Poster House Presents Free First Friday on September 5

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, will host its monthly “First Friday” event September 5, 2025 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. 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 view are: Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace and Puerto Rico in Print: The Posters of Lorenzo Homar. Don’t miss out on your last chance to see both exhibitions – open until September 7, 2025. Poster House’s spring capsule exhibitions are: From the Bronx to the Battery: Subway Sun and Copy/Paste/Print/Repeat: Mike King & the Art of the Gig Poster. These exhibitions are open until November 2, 2025.

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 September 5th include:

• 10:30–11AM: Story Time/Rare Print

Poster House’s Education Department will host an interactive reading of a unique children’s book featuring and fantastical illustrations. In celebration of Puerto Rico in Print: The Posters of Lorenzo Homar, this week’s program features the children’s book ABC de Puerto Rico by Isabel Freire de Matos and Rubén del Rosario. This work similarly celebrates Puerto Rican identity through bold, expressive design—making it a fitting companion to Homar’s extraordinary posters.
This program is intended for children age 6 and younger (accompanied by their families).

• 11AM–4PM: Drop-In Printmaking with Mikey Quackenboss – $10
Artist Mikey Quackenboss will guide visitors through the process of creating their own one-of-a-kind gig poster using a linoleum-block printing technique, inspired by the exhibition Copy/Paste/Print/Repeat: Mike King & the Art of the Gig Poster. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned printmaker, come explore the bold, DIY-spirit of the gig poster scene—and leave with a print you’ve made yourself! Mikey Quackenboss is a Brooklyn-based printmaker and tattoo artist. Drawing on his roots in the DIY-bike-punk scene, he combines traditional American tattoo techniques with linoleum-block printing, using hand-carved stamps to create robust graphic designs. Supplies available on a first-come, first-served basis.


• 1–3PM: Weapons, Words, & Warnings – A Nuclear Workshop – $10
In connection with the exhibition Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace, this interactive workshop will explore the history, science, and ethics of nuclear weapons. Participants will consider key developments of the Atomic Age—from the Manhattan Project to the Cold War—and examine how propaganda has shaped public opinion over time. Through guided discussions, debates, and visual tools like NUKEMAP and the K=1 Project, attendees will address the ethical implications of nuclear development and the real-world impact of atomic warfare. A science-focused segment will look at how different types of nuclear weapons actually work. The workshop concludes with a hands-on poster-making session in which participants are invited to apply what they’ve learned by creating persuasive visual messages that reflect the power (and responsibility) of public communication. This workshop is recommended for ages 13+


• 4-5PM: Docent Tour – Puerto Rico in Print
Join Poster House for a tour of Puerto Rico’s vibrant artistic culture in Puerto Rico in Print: The Posters of Lorenzo Homar. Explore how Lorenzo Homar—the “father of the Puerto Rican poster”—blended Taíno, Spanish, and African influences and the turbulent political history of his time across three decades of poster-making. Visitors will be guided through key works, from posters promoting jazz concerts and cultural programs to urgent political messages, and learn more about the artistic techniques and historical and social narratives embedded in Homar’s work. This hour-long tour offers an intimate and accessible way to connect with the stories and exceptional artistry that define the exhibition.


• 4-5PM: Next Stop – Poster House! A Subway Poster Adventure
All aboard for a fun-filled journey through New York City’s transit history! Inspired by the exhibition From the Bronx to the Battery: The Subway Sun, this hands-on program invites young explorers to discover the colorful world of 1930s subway posters by Fred Cooper. Participants will design their own mini subway car to take on a creative ride across the five boroughs. This family workshop is designed for children ages 5–11 and their grown-ups to enjoy together. Please note: this is not a drop-off program—an adult must accompany children at all times.


• 6-7:30PM: The Puerto Rican War – Performance
In honor of Puerto Rico in Print: The Posters of Lorenzo Homar, Poster House is thrilled to host John Vasquez Mejias – a comix artist, public school teacher, and printmaker – for an incredible multimedia performance of The Puerto Rican War. This production features puppets, marionettes, and costumes based on the woodcut novelette by the artist (which will also be available for purchase alongside many of his original posters). Both tell the compelling and true stories of Puerto Rican revolutionaries as they fought against colonialism in 1950. This performance has a duration of 25 minutes, and will be performed twice. The first performance will take place at 6pm, and the second will take place at 7pm.