The Museum
The Museum of Broken Windows is a pop-up experience on the impacts of policing in New York City featuring the work of artists and performers. In 2018, the original museum asked what toll Broken Windows policing had taken on Black and Brown New Yorkers, and invited visitors to reflect on why the outdated policing strategy belonged in a museum rather than on our streets. Five years later with “29 Million Dreams,” the museum now asks what toll the city’s over-reliance on policing has taken on our ability to deliver the real supports and solutions we need to have the thriving city we dream of.
FREE + OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
216 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(The space is wheelchair accessible)
APRIL 28 – MAY 20
10 A.M. – 8 P.M.
Broken Windows
What is broken windows policing?
The broken windows theory is an academic theory proposed by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in 1982. The academic theory, which first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, states that signs of disorder in a neighborhood, like a broken window, encourages petty crimes and leads to more serious crimes. This postulation was adopted by the New York City Police Department and has led to the criminalization of poverty and the over-policing of Black and Brown communities at disproportionate rates. The theory has never been proven to be effective at reducing crime.
2023 Artists
See the full list of participating artists, as well as museum curators and producers.
29 Million Dreams
Learn more about “29 Million Dreams” — a pop-up art and performance exhibition presented by the Museum of Broken Windows.
2018 Exhibit
Explore the art and artists behind the 2018 exhibition.
