POSTER HOUSE PRESENTS FREE FIRST FRIDAY ON AUGUST 7, 2026 at Poster House

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, will host its monthly, free “First Friday” event on August 7, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM at Poster House, 119 West 23rd Street in Manhattan. On the first Friday of every month, Poster House offers free admission and extended hours for guests to explore the museum’s latest exhibitions and get in on the fun by attending a tour, workshop, performance, or activity throughout the day. The two main exhibitions currently on show are: Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen and Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS – open through September 6, 2026. The two capsule exhibitions on show are: From Monarchy to Modernity: Travel, Identity, & the Czechoslovak First Republic (1918–1938) and Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime.

Every First Friday is different, offering unique opportunities such as tours, workshops, performances, and activities, to further engage visitors with the exhibitions. First Friday activities for August 7th include:

· 12–1:30pm: Posters & Ephemera Tour with Es-pranza Humphrey & John T. Reddick

Join curator Es-pranza Humphrey and historian John T. Reddick for a special tour of Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen featuring posters and archival materials from the exhibition. Es-pranza will share curatorial insights into the exhibition, highlighting the stories, themes, and design choices behind select works. John will discuss his research and archival process. Together, Es-pranza and John will explore Black dance crazes and the spaces created for these freestyle movements, offering patrons a closer look at cakewalks and the Soul Train line dance in particular.

· 1–3pm: Matriarchs & Movements Poster Workshop

Join Poster House for a collaborative poster-making workshop presented in connection with Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen. Friends of Abolitionist Place will begin by sharing the story of Mama Joy Chatel and her work preserving the history of Brooklyn’s abolitionist community. Printmaker Leslie Diuguid of Du-Good Press will then guide participants in screenprinting collaborative posters inspired by the matriarchs, family histories, and community movements that have shaped their lives. Working with photographs, text, found materials, and hand-drawn elements, participants will build an image together that will be exposed onto a screen and printed during the workshop.

All materials will be provided, and no prior printmaking experience will be necessary.

· 1–5pm: Design Your Own Lobby Card Drop-in Workshop

Visitors are welcomed to drop into Poster House and design their own lobby card inspired by Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen. Visitors will choose from three blank card designs and use drawing and collage materials to create an original advertisement for a real or imagined film.

All materials will be provided, and participants will be welcome to join at any time during the workshop. This drop-in workshop will be offered on a pay-what-you-wish basis, with a suggested donation of $10. Donations will support Poster House’s public programming and will be accepted on site.

· 3–6pm: Happy Hour Café des Affiches

Visitors are invited to enjoy $2 off all alcoholic beverages in the museum’s café. They can indulge in a delicious drink while browsing the galleries—and be sure to try the special cocktails inspired by the museum’s two main exhibitions, Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen and Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS.

· 5–8pm: Moving Pictures Waterfall Card Workshop with Kelli Anderson

Join Poster House for a hands-on paper engineering workshop led by artist and designer Kelli Anderson and presented in connection with Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen. Participants will transform flat sheets of paper into waterfall cards that work like tiny handheld films. Each participant will sketch a simple narrative and build it across approximately 15 frames. The group will then fold and assemble the cards while learning about the history and development of this early form of paper animation.

All materials will be provided, and no prior design experience is necessary.

· 6–7pm: Curatorial Tour of Love & Fury

Join curator Ian Bradley-Perrin for a guided tour of his exhibition Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS. This show traces the powerful graphics that emerged from New York’s AIDS crisis, highlighting how artists, activists, and community organizers used posters to mobilize care, demand action, and honor those lost. In this tour, Ian will talk about the images, stories, and strategies that shaped this movement—and continue to resonate today.

· 7–8pm: Jerome Jennings Trio with Maurice Chestnut Live Jazz & Tap Performance

Join Poster House for an electrifying evening of live jazz music and tap dancing with the Jerome Jennings Trio and Maurice Chestnut. Presented in connection with Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen, this program celebrates two Black American performance traditions as Chestnut uses his feet as another instrument, responding to the trio through rhythm, movement, and improvisation. Together, the musicians and Chestnut will create a performance filled with energy, spontaneity, and swing.