The 10 Most Anticipated U.S. Museum Openings of 2019

These new museums feature historical memorabilia, colorful works of art and fascinating cultural artifacts. Here are 10 you don’t want to miss.

By: Erin Gifford

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Photo By: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

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AKC Museum of the Dog

In February, the AKC Museum of the Dog makes its move from St. Louis and opens its doors on New York City’s Park Avenue. The new gallery will feature one of the largest collections of canine-related artworks, many by known dog artists, like Sir Edwin Landseer and Arthur Wardle. The first exhibition, For the Love of All Things Dog, will allow visitors to explore the history of different dog breeds, even find their perfect match at a kiosk that snaps their photo and matches it with the likeness of a known dog breed.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

By year-end, the eagerly awaited $388 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is expected to open in Los Angeles much to the delight of movie-goers. The 300,000 square foot museum will feature a permanent exhibition, Where Dreams are Made: A Journey Inside the Movies, displaying movie artifacts, like costumes, makeup and publicity materials, even the typewriter used to write the Psycho script. The exhibit also features galleries highlighting female directors, international silent film and a history of the Academy Awards. The museum plans to host panel discussions and gallery talks in the new 288-seat Ted Mann Theater.

La Plaza Cocina

Expected to open by late-March, La Plaza Cocina in Los Angeles is the country’s first museum devoted to the history and evolution of Mexico’s culinary heritage. It’s also a teaching kitchen thanks to a state-of-the-art test kitchen at the museum, as well as a Chef in Residence program. An expansion of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a Mexican-American arts and culture center, La Plaza Cocina’s exhibits, cooking classes, lectures, and festivals will place a spotlight on and trace the history of Mexico’s cuisine and culinary traditions.

Museum of Dream Space

In Los Angeles, the Museum of Dream Space (or simply, MODS) may be the first digital art museum in the United States, devoting its space to the interaction of live images with motion. In layman’s terms, the museum, which opens April 1, is very colorful, very interactive and very Instagram-worthy. In one room, paintings come to life with touch. In another room, art reacts to your breath. In yet another room, you’ll feel as though you’re in a glowing lantern-filled forest.

The Shed

Opening in April, The Shed is a new eight-level, 200,000 square foot multi-use arts center on New York City's booming westside that’s committed to growing the arts, whether the performing arts or visual arts, thanks to two galleries, a 500-seat theatre, and a concert hall. Rather than permanent collections, The Shed will rotate exhibitions. Soundtrack of America, a five-night concert series celebrating the impact of African-American music on our culture, will open The Shed as its inaugural program.

Statue of Liberty Museum

The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration has long been a staple of the Statue of Liberty experience, but Lady Liberty herself will soon inspire with messages of freedom and inclusiveness thanks to a $70 million Statue of Liberty Museum at Liberty Island. Opening in May, the new museum will feature three gallery spaces that engage with cultural artifacts and multimedia displays that tell the story behind the Statue of Liberty’s creation and ideals. The original torch, which was replaced in 1984, will make its home at the museum in the fall.

Poster House

We all had them on our walls growing up, and this summer, Poster House in New York City will open to the public to address the history and cultural impact of posters. In late-2017, Poster House hosted a colorful pop-up exhibition, Gone Tomorrow, devoted to exploring posters and flyers from now-gone New York City institutions, like Studio 54 and Fillmore East. The new permanent museum – the first dedicated to poster art – will feature two exhibition spaces, a café, children’s area and a gift shop.

National Children's Museum

Washington, D.C. has been without a full-fledged children’s museum since 2004 when the Capital Children’s Museum closed its doors, but that’s all set to change. Starting in October, the new 30,000 square foot National Children’s Museum will wow with giant science exhibits, interactive stations and a cloudlike 50-foot Dream Machine play structure. Kids can control the weather in the Weather Worlds exhibit, then head over to Bikini Bottom, home to SpongeBob SquarePants, courtesy of an augmented reality experience created by Nickelodeon.

National Museum of African American Music

The National Museum of African American Music is finally on track to open its doors in Nashville at the end of the year (after being in the works for nearly two decades). The long-awaited museum will celebrate more than 50 musical genres inspired by African Americans, including jazz, rap, soul, hip-hop, and gospel. The 56,000 square foot museum will educate and preserve the legacy for music lovers through artifacts, like memorabilia, instruments, and costumes, as well as exhibitions devoted to the influence and history of significant musical genres.

Norton Museum of Art

While not a new museum, the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida earns a spot on this list thanks to a massive three-year $100 million makeover. Since mid-July, the museum has been closed to re-position artwork, some of which has been in storage for two years, and beautify the brand new 59,000 square foot West Wing, which opens in February and also includes a 210-seat auditorium for films and concerts. Outside, green spaces have been landscaped with native plants, like gumbo limbo trees, creating a lush, verdant setting for a new sculpture garden.

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The 10 Most Anticipated U.S. Museum Openings of 2019

Shop This Look

AKC Museum of the Dog

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

La Plaza Cocina

Museum of Dream Space

The Shed

Statue of Liberty Museum

Poster House

National Children's Museum

National Museum of African American Music

Norton Museum of Art

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