Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting, and thought-provoking, shows, screenings, and events. See them below.
Monday, October 22
1. “Liza Lou in Conversation With Francine Prose” at the New York Public Library
As Liza Lou wraps up her solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin, “Classification and Nomenclature of Clouds“ (on view through October 27), she’ll talk with writer and critic Francine Prose about her practice working with glass beads and South African bead workers.
Location: New York Public Library, Jefferson Market Library, 425 Sixth Avenue, 1st Floor
Price: Free with RSVP
Time: Opening reception, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.; Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Tuesday, October 23
2. ICP Spotlights: Mickalene Thomas at 583 Park Avenue
Every year, the International Center for Photography’s Spotlights luncheon honors a women artists working in film and photography. This year’s honoree, Mickalene Thomas, will speak with author and academic Beverly Guy-Sheftall, the founding director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman College, Atlanta.
Location: 583 Park Avenue
Price: $400
Time: 11:30 a.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Wednesday, October 24
3. “Makers of Modern Architecture: Maya Lin in Conversation with Martin Filler” at the 92nd Street Y
Upon the publication of his new book, Makers of Modern Architecture, Volume III, architecture critic Martin Filler will speak with Maya Lin, who appears on the book’s cover, about how she faced down racism and sexism to become one of the world’s best-known architects. The evening will also include a book signing.
Location: 92nd Street Y, Buttenwieser Hall, 1395 Lexington Avenue
Price: $35
Time: 8 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
4. Jarrett Earnest with Rosalind Krauss and Molly Nesbit at David Zwirner Books
For his new book, What It Means to Write About Art, Jarrett Earnest interviewed art critics, historians, journalists, novels, poets, and others to attempt to answer the titular question. He’ll continue that conversation live with historian Molly Nesbit and art critic Rosalind Krauss.
Location: David Zwirner Books, 519 West 19th Street
Price: Free
Time: 6:30.m.–8 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, October 25
5. Dawoud Bey in Conversation With Rebecca Walker at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Timed to the publication of the artist’s new book, Dawoud Bey will talk with writer and activist Rebecca Walker.
Location: Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street
Price: $10
Time: 6:30 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, October 25–Saturday, October 27
6. PrintFest by IPCNY at the International Print Center New York
The IPCNY is giving MFA and senior BFA students from schools including New York’s New School Parsons School of Design, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan the chance to show and sell their work during Print Week. Programming includes demonstrations, a panel discussion, and the chance to take part in a collaborative monotype animation project.
Location: IPCNY, 508 West 26th Street, 3rd and 5th Floor
Price: Free
Time: Thursday, 5 p.m.–9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Wednesday, October 24–Sunday, October 28
7. International Fine Print Dealers Association Fine Art Print Fair at the Javits Center
Pick up a print by an Old Master or a few contemporary art editions at this showcase of 80 IFPDA member galleries, the world’s largest dedicated printmaking art fair. Highlights will include works related to major fall exhibitions here in New York, such as Bruce Nauman at the Museum of Modern Art—Brooke Alexander, Inc., offers the lithograph and screenprint Clear Vision (1973)—and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Eugène Delacroix blockbuster—Ursus Books is selling an 1828 edition of Faust with 18 lithographs by the artist, including a portrait of the author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Location: River Pavilion, Javits Center, 11th Avenue at 35th Street
Price: General admission $25
Time: Wednesday preview, 6:30 p.m.–9 p.m.; Thursday–Saturday, 12 p.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, October 25–Sunday, October 28
8. Editions/Artists’ Books Fair at the Tunnel
Founded 20 years ago, the Editions/Artists’ Books Fair will showcase prints, multiples, and artists’ books from 50 exhibitors from around the world in its 2018 edition. Artist Saya Woolfalk will speak with curator Dexter Wimberly about prints and politics on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Location: The Tunnel, 269 11th Avenue between West 27th and 28th Streets
Price: Free
Time: VIP preview, 3 p.m.–9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
9. The New York Satellite Print Fair at Mercantile Annex 37
Just steps from the main event at the Javits Center, another 17 dealers bring a wide range of prints, drawings, and works on paper by everyone from Old Masters Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco Goya to 20th century American artists such as Thomas Hart Benton.
