Founded in 1972, the Queens Museum is located in the nation’s most culturally diverse county, on the grounds of the 1939-40 and 1964-65 and New York World’s Fairs, and in a building that formerly housed the United Nations from 1946 to 1950. Browse our historical timeline and learn about the key moments that marked the history of our site.

The Queens Museum is dedicated to presenting the highest quality visual arts and educational programming for people in the New York metropolitan area, and particularly for the residents of Queens, a uniquely diverse, ethnic, cultural, and international community.

The Museum fulfills its mission by designing and providing art exhibitions, public programs and educational experiences that promote the appreciation and enjoyment of art, support the creative efforts of artists, and enhance the quality of life through interpreting, collecting, and exhibiting art, architecture, and design.

The Queens Museum presents artistic and educational programs and exhibitions that directly relate to the contemporary urban life of its constituents, while maintaining the highest standards of professional, intellectual, and ethical responsibility.

For over fifty years, Queens Museum has served one of the most diverse communities in the world. Now, we’re building the institution our borough deserves by reimagining our space and deepening our impact. Central to this vision is the Suna Children’s Museum, new programming for all ages, and a transformed visitor experience.

The Queens Museum would like to acknowledge the past, present, and future generations of Matinecock, Canarsie, Lekawe (Rockaway), Munsee Lenape, and the interconnected Matouwac communities across the Greater Long Island region, as stewards of the land.

As both a museum of art and a historic site built on unceded Indigenous lands, the Queens Museum is committed to working towards a living land acknowledgment built on listening, collaboration, and action together with Indigenous communities. We recognize the ongoing impacts of the violent colonial displacement of Native people–as well as the displacement of animal relatives and the disruption of natural ecosystems–by the United States.

We invite our communities to join us in taking action now by devoting time to taking care of the land, whether this be cleaning up your local park or donating to an Indigenous-led advocacy group.

The Queens Museum is housed in the New York City Building, which is owned by the City of New York. With the assistance of the Queens Borough President and the New York City Council, the Museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional funding is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts, Queens Museum Board of Trustees, members, and friends.

Our historic venue–the site of two World’s Fairs and the temporary headquarters of the United Nations–is available to rent for your next wedding, meeting, film shoot or important event.

Thank you for your interest in joining the Queens Museum team. There are no open positions at this time.