In 1961, when John F. Kennedy became president, his wife Jacqueline redecorated the White House and made it a museum. Her dramatic makeover moved us to ask William G. Allman, the chief curator of the White House, to give us his favorite pieces of furniture, decorative objects and works of art that became part of the White House in the past 50 years.

On Friday, the New York City Department of Transportation unveiled a new temporary outdoor exhibit on a 50-foot corrugated fence under the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge at the junction of Vernon Boulevard and South Queens Plaza in Queens. Check out photos of the show here.

Contemporary art alongside items in the Seaport Museum's permanent collection make up the offerings in the new South Street Seaport Museum.

This fall, WNYC asked listeners for their stories about active service men and women returning home from Iraq. David Pierce wrote in with his story about an art project documenting the daily life of an army squad in Iraq. Pierce did the project with his friend Justin Wilkens, who served two deployments in Iraq. We caught up with the high school buddies in Brooklyn.

The Alexander McQueen show at the Met, "Spider-Man" and "The Book of Mormon" opening on Broadway, the kerfuffle around Tony Kushner's honorary degree at CUNY and an exhibit mapping out words New Yorkers use to search for a mate. Here are some of the arts and culture stories WNYC followed this year.

Manhattan’s shopping arteries are clogged with last-minute gift buyers. And museum gift shops are going all out to get the attention of consumers in the days remaining before Christmas.

Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that stolen Wedgewood china looted from one of Saddam Hussein's palaces had been turned over to Iraqi diplomats. The news hits close to home for an arts group in New York since the plates were used as part of an art exhibit that started with an interest in dates and dinner plates.

The Frick Collection has opened a new, glass-enclosed portico gallery. It's the museum's first major addition in more than three decades. The inaugural exhibition in the Frick's new gallery is a collection of Meissen porcelain from a private collection.

A brooch of ruby lips and cultured pearl teeth made by Salvador Dali, a pendant depicting an abstract face by Roy Lichtenstein and a gold mask designed by Man Ray are among the 240 pieces of jewelry currently on view at the Museum of Arts and Design. View a slideshow here.

A 100-foot tubular slide and sensory deprivation saline pool are drawing crowds — and cash — to the New Museum.

A sweeping overhead shot of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and abstract aerials of dryland farming in northeastern Spain. See a slideshow of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky's large-scale chromogenic color prints here.

A black velvet cape Liz Taylor wore to Princess Grace of Monaco's "Scorpio Ball" and the diamond and gold wedding bands she wore in both of her marriages to Richard Burton are a few of the items that Christie's will auction off this week in one of the year's most anticipated sales. View a slideshow here.

A collection of Hannukah lamps from four continents chosen by illustrator and author Maurice Sendak is on view now at the Jewish Museum. Check out images of the lamps here.

There’s no shortage of interesting holiday store displays up in the city this time of year, and WNYC wants to see the best ones in your neighborhood. Upload your snapshots and check out our slideshow of creative holiday windows here.

On Sunday, some three dozen people protested the Brooklyn Museum's inclusion of David Wojnarowicz's film "A Fire in My Belly" in the museum's new show Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture.

The arts studios of NYU and Hunter are some of the most competitive in the country. As a result they're usually closed to the public. For one weekend, the studios will be open for visitors to check out the student work in progress.

Tuesday night, the Coalition for the Homeless holds its 17th annual ArtWalk NY benefit. For many, the highlight of the evening will be the sale of a hand-painted canvas by controversial street artist Shepard Fairey. Check out a picture of "Harmony" and other Fairey works here.

Sherrie Levine's new retrospective at The Whitney, which opens on Thursday, is bound to have visitors scratching their heads.

In New York, two galleries have turned their gaze to the work of the controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Meanwhile, from his home in Beijing, the artist has received more than $800,000 in donations from supporters.

View the top sellers from the fall Impressionist and Modern art auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's — without having to spend millions — here.