Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting, and thought-provoking, shows, screenings, and events. See them below.
Monday, August 20
Bernard “Tony” Rosenthal, Alamo (1967), better-known as the Astor Place Cube. Photo courtesy Phillip Ritz, via Flickr Creative Commons.
1. “Sculpture in Gotham: Michele Bogart with Mark Byrnes” at the New York Public Library
Michele Bogart, author of the new book Sculpture in Gotham: Art and Urban Renewal in New York City, will talk with CityLab editor Mark Byrnes about the history of public art in New York, and how beloved works like the Astor Place Cube have become an integral part of the urban landscape.
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library at 42nd Street, Program Room, 576 Fifth Avenue, entrance on 42nd Street
Price: Free, registration recommended
Time: 6:30 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Tuesday, August 21
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City. Photo Spencer Platt/Getty Images.
2. “Agora: How Do We Create Intimacy in a Museum?” at the Museum of Modern Art
At a time when seemingly every aspect of the museum experience is under reconsideration, MoMA will facilitate a small public forum to discuss how arts institutions can better connect with visitors and enhance the viewing experience. Modeled more as a community thought experiment than a wonky town hall meeting, the conversation nevertheless gives the general public an opportunity to be heard regarding the ways in which even the best museums can do better.
Location: MoMA, Floor 1, Sculpture Garden, 11 West 53rd Street
Price: Free
Time: 3 p.m.
—Tim Schneider
Wednesday, August 22
“Gemini: The Memory Theater,” from Twelve Mandalas by A.T. Mann. Courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art, ©World 2018.
3. “The Future of the Feminine: With Schuyler Brown and A.T. Mann” at the Rubin Museum of Art
A.T. Mann hosts the final evening in the Rubin’s series on astrological traditions, featuring futurist Schuyler Brown. According to the event description, the pair will “discuss the feminine as a counterbalance to the pace of technological innovation, the importance of reclaiming ancient feminine symbols of power and protection, and the healing that happens when the feminine is invited into our contemporary relationships, structures, and systems—including business, activism, and politics.”
Location: The Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street
Price: $25
Time: 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Courtesy of The Bronx Speaks.
4. “The Bronx Speaks: DREAMers’ Uprooted Fates & Fortunes” at Lucy’s Flower Shop
As part of the Bronx Museum’s ongoing event series in support immigrant rights, DREAMers Harriet Appiah, Azeez A, and Diana Eusebio will bring the audience into their firsthand immigrant experiences using media ranging from visual art and poetry to video and dance. They will be speaking with their artist mentor, Jason Lalor. Even if you’re already staunchly in favor of the DREAM Act (as I expect you are, if you’re reading this entry), the evening will undoubtedly personalize the issue and shine a light on the crucial role that the arts play beyond white cube spaces and record-breaking prices.
Location: Lucy’s Flower Shop, 2655 Jerome Avenue, Bronx
Price: Free with RSVP
Time: 7 p.m.–9 p.m.
—Tim Schneider
Thursday, August 23
Hide & Seek by Jennifer Newsom and Tom Carruthers of Dream The Combine. Photo by Brandon Rys Polanco.
5. “Night at the Museum: Hide & Seek Closing Party” at MoMA PS1
Celebrate one of the few summer nights left this season with MoMA PS1’s Hide & Seek interactive light program, plus DJ br0nz3_g0dd3ss, snacks and drinks from local purveyors, and after-hours access to current shows in the galleries.
Location: 22–25 Jackson Avenue, Queens
Price: $15 General admission
Time: 8 p.m.–midnight
—Caroline Goldstein
Eric Fischl, Daddy’s Gone Girl (2016). Courtesy of the artist and Skarstedt, New York.
