Poster House Presents Free First Friday on September 4

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, will host its monthly, free “First Friday” event on September 4, 2026 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 to 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 show are: Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen and Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS – open through September 6, 2026. The two capsule exhibitions on show are: From Monarchy to Modernity: Travel, Identity, & the Czechoslovak First Republic (1918–1938) and Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime.

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 4th include:

• 12–1:30pm: Identity—A Czech Graphic Design Love Story Screening & Talkback
  • Join Poster House for a First Friday screening of Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story, directed by Kateřina Mikulcová and Petr Smělík. This documentary road movie follows Nicholas D. Lowry from New York to Prague in search of what shapes Czech national identity. Lowry travels through Zlín, Litomyšl, Brno, and Plzeň, tracing the legacies of Alphonse Mucha, Ladislav Sutnar, Josef Váchal, and Tomáš Baťa, as well as the designers shaping Czech visual culture today. His search becomes personal as he follows the story of a great-uncle whose Prague factory left its own mark on the country’s graphic design history.
• 12–4:30pm: Chinese Knot Charm Drop-in Workshop
  • Join Artsy Anxious Girlie for a drop-in afternoon at our pop-up Chinese knot charm bar. Central to her knotting practice is a childhood memory of growing up in Singapore, where her brother would weave paracord bracelets for her. After reconnecting with the craft in Brooklyn, she began blending vibrant paracord with traditional Chinese knots.

At this interactive charm bar, she will translate that personal history into a shared experience, and participants will craft and personalize their own charm-filled keychains or necklaces.

• 2–3pm: From Monarchy to Modernity Curatorial Tour
  • Curator Nicholas D. Lowry will host a tour of From Monarchy to Modernity: Travel, Identity, & the Czechoslovak First Republic (1918–1938) that will move through travel posters from the two decades following Czechoslovakia’s 1918 declaration of independence, when tourism functioned as diplomacy and posters became instruments of soft power. Lowry will share the stories behind the artists, designers, and commercial studios who built each vibrant image.
• 3–6pm: Happy Hour at Café des Affiches
  • It’s happy hour at Café des Affiches! From 3 to 6pm, visitors are invited to enjoy $2 off all alcoholic beverages in the museum’s café. Indulge in a delicious drink as you browse the galleries—and be sure to try the special cocktails inspired by the museum’s two main exhibitions, Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen and Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS!
• 4–5pm: Docent Tour of Act Black and Love & Fury
  • Join the Poster House education team for a guided docent tour of Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen and Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS! Visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the historical context and the design techniques behind both of the museum’s current main exhibitions in an informative yet casual setting.
  • With just two weeks left before exhibition changeover, this is a great opportunity to dive deeper into Act Black and Love & Fury before they’re gone!
• 5–7pm: Intro to Letterpress with Jes Hughes
  • Printer and Poster House educator Jes Hughes will lead a workshop for an afternoon learning about wood type and leave with your own letterpress poster! Inspired by the letterpress posters in our current exhibitions, participants will learn a brief history of printing along with the basics of typesetting with real wood type. Everyone will have the chance to compose their own design and print their composition on a Provisional Press.
• 6–6:45pm: I, Of Course, Was Livid—Reading & Conversation
  • Join Poster House for I, Of Course, Was Livid, a work of documentary theater based on a 1992 federal hearing transcript featuring testimony by women living with HIV as they demanded that the CDC revise its then-exclusionary definition of AIDS. Each performance of I, Of Course, Was Livid features a Voice of the Present, building an ever-growing archive of first-person narratives about life with HIV across the 20th and 21st centuries.
• 7:30–8:30pm: An Evening with Spilata at Poster House
  • Spilata will perform an evening of live music, presented in connection with Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen. Bringing jazz, house, and a wide range of musical influences together, Spilata draws from the rich traditions of Black American music and performance while delivering bold, contemporary energy. Inspired by our exhibition’s exploration of Black artists across theater, music, and film, this intimate concert celebrates creativity, innovation, and the enduring influence of Black cultural expression.