Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was born on January 9, 1875. The life she chose for herself was nothing short of revolutionary, having a huge impact upon the art world, and the Village.

Join Village Preservation to help mark the 150th anniversary of Whitney’s birth with a tour of the very place she created, the original Whitney Museum (now the New York Studio school), which contains many of her incredible artworks

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the New York Studio School in 1964 by Mercedes Matter and her students. Since its inception, the New York Studio School has been an innovator in arts education, prioritizing daily continuity of study for artists through work in the studio. In 1967, the School moved into what had been the original Whitney Museum of American Art on West 8th Street, where it continues today to offer its signature programming: MFA and Certificate programs, Evening Lecture Series, exhibitions, and internationally recognized Marathons. The tour will discuss the storied art career and patronage of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, who was also a prominent sculptor in her time. Participants will walk through the historic spaces that have played a significant role in the history of American art for over a century, including the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Studio, decorated by Robert Winthrop Chanler.

This tour will be guided by Lauren Allshouse (she/her), the Librarian at the New York Studio School. She received an Master of Library Science degree from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from the University of Minnesota.

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