HENRY MARKS

WHITNEY MUSEUMSELECTED WORK

WORLD CUP 2026 HUB

The project

A proposed whitney.org page that introduces the Whitney Biennial to people coming to New York for the World Cup and searching for things to do between matches.

What I did

I saw a connection between the Biennial’s international artists and the global audience arriving for the tournament, and built the hub around it. I independently created the UI/UX design and SEO: desktop and mobile layouts, page navigation, search-focused copy, metadata, structured data and a plan to link the hub from nine existing whitney.org pages.

Years
2025–2026
Channels
Landing page design, content, SEO

I designed the full page in the Whitney’s visual system, on desktop and mobile, and ordered it the way a visitor plans: the programming first, then exhibitions, visitor information, an itinerary and FAQs.

Section headings, repeated calls to action and grouped information keep the long page navigable. The mobile layout keeps the same content and hierarchy.

Proposed World Cup page
Desktop preview · Click to view the full page
Phone preview · Click to view the full page

I researched what World Cup visitors would search for, including things to do between matches, museums near World Cup events and planning a New York itinerary, and wrote the headings and copy around those searches.

Each section ties the museum’s exhibitions and free programming to a reason to visit. The intent was to draw relevant search traffic and give those visitors a next step.

The opening

I kept the museum’s own hero line, “This summer, the Whitney welcomes the world,” and put a black ticker right under it that lists every match.

The numbers bar

I followed the section written for the target search with a bar of numbers: 21 Biennial artists born outside the U.S., free every Friday from 5 to 10 PM, and 45 minutes from MetLife.

I reviewed the Biennial’s artist roster, researched each artist’s connections to the countries playing in New York, and used those findings in the artist tags and exhibition copy. The tags give a visitor following a national team a specific reason to choose the Whitney.

I placed the visitor guide, itinerary and FAQ after the programming as the practical next steps, each written around the questions a first-time visitor would have.

The visitor guide

I wrote six cards that answer the practical questions: getting here from MetLife Stadium by NJ Transit, subway or bus, museum hours, admission, how long to stay, where to eat and accessibility.

Match day on the West Side

I built a half-day walking itinerary around a match: Chelsea Market at 10, the Whitney at 10:30, the High Line at 1, Little Island at 1:30 and Hudson Yards at 2:30, a 10-minute walk from Penn Station and the train to MetLife.

The FAQ

I chose ten questions visitors would actually type, from “Is the Whitney Museum near the World Cup stadium?” to “What should I do in NYC between World Cup matches?”, and answered each in two to four sentences.

In the mockup I created the page title, meta description, social sharing metadata, canonical URL and Event structured data, and added descriptive image text and screen-reader labels, so the design, copy and technical layer could be built as one page.

Event structured data from the mockup
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Event",
  "name": "World Cup 2026 at the Whitney",
  "description": "Experience the Whitney Museum during FIFA World Cup 2026 with free programming, live match screenings, the Whitney Biennial featuring 56 global artists, world music, and hands-on art making.",
  "startDate": "2026-06-13",
  "endDate": "2026-07-19",
  "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
  "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled",
  "location": {
    "@type": "Museum",
    "name": "Whitney Museum of American Art",
    "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "streetAddress": "99 Gansevoort Street",
      "addressLocality": "New York",
      "addressRegion": "NY",
      "postalCode": "10014",
      "addressCountry": "US"
    },
    "geo": {
      "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
      "latitude": 40.7396,
      "longitude": -74.0089
    }
  },
  "offers": [
    {"@type": "Offer", "name": "Free Friday Nights", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD"},
    {"@type": "Offer", "name": "Free Second Sundays", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD"},
    {"@type": "Offer", "name": "Free for 25 and Under", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD"},
    {"@type": "Offer", "name": "General Admission", "price": "30", "priceCurrency": "USD"}
  ],
  "organizer": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Whitney Museum of American Art",
    "url": "https://whitney.org"
  }
}

I mapped ten link placements across nine existing whitney.org pages, each with its position and anchor text, and proposed a temporary site banner, a Visit-menu link and a homepage entry point for the tournament.

The links put the hub on the paths visitors already take through the site and give search engines a direct route to it.

Where whitney.org links to the hub

Page on whitney.orgWhere on the pageAnchor textLinks to
/visitIntro section, a new sentence after the museum descriptionWorld Cup 2026 at the WhitneyThe hub
/visitExperience grid, a new cardVisit during the World CupThe hub
/exhibitions/2026-biennialOverview, after the exhibition descriptionExperience the Biennial during World Cup 2026The hub
Admission (transact.whitney.org)After the free admission blocksFree programming during World Cup 2026Free programming section
/visit/free-friday-nightsPlan your evening, or the FAQFree Friday Nights during the World CupMusic section
/visit/second-sundaysMain description, the June 14 and July 12 datesWorld Cup Second Sundays at the WhitneyFree programming section
/visit/25-and-underMain descriptionVisit the Whitney during World Cup 2026The hub
/exhibitionsNear the Biennial listingWorld Cup 2026 at the WhitneyThe hub
/visit/diningA sentence on Studio Bar and Frenchette on match daysDining at the Whitney on World Cup match daysVisitor guide
/visit/en-espanolA World Cup callout in SpanishCopa del Mundo 2026 en el WhitneyThe hub

In the site navigation, June 11 to July 19

A slim top banner
Above the main navigation on every page, like the hub’s language bar
The Visit menu
World Cup 2026 added alongside Plan Your Visit and Book Tickets
The homepage
A card or banner linking to the hub during the tournament