New York Public Library, Rayner Special Collections Wing and Print Gallery, Third Floor
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018
10 am - 6 pm, Monday, Thursday - Saturday,
10 am - 7:30 pm, Tuesday and Wednesday. ​

Exhibiting artists: Roy Arden, Erica Baum, Eric William Carroll, Susan Derges, Liz Deschenes, Kathleen Herbert, Katherine Hubbard, Mona Kuhn, Owen Kydd, María Martínez-Cañas, Meghann Riepenhoff, Alison Rossiter, Ulf Saupe, Lindy Smith, Kunié Sugiura, Penelope Umbrico, Mike Ware, Letha Wilson, and Ellen Ziegler.

In 1843 Anna Atkins began producing Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, the first book to be printed and illustrated using photography. Today, 175 years later, her landmark project—compelling in its fusion of science and art, its modernity, and its realization by a woman in an age marked by the feats of men—remains a touchstone for viewers and makers alike. This exhibition brings together a diversity of works by 19 contemporary artists whose respective practices attest to the wide reach and generative nature of Atkins’s continuing legacy.

Visitors can access audio commentary from select artists about their works and Atkins’ influence on their art through the Library’s website.

Ellen Ziegler at Anna Atkins Refracted. Works: Chemistry is the Emotion of Matter #3 and 5.