Tuesday June 3, The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) will take part in the 30th annual Museum Mile Festival. Come rain or shine NYAM will be outside on the mile giving out fun gifts and opening our doors until 9 p.m.. Patrons of the Museum Mile are invited to come in to see our new exhibit Thumbs Up: A Celebration of the Development of Hand Surgery and the Work of J. William Littler, looking at the many ways the work of this renowned surgeon guided the development of the surgical specialty of hand surgery. Families are encouraged to take part in fun and creative ways to use your hands as expressions of art, dance, and to take a look at your hands on a scientific level.

The Museum Mile Festival begun as an initiative to spur the development of new museum audiences and to increase support for the arts during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, Museum Mile was formed as a consortium by the museums that share the Fifth Avenue address. From the barrios of East Harlem and the townhouses lining the Upper East Side, to the winding streets of the Village and the clustered neighborhoods of the outer-boroughs, people came to celebrate their shared pride in their city.

Museum Mile Festival's reach now goes far beyond New York City. Thousands of tourists from around the country and world make their trip to Museum Mile Festival a yearly vacation tradition. Total attendance records over its twenty-six years have surpassed one million visitors, and because of the success of the festival and the work of consortium, the City of New York officially designated Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th streets as "Museum Mile"­ further cementing the area as one of the city¹s major cultural resources. Visit the website for more information:http://www.museummilefestival.org/

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.

Posted on 06/02/2008

Contact:
Malini Doddamani
Director of Communications
mdoddamani@nyam.org
212.822.7285