Presented on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Municipal Art Society (MAS), Toward a Livable City explores this organization’s profound impact on the metropolis we live in today.

From its foundations in aesthetics in 1893, MAS quickly scaled up its efforts to respond to a bigger and increasingly more complex metropolis. It has addressed the challenging issues facing successive generations of New Yorkers, from transportation to historic preservation, and some of its efforts have had national ramifications.  All the while, MAS has advanced its mission through collaboration, a necessary mode of action to change any modern city. Zelig-like, MAS has appeared in different guises throughout New York’s 20th and 21st century histories. It has conceived with, promoted alongside, and sometimes fought against the actors who shape the city: powerful government leaders, important institutions, and colorful individuals. Together, they have made New York New York, and MAS’s story is, in effect, the story of modern metropolitan life itself.

Toward a Livable City has been organized by the current staff and board of MAS in partnership with the Museum of the City of New York, as a tribute to all the formidable leaders who have come before them and to the city they love. It is presented with the generous support of the Doris C. Freedman Fund and the J&AR Foundation.

Exhibition Curation: Museum of the City of New York and Francis Morrone

Graphic Design: Pentagram

Fabrication: Duggal Visual Solutions