6. “New York Academy of Art Talks with David Kratz, Brooke Shields, and Eric Fischl” at the Southampton Arts Center
Movie star Brooke Shields has become a major supporter of the New York Academy of Arts in recent years, even going so far as to co-curate an exhibition for the school. Lately, she’s also been sitting as a model for figurative painter and academy faculty member Eric Fischl. The two will talk about this collaboration as well as their individual work with David Kratz, the school’s president, at the Southampton Arts Center.
Location: Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton
Price: $15
Time: 7 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, August 24
Installation view of “Now & Then: A Decade of Beautiful Losers” at the Hole Gallery. Photo courtesy of RVCA.
7. “Now & Then: A Decade of Beautiful Losers” at the Hole Gallery
In August 2008, artist and curator Aaron Rose, owner of Lower East Side’s Alleged Gallery, debuted the feature-length documentary Beautiful Losers at New York’s IFC Center. The film documented the underground art scene of the 1990s, with a heavy focus on graffiti and skateboarding culture, and featured artists including Barry McGee, Ed Templeton, Mike Mills, Thomas Campbell, Jo Jackson, Shepard Fairey, Chris Johanson, and Margaret Kilgallen. Clothing brand RVCA has enlisted many of those artists, now part of their Artist Network Program, to participate in a group exhibition celebrating the era of Alleged Gallery, and its non-conformist, DIY spirit.
Location: The Hole Gallery, 530 West 25th Street
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Through Friday, August 25
Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Bimbo (2018). Photo courtesy of Winston Wachter.
8. “The Ideal Feminine/The Feminine Ideal” at Winston Wachter
Winston Wachter’s summer group show responds to the #MeToo movement, which has birthed a new awareness around women’s bodies and their all-too-frequent abuse, leading to unprecedented consequences for the perpetrators of sexual abuse of women. Natasha Schlesinger has enlisted 12 artists—Jen Ray, Jessica Lichtenstein, Lala Abaddon, Marc Dennis, Margeaux Walter, Natasha Law, Sebastiaan Bremer, Sissi Farassat, Stephanie Hirsch, Todd Murphy, and Zoë Buckman—to consider the idea of a “feminine ideal” for this new wave of feminism, reexamining the female form for 2018.
Location: Winston Wachter, 530 West 25th Street
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Saturday, August 25
HoodCelebrityy, Warm Up 2017. Photo: Scott Hoffmann.
9. “Warm Up: Soul Summit” at MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1’s Warm Up series continues; this weekend features the electronic musical stylings of Anik Khanm, Skinny Macho, and Kelsey Lu, set up under the architectural installation by Dream the Combine, winners of this years’ Young Architects Program.
Location: 22–25 Jackson Avenue, Queens
Price: $18 General admission ($22 Day Of)
Time: 12 p.m.–9 p.m.
—Caroline Goldstein
Sunday, August 26
The Bronx Museum’s Boogie on the Boulevard on Grand Concourse in 2017. Photo courtesy of the Bronx Museum, by Argenis Apolinario.
10. The Bronx Museum‘s Boogie on the Boulevard on Grand Concourse
The Bronx Museum will shut down an eight-block stretch of Grand Concourse for a day full of music, art, and fitness programs. There will be zip-lining, roller disco, rock climbing, and more.
Location: Grand Concourse, 162nd–170th Streets, Bronx
Price: Free with RSVP
Time: 2 p.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Through Sunday, September 16
Installation view of “Cast of Characters” at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division. Photo courtesy of the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division.
11. “Cast of Characters” at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division
Liz Collins has taken over the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, an events space and book store run by a staff of all-queer volunteers, with a salon-style hang of portraits by over 100 LGBTQ artists including Justin Vivian Bond, C. Finley, Lola Flash, Chitra Ganesh, Barbara Hammer, Zanele Muholi, and Mickalene Thomas.
Location: Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Room 210
Price: Free
Time: Wednesday–Saturday, 1 p.m.–7 p.m. in August; Tuesday–Sunday, 1 p.m.–7 p.m. in September
—Sarah Cascone