The Shed

The Shed’s retractable outer shell has been likened to a “bubble-clad airplane hangar.” But when the arts center opened in April, some New Yorkers saw it as something else entirely: an olive branch. The Shed is a nonprofit situated amid Hudson Yards, a $25 billion development that has become a symbol of wealth inequality in a city where rising rents can price out low-income residents. In August, after Hudson Yards developer and Shed board member Stephen Ross hosted a Trump campaign fundraiser that provoked controversy, the nonprofit released a statement underscoring its independence, saying, “At the Shed, we believe that access to art is a right, not a privilege.” Notably, while nearby apartments list for millions, tickets to the Shed’s events start at $10 and its Open Call exhibitions, of works by local artists, are free. —Cate Matthews