Community Agreement and FAQ

Any interactive artwork will be labeled as such. To help us protect our art, we ask the public to please not touch artwork that is not clearly labeled as being interactive. If you would like a more tactile experience, books are available for viewing in our Reading Room, located on the 5th floor. 

Sensory kits, for differently abled visitors are available for those who may need them. 

We also invite visitors to experience the artwork on view differently through drawing, writing, and exploratory activities offered by the Museum. Both gallery activities and sensory kits can be provided to you by members of our Visitor Experience team. 

Our Learning and Engagement team also provides various ways to experience the work through access programs, guided gallery tours, and other special programs.

The Studio Museum in Harlem is a great place for visitors of all ages, including small children. We have changing tables located in multiple restrooms throughout the building and in our Lactation Room. 

Visitors are welcome to bring their strollers with them in all public spaces or to leave them in our stroller parking. 

Children are welcome to participate in walking tours and gallery activities. 

We ask that children ages 12 and under do not roam around the Museum unsupervised and that you assist in making sure our space is safe for all visitors by ensuring that no one in your party is running, climbing or roughhousing in the Museum. 

We encourage caretakers to hold young children’s hands.

We welcome our visitors to sketch in the galleries with pencils. To protect our floors and the artwork, we ask that you do not use wet mediums such as paint, watercolor, adhesives, epoxies, glues, crayons, and markers. 

We welcome you to participate in art making activities with our Learning and Engagement team if you would like to explore a wider range of mediums and materials.

We welcome service dogs that are individually trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a disability. However, we cannot accommodate pets or emotional support animals. Marcus Garvey Memorial Park is located nearby and even has a dog run located at the corner of Madison Avenue and W 120th Street in the case that you and another member of your party would like to take turns visiting the museum and having something enjoyable to do for you and your pet.

Our Coat Check, located on the Lower Level, is free for all visitors. For the safety of both visitors and artworks, we ask that certain items be checked before entering the galleries. The following list includes objects that must be checked, and the Museum reserves the right to check any other item that may be deemed to put people or artworks at risk.

Items to check: bags larger than 14″x14″x4, any backpack or bag that cannot wear to the front of your body, including hiking backpacks, scooters, selfie sticks, tripods, monopods, professional video equipment, skateboards, hoverboards, roller skates/blades, banners and signs, confetti, balloons, flowers and plants, drones or any other flying device, leaflets or other soliciting items, portable speakers, musical instruments, sound amplifying devices or any item that may be deemed to put people or art at risk. 

We do not permit luggage or outside food other than water into the building.

Yes, for safety reasons we prohibit anyone from bringing in weapons of any kind. This includes firearms, ammunition, cutting tools including pocketknives, pepper spray, mace, explosives including fireworks, flammable liquids, aerosols, hammers, saws, poles, and sticks. We ask that you refrain from bringing in alcohol or illicit items and substances. Our security team will inspect the bags of all our visitors to ensure that you didn’t forget to leave these items at home. Due to the danger associated with electric bike and electric scooter lithium batteries, we also do not allow these items within our building. We do not permit luggage or outside food other than water into the building.

We are able to keep standard scooters and children’s bicycles in our coat check located on the Lower Level. Due to safety concerns related to dangers associated with lithium batteries, we cannot accept electric bikes or electric scooters. There are Citi Bike docks located on Adam Clayton Powell Junior Blvd. at W 126th St.

To ensure a good visit for all of our visitors, we ask that all smoking and vaping be taken off the Museum premises.

Visitors may bring water into the Museum, and water fountains are available throughout the building. Studio Cafe, located on the Lower Level, does not require a ticket to enter. To help keep the Museum pest-free, we are unable to store food in Coat Check.

You are welcome to take photos during your visit! Please be mindful of any signs that may restrict photos near specific artworks or in specific spaces. We do not permit professional photography projects that are not pre-approved, including wedding photos or school fashion shoots. Monopods, tripods, flash or other professional photography equipment are not allowed. We may ask visitors to refrain from taking up sections of the museum for personal photography if the behavior is obstructive to the art or interrupts other visitor’s experiences. Please refrain from photographing or filming other guests. Professional photography needs approval from the museum. Please contact us here.