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MuseumList

Dia Art Foundation - New York Earth Room

Worth a stopSoHo, Manhattan

One weird exhibit. You look at a room of dirt. If that’s your thing, you’ll like it.

What it is

Sprawling interior sculpture by artist Walter de Maria, installed in a lofty gallery in 1977.

Pair it with

Worth a detour or better, within a 15-minute walk. Numbers match the map.

  1. 1Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation0.2 mi · $15

    Massive collection of Chaim Gross sculptures plus his collection of art from well-known artists.

  2. 2Drawing Center0.3 mi · Free

    Large collection of drawings, all modern.

  3. 3American Numismatic Society (ANS)0.4 mi · $50

    Never saw the gallery; talked to a curator for 90 minutes about Roman Republic coinage.

  4. 4Grey Art Museum0.5 mi · Free

    Fantastic and shockingly large modern art collection for a museum no one’s heard of.

  5. 5Museum of Chinese in America0.5 mi · Free

    Solid permanent exhibit on Chinese immigration to America.

  6. 6Museum of Street Art0.5 mi · Free

    Take the elevator to the 20th floor of a hotel and walk down 20 flights; the stairwell is the museum.

Also on the block, if you have time

Terrain Gallery (0.1 mi, free), Dia Art Foundation - Broken Kilometer (0.2 mi, free), Center for Architecture (0.2 mi, free), Leslie-Lohman Museum (0.3 mi), Jackie Robinson Museum (0.4 mi).

Skip Dr. Bernard Heller Museum (0.3 mi), even if you’re passing: “Lobby of Hebrew Union College.”