The City Reliquary

June 16, 2023

Williamsburg’s City Reliquary to host yard sale with unusual antiques and oddities from local collectors

The City Reliquary museum is hosting a yard sale next month with a variety of antiques, oddities, and ephemera as part of a Pride celebration. Located at 370 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, the sale will take place on Saturday, July 29 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the museum's backyard. Local artists and collectors will sell a diverse selection of unique vintage items, unusual collectibles, and one-of-a-kind arts and crafts. The event includes live music provided by Kyle Supley and DJ Yestergay, resident DJ at Julius’ Bar, and refreshments and pastries from Yardsale Cafe.
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April 11, 2023

‘Miss Subways’ contest returns to NYC for first time since 2019

After years of hiatus due to the pandemic, the Miss Subways contest is returning to New York City. Hosted by the City Reliquary Museum, the event is an adaptation of the historic beauty contest hosted by the city from 1941 to 1976, and a rejection of traditional beauty standards associated with the original competition. Taking place in Coney Island this year, the event features underground talent who will present a performance portraying their relationship with the NYC subway system. The pageant will take place at Coney Island USA's Sideshows by the Seashore Theater on Friday, April 28.
Who will be crowned Miss Subways 2023?
September 30, 2020

Williamsburg’s beloved City Reliquary museum is in danger of closing for good

The City Reliquary is a strange place. It's completely cluttered and full of oddities like the bones of a subway rat and schist cores, as well as local memorabilia like the original 2nd Avenue Deli sign and vintage seltzer bottles. But that what makes it so special and so New York. The small-but-mighty Williamsburg museum has been closed during the entire pandemic, as they're completely staffed by volunteers. And in order to reopen, they need to be able to pay their rent and show their financial stability. The Reliquary is asking New Yorkers to help them meet this goal so they can avoid closing their doors for good in November.
Find out how you can help
January 9, 2019

NYC’s 10 best offbeat and hidden museums

New York is home to world-class institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, and MoMA. But this city’s museum scene has more to offer than just the Temple of Dendur—in fact, it’s full of smaller, way funkier spots serving up found art, oddities, and history, including the history of this ever-odd city itself. Here are 10 of our favorites.
Start exploring
January 5, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 1/5-1/11

Happy New Year! New year, new month, new #Midnightmoment film in Times Square. This month Pipilotti Rist flattens and squishes her face each night across the screens in conjunction with her solo show at the New Museum. SF’s Spoke Art also opens a new show curated at Supersonic at their LES outpost, and Japanese artist Ayakamay examines media perception at The Lodge Gallery. But if you're looking for a throwback or something more low-key, hear from old school graffiti writers at Eric Firestone Gallery, or treat yourself to new and exciting film at the Museum of the Moving Image. Lastly, head to The City Reliquary to catch a screening about Philip Johnson’s iconic World’s Fair pavilion in Flushing Meadow, bring your ideas to The Center for Architecture, and then visit the Brooklyn Museum for free courtesy of Target.
More on all the best events this way