Aperture Announces Opening of New Permanent Home on September 18, 2026

New York, June 9, 2026—Aperture’s new permanent home opens on September 18, 2026, with the inaugural installation Aperture Loves New York, which pays tribute to photographers who have shaped—and been shaped by—the city. Opening celebrations will continue in the fall with public programming centered on Aperture Loves New York and Aperture’s fall season of publications, to be announced in the coming months.

Located in the heart of New York’s Upper West Side, at 380 Columbus Avenue and 78th Street, the new Aperture home is located directly across from the American Museum of Natural History and steps away from the New York Historical and Central Park. The building places Aperture at the intersection of a lively residential community and a major tourist hub—positioning the 74-year-old organization to welcome a broad and diverse mix of local and global audiences on site. A ground-floor entrance and prominent street-level visibility extend Aperture’s presence, supporting the reach of its publications and programs and cementing its position as an essential resource for exploring photography’s role in a curious, creative, and equitable world.

“Our new home marks an exciting chapter for Aperture. At 380 Columbus, we are creating an open, dynamic space for encountering photography—one that invites dialogue, fosters discovery, and brings us into closer engagement with our community. Rooted in New York yet connected to a global audience through our publications and programs, this space reflects our enduring belief in photography as a powerful tool for understanding the world and one another. We look forward to opening our doors as a welcoming forum for artists, writers, neighbors, and visitors alike, and to serving as a place to kindle curiosity, exchange, and ongoing conversation,” said Sarah Meister, Executive Director of Aperture.

“The opening of Aperture’s new home represents a major milestone for our organization and for the field of photography. Aperture is a publisher, but it is also a cultural platform with a legacy that spans more than seventy years. This new space enables us to build upon this history and expand our audiences and activities while remaining committed to nurturing a vibrant culture around photography,” said Cathy M. Kaplan, Chair of Aperture’s Board.

With design and construction led by award-winning architecture practice LEVENBETTS and construction manager Sciame, Aperture’s ten-thousand-square-foot home spans two floors of an 1886 building, thoughtfully adapted to honor its historic character. Conceived as a hub for collaboration and convening, the space offers visitors direct views into key work areas, fostering transparency and providing new insight into Aperture’s publishing activities.

Designed to support public engagement with Aperture’s extensive catalog of publications and ongoing photography initiatives, the space includes flexible areas for exhibitions, artist talks, and events, as well as offices that bring together staff, members, and supporters. A dedicated retail space will function as a bookstore, accompanied by related programming and collaborations, and featuring one-of-a-kind objects and collectibles. A rotation of intimate photography presentations in the adjacent gallery will reflect Aperture’s wide-ranging influence and engagement in the field and its commitment to amplifying diverse voices and perspectives across the medium.

The inaugural installation, Aperture Loves New York, is curated by Meister and pays tribute to photographers who have shaped—and been shaped by—the city. Showcasing artists long championed by Aperture and anchored in Aperture’s publishing history, the presentation highlights photographs and corresponding Aperture books that have not only advanced the medium of photography but also captured the complex spirit of New York itself. Featured artists include Diane Arbus, Tina Barney, Dawoud Bey, Awol Erizku, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin, Deana Lawson, Stephen Shore, Coreen Simpson, and Carrie Mae Weems. Alongside rotating presentations, Aperture will continue to mount large-scale touring exhibitions and host public programs in venues globally through collaborations with major institutional partners.

_

Project Funding 

Aperture’s capital campaign to date includes transformative gifts from Judy Glickman Lauder, Melissa and James O’Shaughnessy, Vasant Nayak, Thomas R. Schiff, and Jon Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović, as well as from Michael Hoeh and the Thompson Family Foundation. Aperture received significant grants from New York State Council on the Arts; and City of New York, including the Manhattan Borough President, New York City Council, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Support for the campaign reflects the full participation of Aperture’s Board of Trustees, along with generous contributions from other individuals and foundations. The acquisition of the new space was led by Cathy M. Kaplan, Chair of Aperture’s Board; Helen Nitkin, Chair of the Board’s Real Estate Committee; and Sarah Meister, Executive Director. Financing has been provided by LISC NY, a nonprofit community development institution.

About LEVENBETTS 

LEVENBETTS was founded in 1997 in New York City by David Leven and Stella Betts. LEVENBETTS has long been engaged with the transformative impact of mindful interventions in the built and natural environment. The practice is committed to all scales of projects from civic, cultural, and educational projects in the urban realm to houses and housing as well as unique installations, exhibitions, and furnishings. The LEVENBETTS approach to architecture aligns with the photography community–focused work that distinguishes Aperture as a cultural organization committed to collaboration among artists, writers, and the public. Some of their recent and current projects include the renovation of the Queens Museum in Corona Park, five New York  Public Libraries (Red Hook Library, East Flatbush Library, Borough Park Library, Baisley Library, and Grand Concourse Library), pavilions for both the Art Omi: Architecture fields in Ghent, New York, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, as well as a 300,000-square-foot life sciences building in Harlem and an affordable housing building in Kingston, New York. The practice has been recognized nationally and internationally through awards and publications, including the American Institute of Architects New York State Firm of the Year Award in 2020 and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Architecture in 2024.

About Sciame Construction 

Recognized throughout the New York City metropolitan area for its highly designed and technically sophisticated building projects, Sciame Construction brings a fifty-year history and a proven track record of delivering complex buildings and interior spaces on time and within budget. The firm has worked alongside many of the world’s leading architects and organizations to construct and renovate some of New York City’s most celebrated cultural institutions. Sciame’s cultural portfolio includes the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) at the World Trade Center, the Shed at Hudson Yards, the Frick Collection, Studio Museum in Harlem, the Morgan Library & Museum, Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park, the Art Students League of New York, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Museum of Arts and Design, and the restoration of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Donald Judd Home and Studio.

–
About Aperture
Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From its base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through its acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.

Aperture’s programs and operations are made possible by the generosity of our board of trustees, our members, and other individuals, and with major support from Bobby Campbell Charitable Fund, Coach, David Dechman and Michel Mercure, Susan and Thomas Dunn, FotoFocus, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Celso M. Gonzalez-Falla, William Talbot Hillman Foundation, Joy of Giving Something, Anne Levy Charitable Trust, Mailman Foundation, Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, James McKinney, Richard and Ronay Menschel, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Robert Motherwell and Renate Ponsold, Neuberger Berman, New York City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Ms. Eliot Nolen of the Mary P. Oenslager Foundation Fund, Yesim and Dusty Philip, Theodore and Mary Jo Shen, Diane Sherman, Michael W. Sonnenfeldt/MUUS Collection, Jon Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović, Jane Smith Turner Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and Wyeth Foundation for American Art.

–
Press Contacts
Lauren Van Natten, Aperture, publicity@aperture.org

Resnicow and Associates, Claire Hurley / Shreya Labh, churley@resnicow.com / slabh@resnicow.com