August 9th, 2025

While we know that if there are 23 people in a room there is a high probability that at least 2 of them will have the same birthday.  This doesn’t account for cultural significance.

We were surprised to discover that four people who shaped our culture happened to be born on August 9th.  In the Revolutionary era, George Washington’s go-to architect was Pierre L’Enfant who was tasked with repurposing New York’s original City Hall into Federal Hall which became the first capitol and then laying out the plan for Washington, DC. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton outlived her husband Alexander by half a century which she spent preserving his memory, building New York’s first private orphanage, and raising funds for the Washington Monument.  Melanie Griffith was famous for Working Girl which defined the Ms. generation of the 80’s when women finally began to have it all: an interesting boyfriend who respected them and a real career.  And Tony Rosenthal was a pioneer who shaped the development of public art in the US.  Probably his most famous work is Alamo which was the first public artwork commissioned by Doris Freedman who was the first director of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

Consider the world outside a museum and cultureNOW is your gallery guide.  Explore buildings of the past, present and future. Look at the vast selection of artwork that graces the public realm. And discover how places have evolved over time. Deconstruct the layers of history that form the fabric of our urban landscape. Meet people who have made their mark on our cities and country who have lived in the past or are living now. Listen to their voices. Take (or make) a tour. 

Our curators are the artists, architects, photographers and historians who created the images, podcasts and videos to share their knowledge and insights.  Our collaborators are museums, universities, cities, and civic organizations who are the stewards of our shared cultural history.