The Brooklyn Museum is currently displaying excerpts from one of New York City's most beloved art installations, "Ruckus Manhattan," created by artists Mimi Gross and Red Grooms during the city's most turbulent period in the mid-1970s. The exhibition, titled "Red Grooms, Mimi Gross, and The Ruckus Construction Co.: Excerpts from Ruckus Manhattan," runs through November 2 and features two major pieces from the original 6,400-square-foot installation that once captured the vibrant spirit of Manhattan.

When "Ruckus Manhattan" debuted in 1975 at 88 Pine Street in the Financial District, New York City was grappling with a severe fiscal crisis, deteriorating infrastructure, and rising crime rates. That same year, police officers distributed survival guides titled "Welcome to Fear City" to tourists, warning them to "stay away from New York City, if you possibly can." The pamphlet portrayed the city as a violent, dystopian hellscape, reflecting the widespread fear and negativity surrounding the Big Apple.

In stark contrast to this doom-and-gloom narrative, Gross and Grooms, who were married at the time, chose to celebrate their city with heart and humor. Working alongside a crew of more than 20 artists dubbed the Ruckus Construction Co., they spent over a year creating what Grooms called a "sculpto-pictorama" – a three-dimensional cityscape that depicted a warm, inviting version of New York City buzzing with activity. The environmental installation was constructed from an eclectic mix of materials including fabric, wood, metal, plaster, papier-mâché, hot glue, and paint.

The original installation featured buoyant renditions of Manhattan's buildings and neighborhoods, with each vignette populated by exaggerated characters and infused with local color and texture. Unlike traditional gallery pieces, "Ruckus Manhattan" was designed as an immersive experience, large enough for visitors to walk through and become part of the frenetic energy of city life it celebrated. The installation offered a populist vision of New York, choosing celebration over hopelessness during one of the city's most challenging periods.

The current Brooklyn Museum exhibition showcases two key pieces from the original installation, both part of the museum's permanent collection. An hour-long 1976 documentary film accompanies the display, capturing the madcap process of creating "Ruckus Manhattan." The screening room fills with a lively soundtrack mixing zydeco, jazz, and funk-soul music, along with poetry recited by Gross and authentic street noise that adds to the urban atmosphere.

The first gallery features "Dame of the Narrows" (1975), displaying a marigold-colored Staten Island ferry floating atop a wavy blue fabric waterway. The gallery is lined with Grooms's scaled-up watercolored scenery, creating an immersive environment. A message painted across the vessel's floorboards originally invited visitors to step aboard and explore the ferry's interior, which contained sculptures depicting passengers and crew members playing cards, visiting the snack bar, and gazing out at the skyline. However, to preserve the artwork's structural integrity, visitor access is now restricted, and a "No stepping" warning blocks the ferry's entrance.

The neighboring gallery maintains the original interactive spirit with "42nd Street Porno Bookstore" (1976), a humorous interpretation of the seedy adult entertainment venues that dominated Times Square before its transformation into a tourist destination filled with chain restaurants and costumed characters. The shop's facade advertises "books, girls, and hot stuff," while a hand-painted pink sign declares, "To enter, you must be 18 or over and open minded." Exhibition signage appropriately warns visitors of sexually explicit content.

Inside the recreated bookstore, yellow walls are crammed with homemade pornographic magazines bearing playfully bawdy titles ranging from body-focused names like "Tit," "Toesies," and "Fancy Pants" to hilariously niche and absurdist options such as "Duck Suck," "Hot Dog," and "Mounties." During recent visits, viewers have been observed lingering and giggling over the punny titles, taking discreet photos and peering curiously into the darkened back room, demonstrating the continued appeal of the artists' irreverent humor.

The exhibition, curated by Kimberli Gant and Indira A. Abiskaroon, represents more than just a nostalgic look back at 1970s New York. "Ruckus Manhattan" embodied a spirited collaborative vision that embraced both the pretty and gritty aspects of city life, offering visitors a space for collective art viewing and imagination. Rather than simply reflecting slices of the city to residents and visitors, the installation invited people to become active participants in the urban circus.

The enduring appeal of Gross and Grooms's work lies in its ability to find joy and creativity in the midst of urban challenges. Their voracious creativity and humor created an alternative narrative to the fear-mongering of the era, demonstrating art's power to transform perception and celebrate community. The Brooklyn Museum exhibition continues this legacy, allowing contemporary audiences to experience the infectious energy and optimism that made "Ruckus Manhattan" a landmark achievement in American art.