Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: After 2 Years, the New Museum Reopens With a Makeover
Date: March 20, 2026

Overview

This episode of All Of It with Alison Stewart previews the highly anticipated reopening of the New Museum in New York City after a two-year, $82 million renovation and expansion. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Lisa Phillips, the museum’s long-time director (retiring in April after 27 years), and Massimiliano Gioni, the artistic director. Together, they discuss the expanded facility, its architectural significance, the vision for the museum’s future, and the debut of a new, building-wide exhibit, "New Memories of the Future." The conversation also touches on the museum’s role in the city, its community outreach, the celebration of contemporary art, and Phillips’ legacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Museum’s Transformation and Ambitions

• Expansion Details: The museum has doubled its exhibition space to 60,000 sq. ft., better supporting its mission of presenting new art and commissioning new projects.
  • Lisa Phillips (03:11): “We finally now have a space that is commensurate with our ambition and our program.”
• Architectural Collaboration: The new building, designed by OMA (their first public building in NYC), stands next to the iconic SANAA-designed structure from 2007, creating a “campus” feel.
  • Lisa Phillips (03:47): “It’s really now a second building, expanding on our first and connected to our first… But it’s an unusual situation because the first building … is a very distinctive piece of architecture, and it’s our flagship building...”

2. Why Expansion Was Needed

• The increased space supports larger exhibitions, improved visitor flow, and better production spaces for artists in residence.
• The museum continues its unique non-collecting mission, focusing on new and under-recognized artists.

3. Community Role & Neighborhood Engagement

• Ties to the Bowery and the Lower East Side: The museum has deepened connections with artists and the diverse local community through projects like the Bowery Artists Tribute.
  • Lisa Phillips (07:27): “We also always follow the artists. And the artists, of course, had been there for many years…”
• During Closure: Staff focused on international partnerships and increased local outreach, especially through educational programs.
  • Massimiliano Gioni (11:49): “We worked a lot actually in the neighbors too... The Lower East Side is a very special place in New York with a great cultural and linguistic diversity. I always say we are a museum with an accent…”

4. The Architecture: Vision and Symbolism

• OMA’s Approach: Created new public plaza, integrated community spaces, and respected the original building’s profile.
  • Massimiliano Gioni (09:05): “I thought of it as a kind of control tower that captures all the signals of creativity from around the world. And at the top they concentrated all the activities such as education, New Inc., our offices. So they thought of the top as the brain...”
• Artistic Uses of Space: Hoping public spaces (like the top Sky Rooms) become hubs for education, collaboration, and creative production.

5. The Inaugural Exhibition: "New Memories of the Future"

• Concept & Curation:
  • The show addresses technological change, the evolving definition of the “human,” and our relationship with machines, featuring over 150 artists.
  • Includes iconic pop-culture artifacts (E.T., Alien), classic and contemporary works, and even AI-curated labels.
  • Massimiliano Gioni (16:10): “We thought by building a new building, we are essentially giving a vote of confidence to the fact that there is a future..."
  • Inspired by the phrase: “Nothing is stranger to humans than their own image.” (Kapek, 1920)
• Reflecting on Art and Technology:
  • Artists “sabotage” or “glitch” technology, using it creatively.
  • Massimiliano Gioni (24:06): “It’s beautiful to see how they embrace throughout hundred years of history, technology, and they ... sabotage it to a certain extent.”
  • The show is a “situation room,” not just a contemplative space—a place to experience and critically examine today’s “explosion and inflation of images.”

6. The Building’s Facade & Public Art Commission

• Shabalala Self’s "Art Lovers":
  • New artwork on the facade symbolizes unity and connection; refers to the joining point of the two distinct museum buildings, called the “Kiss Point.”
  • Massimiliano Gioni (28:23): “And so Shava had this beautiful idea of this black couple of lovers meeting on the facade. ... it’s just a beautiful image of ... people coming together.”

7. Lisa Phillips’ Legacy and Retirement

• Leadership & Achievements: Reflects on 27 years of growth, establishing a world-class institution, and building a dedicated community and staff.
  • Lisa Phillips (32:59): “I think the staff, the community that we’ve built, the board is really exceptional. And the programs that we’ve presented during this time are history making. That’s what we do. We make history at the new museum.”
• Succession: Praises the staff and looks forward to a new generation of leadership.

8. The New Museum’s Unique Identity

• Non-bureaucratic, nimble, and artist-focused.
• Massimiliano Gioni (31:39): “Even in this moment of growth... we are probably the fastest museum in town and the one that is most, most receptive to change and to difference. And I think that’s symbolized by the little mouse in the entrance. We are not, you know, we are not a limo. We are still a smart car...”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Museum’s Mission
  Lisa Phillips (06:34): “We don’t have a collection at the New Museum. We’re a non-collecting institution. But we support the production of new works and support new projects by living artists. This is what we do. And that’s a very special and different kind of mission from most museums.”
• On the Role of Museums
  Massimiliano Gioni (05:06): “I always say that museums are a gym for the mind. You know, you go to museums to exercise freedom and to learn to coexist with difference.”
• On Change and Technology
  Lisa Phillips (20:54): "As I said, it is the dawn of a new age. This exhibition is so timely and perfect for now, and I do believe that this change that we are entering into ... is more profound than the Industrial Revolution."
• On Growth and Smallness
  Massimiliano Gioni (31:39): “Even in this moment of growth... we are probably the fastest museum in town and the one that is most, most receptive to change and to difference.”
• Art as Social Glue
  Massimiliano Gioni (28:23): “You go to museums to encounter art, but you also go to museums to be with others... It’s two things coming together. And that’s where art starts.”

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 01:39 — Start of main episode, Alison Stewart introduces the big reopening.
• 02:36 — Lisa Phillips and Massimiliano Gioni share their feelings and vision on the reopening.
• 03:11 — Motives for expansion & architectural context.
• 04:45 — OMA’s role and architectural competition story.
• 07:27 — Museum’s engagement with the Bowery/Lower East Side.
• 09:05 — Gioni on the building as a "control tower" of creativity.
• 11:01 — How the museum operated during closure; focus on community & international presence.
• 16:10 — Rationale and themes behind "New Memories of the Future".
• 17:40 — Exhibition’s philosophical anchor: humans and their own image.
• 20:51 — Art and society during technological upheaval.
• 23:14 — Exhibition curation—embrace and subversion of technology.
• 26:00 — Details on opening festivities and what visitors can expect.
• 26:47 — "Art Lovers" facade commission explained.
• 29:36 — Listener shout-out; Phillips reflects on her career and retirement.
• 32:59 — Phillips on pride in staff, community, and role in the city.

Conclusion

This episode provides both a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the New Museum and a thoughtful discussion on art and society at a pivotal technological moment. Listeners learn not just about new walls and galleries, but about the institution's role as an incubator for new ideas, a champion of diversity, and a vital cultural resource—always striving to remain new. The conversation is candid, celebratory, and imbued with optimism about art’s power to both reflect and shape the future.