POSTER HOUSE PRESENTS FREE FIRST FRIDAY ON FEBRUARY 6, 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 February 6, 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: The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy and Blazing A Trail: Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters – open through February 22, 2026. The two capsule exhibitions on show are: Utopia in Our Time: The Posters of Molly Crabapple and Art for Art House: The Posters of Peter Strausfeld.

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 February 6th include: 

• 12-1PM: Curatorial Tour of Utopia in Our Time

  • Join Assistant Curator of Collections, Es-pranza Humphrey, for a curatorial presentation of her show Utopia in Our Time: The Posters of Molly Crabapple. This exhibition chronicles the promotional work of beloved NYC-based illustrator Molly Crabapple and how she uses the themes of community, solidarity, and celebration to communicate with and uplift her audience. 

• 12:30-4:30PM: Remixing the National Parks with sTo Len

  • Multidisciplinary artist sTo Len will lead a hands-on, drop-in printmaking workshop inspired by Blazing a Trail Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters, currently on view at Poster House. In this session, sTo will guide visitors through a process that reimagines Dorothy Waugh’s groundbreaking posters through silkscreening and collage. Participants can work with motifs from Waugh’s designs, experiment with new compositions, and take home their unique prints at the end.

• 1-3PM: An Introduction to Letterpress Printing

  • Join Poster House educator and in-house printer Jes Hughes for an afternoon of learning about wood type and leave with your own letterpress poster! In a class inspired by the expressive figures in the posters on view in the current exhibition Art for Art House: The Posters of Peter Strausfeld, participants  will learn the basics of typesetting with real wood type and compose their own captions for one of Strausfeld’s designs. They  will then have the chance to print their  composition on a Provisional Press.

• 3-6PM: Happy Hour at Café des Affiches 

  • Every First Friday between 3pm and 6pm, visitors are invited to enjoy $2 off all alcoholic beverages in the museum’s café. Including special cocktails inspired by the museum’s two newest exhibitions, The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy and Blazing A Trail: Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters!

• 4-5PM: Curatorial Tour of Art for Art House 

  • Despite being one of the most unique designers in poster history, there has never been an exhibition of Peter Strausfeld’s work in the United States. Join curator Tim Medland for a special, free tour of the exhibition Art for Arthouse: The Posters of Peter Strausfeld and learn about how this German refugee contributed a look entirely his own to film advertising.

• 5-7PM: Lunar New Year Block Printing Workshop 

  • Celebrate the Lunar New Year with a hands-on introduction to block printing rooted in tradition, symbolism, and creative exchange. In this two-hour workshop with Helen Zhang, participants will learn the fundamentals of block printing while designing and carving their own stamps inspired by the lunar zodiac.

  • Visitors will be guided step by step as they carve a custom stamp, hand print bookmarks to share and trade with others, and leave with both their carved block and a Block Print 101 guide so they can continue printing at home. This workshop invites beginners and curious makers alike to welcome the new year through creativity, craft, and community.

• 7-8PM: Coyote and Crow Live at Poster House 

  • In the spirit of Blazing a Trail Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters, Poster House presents a live performance by Coyote and Crow, a musical duo whose sound is rooted in nature, adventure, and the kind of free-spirited creativity that shaped Waugh’s extraordinary designs. Their set brings together foot-stomping rhythms, soulful vocals, and modern storytelling that evoke the landscapes and wild places captured in Waugh’s posters.