Each week, we search for the most exciting and thought-provoking shows, screenings, and events, both digitally and in-person in the New York area. See our picks from around the world below. (Times are all EST unless otherwise noted.)

Tuesday, July 27

Edmonia Lewis, Forever Free (1867). Collection of the Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Courtesy of the Howard University Art Gallery.

1. “The History of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Art Collections” at the Appraisers Association of America, New York

University museums, particularly those in communities with a large population of Black residents, have been some of the U.S.’s earliest and most dedicated acquirers of works by Black American artists. (Data helps tell the story.) To learn more about the role institutions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have played (and continue to play) in stewarding the legacy of 19th and 20th century art, tune into this live webinar featuring art consultant Valerie A. Cooper and a cross-section of figures from three prominent HBCUs.  

Price: $10 (register here)
Time: 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

—Tim Schneider

2. “Normal Exceptions: Contemporary Art In Mexico” at Sotheby’s New York

In this live virtual discussion presented by Artforum at Sotheby’s, a panel of experts will discuss the exhibition of the same name currently on view at Museo Jumex. Speakers include: Eugenio Lopez Alonso, president of Fundacion Jumex Arte Contemporaneo; Kit Hammons, chief curator of Museo Jumex; artists Mario Garcia Torres and Melanie Smith; and Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy, director of Kunstinstitut Melly.

Price: Free with RSVP
Time: 5 p.m.

—Eileen Kinsella

Wednesday, July 28

Installation view of “Julie Mehretu” at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Photo courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

3. “Black/Queer/Abstract: A Convening on the Occasion of Julie Mehretu” at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

On the occasion of Julie Mehretu’s current retrospective, on view through August 8, the Whitney Museum is hosting a day-long event dedicated to the exploration of Black and Queer radical thought in abstract art. Speakers will include curator Legacy Russell and artists Kevin Beasley, Martin Puryear, American Artist, and Mehretu herself.

Location: Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York
Price: In person attendance has reached capacity, but it is free to register to attend on Zoom
Time: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Courtesy of Poster House.

4. “Posters and Cocktails: Off the Leash!” at Poster House and the Museum of the Dog, New York

Poster House is teaming up with the Museum of the Dog on its ongoing virtual cocktail series, with Nicholas Lowry of Swann Auction Galleries showcasing historic dog poster art. Don Spiro of the Green Fairy Society is handling the canine-themed drink menu, which includes recipes you can make at home for the Greyhound, the Bloodhound Cocktail, and the Pink Squirrel, among other libations.

Price: $5 suggested donation
Time: 7 p.m.–9 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Friday, July 30

Ken Gonzales-Day, Untitled (2009). Photo of Portrait of a child (ca. 150–200), Roman marble, collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of the artist and Luis de Jesus, Los Angeles.

5. “Art Break: Where is the Person in the Portrait?” at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles

In his photographs of Roman portraits, artist Ken Gonzales-Day encourages the viewer to consider the real person that would have inspired these ancient sculptures. He’ll talk with Getty Museum ancient art curator Jens Daehner about one photo of a marble bust of a young child, how we might interpret it, what stereotypes it might reflect, and what it says about its subject.

Price: Free with registration
Time: 12 p.m.

—Tanner West

Friday, July 30–Thursday, August 26

Westfield World Trade Center during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Kurt Boone.

6. “Kurt Boone: Silence of Pandemic” at Village Works, New York

Last summer, we checked in with photographer and courier Kurt Boone for a story about artists employed as essential worker during the long months of lockdown. Now, he’s got a solo show of the photographs he took around the city at the height of the pandemic, with boarded up storefronts and eerily empty landmarks documenting the strange, scary events of 2020.

Location: Village Works, 90 East 3rd Street, New York
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.; Monday–Friday, 3 p.m.–11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 3 p.m.–11 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Saturday, July 31–Sunday, August 8

Photo by Carrie Mae Weems, courtesy the artist and the Watermill Center, Water Mill, New York.

7. “Crossroads: The Watermill Center Summer Festival” at the Watermill Center, Water Mill, New York

Carrie Mae Weems is back at the Watermill Center, where she was the 2017 artist in residence, to lead a summer festival with performances, installations, and film screenings centered on themes of healing and hope. The opening night will feature a drone-based sonic experience from Laurie Anderson and Shane Weeks, an artist from the Shinnecock Nation, featuring guitars from the collection of Anderson’s late husband, Lou Reed.

Location: Watermill Center, 39 Water Mill Town Road, Water Mill, New York
Price: Tickets from $50
Time: Saturday, July 31, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, August 7, 7 p.m.–11 p.m.; Sunday, August 8, 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Through Friday, August 13

Installation view “Sarah Esme Harrison,” 2021. Courtesy of Nicelle Beauchene Gallery.

8. “Sarah Esme Harrison” at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York

A group of Sarah Esme Harrison’s exquisitely detailed “wedge-paints” are currently on view in Nicelle Beauchene’s project space. These oil-on-wood panel paintings each slope off the wall, slightly protruding outward at their base. On their surfaces is meticulously rendered imagery of the natural world, such as a cluster of trees or a patch of green spring growth poking through the dirt, capturing the specificity of the seasons. Harrison paints these elements outdoors before adding imagery of intricate wrought-iron gates back in the studio. These structures hint at the artifice of gardens themselves: The gates’ ornamentation mimics the foliage and flora of the natural world. They can be seen as caging it in or offering a portal into the paintings, enticing viewers to peer inside.

Location: Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, 7 Franklin Place,  New York
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

—Katie White 

Through Friday, August 13

Joyce Kozloff, Uncivil Wars: Battle of Vicksburg (2020). Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York.

9. “Joyce Kozloff: Uncivil Wars” at DC Moore, New York

In Joyce Kozloff’s hands, historical maps become tools with which to examine hierarchies and our collective histories. Her latest show features battle maps from the U.S. Civil War, overlaid with images of viruses, symbolizing not only the pandemic but the continued impact that systemic racism and xenophobia has on our nation.

Location: DC Moore Galley, 535 West 22nd Street, New York 
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday,10 a.m.–6 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone