The Princeton University Art Museum will open its new building to the public with a 24-hour celebration from 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2025. The event includes tours, artmaking, live performances, film screenings, poetry readings, and yoga, all free of charge. Planning began in 2012, and the museum has also scheduled preview days for Princeton students, faculty, staff, and members before the public opening.
The new museum, designed as a 'town square for the arts and humanities,' roughly doubles the space for exhibition, conservation, and study of the university's collections, which date back to 1755. Its opening matters because it reinforces the role of art museums as inclusive community hubs, offering free access to a vast global collection spanning thousands of years, and underscores Princeton's commitment to integrating the arts into campus life and public engagement.