National Academy of Design

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National Academy of Design

The National Academy of Design promotes art and architecture in America through exhibition, education, and research.

Founded in 1825, the National Academy is the leading honorary society for visual artists and architects in the United States. We advocate for the arts as a tool for education, celebrate the role of artists and architects in public life, and serve as a catalyst for cultural conversations that propel society forward. At the core of our mission are the National Academicians, a vibrant community of 45

0 artists and architects selected by their peers in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to art and architecture in America. Support the National Academy of Design today: https://bit.ly/donate-natlacademy-now

05/14/2026

Applications for the 2026 Abbey Mural Prize close on Monday.

The Abbey Mural Prize awards $125,000 to support the creation and restoration of public murals, especially projects that prioritize accessibility and connect deeply with local communities.

🗓️ Deadline to apply: May 18, 2025.

Submit your mural proposal here: https://nationalacademy.org/the-academy/grants-and-fellowships/abbey-mural-prize

Good luck to all applicants!

Mural pictured: 2021 Abbey Mural Prize recipient: Creston Community High School, Creston Arts, Creston CWC.

04/28/2026

Join Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Victoria Johnson for a discussion of ""Glorious Country"" (Simon & Schuster, 2026), her sweeping, deeply researched new biography of Hudson River School painter, Frederic Church NA.

Exhibited to acclaim abroad, Church’s blockbuster paintings persuaded skeptical critics that the so-called “New World” could, in fact, give birth to towering artists and furnish the subject matter for great art. Church became the youngest artist elected a National Academician at the time of his election in 1849. He later served on the Academy’s Council and played an instrumental role in shaping the organization’s history. Presented in conjunction with the bicentennial of the founding of the National Academy of Design and the birth of Frederic Church.

6-8pm, May 13, 2026
📍National Academy of Design
🔗Admission is free but reservations are required.

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/glorious-country-tickets-1987155122464?

03/11/2026

Applications for the Abbey Mural Prize 2026 are now open!

Through the Abbey Mural Prize, the allocates $125,000 annually to restore and commission public murals, especially those that promote accessibility and serve local audiences.

Since 1940, the National Academy of Design has awarded funds to hundreds of individuals or organizations who are building on a tradition of public murals as instruments of social activism, neighborhood revitalization, and community engagement.

The Abbey Mural Prize is now accepting applications for 2026. Apply now with your project here:
https://nationalacademy.org/the-academy/grants-and-fellowships/abbey-mural-prize

Submissions close at 11:59 pm on May 18, 2026.

Mural: 2025 project, constellation (rumi maki) by William Cordova) for ArtWorks Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

03/03/2026

“Future Schools” is now on view in our Chelsea gallery!

The exhibition features new commissions by Ad Minoliti, Christian Nyampeta, and WAI Think Tank (Cruz Garcia and Nathalie Frankowsky) and a chalkboard drawing by Chloë Bass. In addition to these programs, Future Schools will host LA ESCUELA___, the Strother School of Radical Attention, and the School for Poetic Computation for classes during the exhibition. The show will also include a dedicated archive tracing the history of global alternative schools and experimental pedagogies, from the 20th century to the present.

“Future Schools” is curated by Natalia Viera Salgado, Associate Curator, and Nato Thompson, Guest Curator, with programmatic support from Frank Dallas, Programs Manager.

“Future Schools” is on view through August 22, 2026.

🗓️ Plan your visit:
Tuesday-Saturday
12-6pm
📍National Academy of Design

Photography by

02/18/2026

Watch Ad Minoliti’s mural come to life, our first of four commissions to be created inside our gallery for "Future Schools"!

In addition to these programs, "Future Schools" will host LA ESCUELA___, the Strother School of Radical Attention, and the School for Poetic Computation for classes during the exhibition. The show will also include a dedicated archive tracing the history of global alternative schools and experimental pedagogies, from the 20th century to the present.

“Future Schools” is curated by Natalia Viera Salgado, Associate Curator, and Nato Thompson, Guest Curator, with programmatic support from Frank Dallas. Created in partnership with Büro Koray Duman Architects.

Join us at the opening reception by RSVPing here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-schools-opening-reception-tickets-1981796137596
🗓️ February 26, 2026
6–8pm
📍National Academy of Design

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from the National Academy of Design!

Thank you for your support and friendship, and we can't wait to continue the celebration of our Anniversary year with you in 2026.

Wishing you a fantastic start to the new year,
The National Academy of Design.

Image: Clare Romano, From Within, 1992. Oil on canvas. Unframed: 48 × 36 in. Framed: 48 1/2 × 36 1/2 × 2 in. National Academy of Design, New York, NY, Gift of the artist, 1996

12/22/2025

The National Academy's gallery will be closed for the holidays beginning Wednesday, December 24, reopening Friday, January 2, 2026. ❄️

We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year for the final days of Whose America?, in 2026!

Image: Angel Nevarez & Valerie Tevere, Side Effects, 2021. Neon tubing, painted aluminum structure, transformers and electronic sequencer. 18 x 35 in. Courtesy of the Artists; Originally commissioned and produced by Artpace, San Antonio "

11/25/2025

Thank you to Frieze for interviewing our Executive Director, Gregory Wessner and Academician Annabelle Selldorf about our bicentennial and current exhibition on view, "Whose America?".

Read the interview here: https://www.frieze.com/partner-content/sponsored/article/national-academy-design-whose-america-interview

11/08/2025

Today is our 200th Birthday!

November 8, 2025, marks a historic milestone: the 200th anniversary of the founding of the National Academy of Design.

On this day in 1825, thirty artists and architects met in the rooms of the New York Historical Society—at a time when the city had no art schools, no museums, and no galleries—to create the organization we know today as the National Academy of Design. Their meeting, considered New York’s first-ever general assembly of artists, was a first step in the city’s transformation into a global arts capital.

Over two centuries, more than 2,400 artists and architects have been elected as National Academicians, shaping the story of the arts in the United States.

Today, we celebrate this bicentennial at a moment of reinvention and revitalization for the Academy, and our mission to advance and protect culture remains as vital as ever.

Explore our beginnings on our historical timeline now on Google Arts & Culture, and follow along as we share new chapters of our story throughout this bicentennial year. View this in the link in our bio.

Images: Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

10/17/2025

"Whose America?" is now open! Thank you to everyone who attended the opening last night.

"Whose America?" brings together a wide and multidisciplinary range of works that mount a collective challenge to the idea that ‘America’ has ever truly been synonymous with the United States.

"Whose America?" has been curated by Natalia Viera Salgado, Associate Curator and Gee Wesley, Guest Curator.

Tomorrow, we're open for Open House New York Weekend!
Join Curator Tours at: 12 and 1 pm and Architecture Tours from: 2, 2:30, 3, and 3:30 pm

Plan your visit:
📍National Academy of Design
519 W 26th St, 2nd Floor
📅Tuesday — Saturday
⏰ 12-6 PM

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Address

519 W 26th Street, Floor 2
New York, NY
10001

Telephone

+12123694880

Website

https://nationalacademy.org/perspectives/exquisite-corpse-s4

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