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A painting of Edith Wharton hanging on a wall beside plants and two windows.A painting of Edith Wharton hanging on a wall beside plants and two windows.
A person with eyes closed lying on her back on a wooden floor; sunlight streams into the room from nearby window

Since its founding in 1898, Arts and Letters has been a place where artists support artists

The bronze doors of our South Building, designed by member Herbert Adams

Artist Aki Sasamoto presented her installation and performance Squirrel Ways

In Fall 2023, at Louis Place hosted a day of creative abundance

The Kitchen's Dance and Process had a residency in our galleries

The Arts and Letters auditorium opened in 1930 and was designed by member Cass Gilbert

Pictured here is the bronze entrance to our North Gallery.

Since its founding in 1898, Arts and Letters has been a place where artists support artists—across generations and disciplines. This painting by Edward H. May is a portrait of Literature member Edith Wharton from 1881, when Wharton was eighteen.

The bronze doors of our South Building, designed by member Herbert Adams, lead onto Audubon Terrace, one of the first cultural complexes in the United States. Read more about our site history.

In Fall 2024, Arts and Letters will open with year-round contemporary art exhibitions and public programs. Join our mailing list to receive invitations to gallery openings, tours, and other events. This image shows artist Aki Sasamoto's installation and performance Squirrel Ways, which we presented in Spring 2023.

In Fall 2023, at Louis Place hosted a day of creative abundance, reflection, and support for writers throughout our buildings. Choreographer Ishmael Houston-Jones held a movement workshop in our South Gallery as part of this program, when this image was taken.

The Kitchen's Dance and Process had a residency in our galleries from February through June 2023. Video credit: CHAZZGIOVANNI in sen’cer or solo hay monte y culebra or Skyrise for Harlem or surround by Jonathan González. Courtesy The Kitchen.

The Arts and Letters auditorium opened in 1930 and was designed by member Cass Gilbert, well-known for the Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan and the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC. Since 1942, Arts and Letters has held its annual Ceremonial event in the auditorium.

Pictured here is the bronze entrance to our North Gallery. Inscribed above the doors is the phrase, “By the gates of art we enter the temple of happiness.” Join our mailing list to receive announcements about our upcoming programs, including exhibitions in the North Gallery.

A gallery with a video projected on a screen; the projected black-and-white image is a close up of a woman

In 2022, artist Garrett Bradley received an Arts and Letters Award, one of our highest honors. Her 2017 single-channel video, Alone, pictured here, was exhibited in our galleries in conjunction with this award. Read more about this year's award winners in Architecture, Art, Literature, and Music.

An architectural detail featuring a gold pegasus in a wooden arch.

We are excited to announce the 2024 New Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, who will be inducted into membership this May.

Our institutional archives include member correspondence, photographs, press clippings, board minutes, and administrative records from 1898 to the present.

A picture of the neoclassical façade of Arts and Letters.

Arts and Letters is an honor society of artists, architects, composers, and writers who foster and sustain interest in the arts. Learn more about our history.

American Academy of Arts and Letters

Audubon Terrace New York, NY 10032

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Contact

American Academy of Arts and Letters

Audubon Terrace New York, NY 10032

Galleries Audubon Terrace Broadway between West 155 and 156 Streets New York, NY 10032

Galleries closed for renovation through Fall 2024

Office 633 West 155 Street New York, NY 10032

Office open by appointment


Galleries Audubon Terrace Broadway between West 155 and 156 Streets New York, NY 10032

Galleries closed for renovation through Fall 2024

Office 633 West 155 Street New York, NY 10032

Office open by appointment

(212) 368-5900
info@artsandletters.org