist-led workshops.
Schedule of Events
PERFORMANCES
Space is limited; first come, first served.
Welcome to the Future with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
12–12:30 pm
Celebrate the festival's start with a spirited performance.
Floor 1, Great Hall
Boda Mexicana (Mexican Wedding) with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
1–1:30 pm, 2–2:30 pm
Experience a vibrant spectacle of color, rhythm, and movement with dances inspired by Mexico's diverse cultural traditions.
Floor 1, The American Wing, Gallery 700, The Charles Engelhard Court
Dancing in the Streets: Battle! Hip-Hop in Armor
1–1:20 pm, 1:30–1:50 pm, 2–2:20 pm, 2:30–2:50 pm
The world of hip-hop dance culture collides with the bygone age of chivalry when modern-day b-boys and freestyle dancers meet knights in armor.
Floor 1, Arms and Armor, Gallery 371, Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Arms and Armor Court
Saṃhāra Revisited
3–3:20 pm, 3:30–3:50 pm
Be transported by India's celebrated classical dance company Nrityagram and Sri Lanka's Chitrasena Dance Company, showcasing brilliant dance traditions with shared ancient roots.
Floor 1, Egyptian Art, Gallery 131, The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing
Closing Performance
The Art of Storytelling with Ty Defoe
3:30–3:45 pm, 4–4:15 pm, 4:30–4:45 pm
Explore song, movement, and storytelling with Ty Defoe, Giizhig from the Oneida/Ojibwe Nations, as he shapeshifts and offers messages of the interconnection of all living things.
Floor 1, The American Wing, Gallery 700, The Charles Engelhard Court
ART ACTIVITIES AND DEMONSTRATIONS
Meet artists and make art together inspired by The Met collection! Unless otherwise noted, activities are best for ages 3 and up.
A Headdress for the Future
12–5 pm
Be inspired by the styles, symbols, and uses of headdresses from around the world and throughout time, then create one to wear in the future—or today!
Ground floor, Carson Family Hall West, Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education
Sibyl's Secret Fortune-Teller
12–5 pm
In ancient times, a sibyl was a woman who was able to foretell the future. Fold your own fortune-teller to reveal secrets of The Met collection.
Ground floor, Carson Family Hall West, Uris Center for Education
A Piece of the Puzzle
12–5 pm
Explore what the future has in store for us! Collaborate on a larger-than-life-sized puzzle with the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA).
Ground floor, Carson Family Hall East, Uris Center for Education
Tlayuda Demonstration with Carolina Saavedra
1:30–2 pm, 2:30–3 pm, 3:30–4 pm
Tickets distributed 15 minutes prior to each session at event location.
Meet indigenous traditional chef Carolina Saavedra, who preserves family history through Oaxacan cuisine.
Ground floor, Studio, Uris Center for Education
Project Your Future with Joyce Yu-Jean Lee
12–5 pm
Join artist Joyce Yu-Jean Lee to play with light and color and create an illuminated sculpture to share your future with the world.
Ground floor, Carroll Classroom, Uris Center for Education
#MetKids Remixed Portraits with Play Africa
12–5 pm
Create a family portrait inspired by paintings from the past. Kids in Johannesburg, South Africa, have changed the story of artwork from The Met collection to reflect their communities by drawing themselves into the pictures. You can do it too!
Ground floor, The Robert Lehman Collection, Gallery 963
Time Capsule 2020
12–5 pm
In 2020, The Met will celebrate its 150th anniversary. Share your hopes for the Museum's future in a collective time capsule. Create your own time capsule to take home and share with your future self.
Ground floor, Art Study, Uris Center for Education
Then and Now: Pottery
12–5 pm
Experiment with clay to create a ceramic pot inspired by historic artwork on view in the exhibition Art of Native America: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection.
Floor 1, The American Wing, Gallery 700, The Charles Engelhard Court
Weighing of Hearts
12–5 pm
Is your heart balanced? Weigh your negative confessions to keep your heart filled with good deeds for the future.
Floor 1, Egyptian Art, Gallery 135, Lila Acheson Wallace Galleries for Egyptian Art
Ask the Expert
12:30–1 pm, 1:30–2 pm, 2:30–3 pm, 3:30–4 pm, 4:30–5 pm
Meet Museum experts and get the inside scoop about the Nedjemankh and His Gilded Coffin exhibition!
Floor 1, Egyptian Art, Gallery 136, Lila Acheson Wallace Galleries for Egyptian Art
Drawing Your Narrative with Pelenakeke Brown
12–5 pm
Explore the Samoan concept of the Va with multidisciplinary artist Pelenakeke Brown by connecting this traditional way of seeing with your own experimental drawing.
Floor 1, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, Gallery 354
Past/Present/Future Architecture
12–5 pm
The Met has called Fifth Avenue home for 138 years. Discover how the Museum's architecture has changed over time with Beatrice Galilee, Daniel Brodsky Associate Curator of Architecture and Design, and draft your own designs for its future look.
Floor 1, Gallery 548, Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court
Global Wishing Tree
12–5 pm
Each of us has hopes and dreams. Around the world, people decorate trees with a wish for the future. Add yours high in the branches!
Floor 2, Asian Art, Gallery 209, The Astor Forecourt
Let There Be Light: Lanterns
12–5 pm
From Diwali to Lunar New Year, light represents a hope for a bright future. Create your own lantern and explore how color and light illuminate cultural practices from across the globe.
Floor 2, Asian Art, Gallery 209, The Astor Forecourt
STORYTELLING AND QUIET SPACES
Duo 1717: Krik! Krak! Songs and Music from Haiti, the Philippines, and Beyond
1–1:20 pm, 1:30–1:50 pm, 2:30–2:50 pm, 3–3:20 pm
Transforming classical music into storytelling experiences, baritone Jean Bernard Cerin and pianist Veena K. Kulkarni bring new sounds to stories from around the globe.
Ground floor, Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall, Uris Center for Education
Tot Spot (Best for ages 0–5)
12–5 pm
Play and learn with books, blocks, and more just for early learners.
Ground floor, Nolen Library, Uris Center for Education
Bilingual Storytime (Best for ages 3 and up)
1–1:30 pm, 2–2:30 pm
Enjoy quiet time with stories in English and Spanish.
Ground floor, Nolen Library, Uris Center for Education
Oral History with Thérèsé Folkes Plair
1–1:20 pm, 1:30–1:50 pm, 2–2:20 pm, 2:30–2:50 pm
Join performing artist Thérèsé Folkes Plair as she explores narratives of people of African descent through music, oral traditions, and literature.
Floor 1, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, Gallery 350, The Lester Wunderman Collection of Dogon Art
Quiet Spaces
12–4:30 pm
Stop by these quiet spaces for time with art and books.
Floor 1, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, Gallery 353
Floor 2, Asian Art, Gallery 229, Arts of Japan, The Sackler Wing Galleries
World Culture Festival: Our Future is made possible in part by the Tiger Baron Foundation.