Location: Mercantile Annex 37, 517 West 37th Street
Price: Free
Time: Thursday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, October 25–Thursday, November 1
10. October Art Week on the Upper East Side
With TEFAF touching down in New York and Christie’s holding its Classic Art Week, over a dozen Upper East Side galleries are getting in on the action by opening their doors for the third annual October Art Week. Exhibitions on view include “Eugène Delacroix: Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels and Small Oils,” hosted by Jill Newhouse Gallery in association with the Paris-based Galerie de Bayser.
Location: Various locations
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 5 p.m.–9 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, October 25–Saturday, December 8
11. “Janaina Tschäpe: HumidGray and ShadowLake” at Sean Kelly
Multidisciplinary artist Janaina Tschäpe, born in Munich and raised in São Paulo, makes films, photographs, sculptures, and performance art, among other work. Her first show at Sean Kelly, however, is dedicated to the large-scale paintings and watercolors that lie at the heart of her practice, abstract works that suggest landscapes and organic forms.
Location: Sean Kelly, 475 Tenth Avenue
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.; Tuesday–Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Thursday, October 25–Saturday, December 15
12. “Neil Goldberg: Vote in the Midterm Elections” at Cristin Tierney
Blending studio practice, personal history, and political action, Neil Goldberg’s new show centers on the “often-daily” note cards he has written to guide his work for roughly the past 20 years. A translucent, spinning container continuously shuffles dozens of the cards inside the exhibition, with the contents doing double duty as records of origin for the other pieces in the show and, on most Fridays and Saturdays, randomized prompts for conversations that Goldberg will hold with interested gallery visitors. At the opening, the artist and members of activist group the Creative Resistance will give visitors an opportunity to sign up for canvassing duty in advance of next month’s midterms.
Location: 540 West 28th Street
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.; Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Tim Schneider
Friday, October 26–Monday, October 29
13. The AADLA Fine Art & Antiques Show at Wallace Hall
TEFAF isn’t the only antiques show in town this week, with another 27 dealers showcasing their best Old Masters, rare books, and English furniture, among other treasures.
Location: Wallace Hall, Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, 980 Park Avenue at East 84th Street
Price: $20
Time: Friday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Monday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
14. Call to Action! at La Mama
Ahead of the all-important midterm elections, La Mama hosts a weekend of political art performances. On Friday, women and non-conforming artists will host a night of song, poetry, and spoken word in “Soapbox: Speak Up, Speak Out!” Saturday, performance artist Karen Finley will give a monologue, Grabbing Pussy, and present a new work, Parts Known, inspired by border separations and the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Activist group You Matter Nation and former Barack Obama digital director Benjamin Yee will close out the weekend on Sunday with (Real) Politics 101.
Location: La Mama, 66 East 4th Street, between Bowery and 2nd Avenue
Price: Between $10 and $20 with suggested donations to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and You Matter Nation
Time: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Friday, October 26–Wednesday, October 31
15. TEFAF New York Fall at the Park Avenue Armory
Spanning antiquity to the year 1920, TEFAF, now its third fall New York edition, presents both fine and decorative art from 93 international exhibitors. Don’t miss Gilbert Stuart’s famed portrait of George Washington, this one the Munro-Lenox Portrait, on offer from New York’s Hirschl & Adler Galleries, or a 1733 map of European colonies in North America, for sale from Daniel Crouch Rare Books.
Location: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue
Price: General admission $55
Time: Friday VIP preview, 1 p.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday and Wednesday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. (VIPs only 11 a.m.–12 p.m.)
—Sarah Cascone
Saturday, October 27–January 19, 2019
16. “Richard Pettibone: Endless Variation” at FLAG Art Foundation
This Richard Pettibone show could be confused for a group exhibition: in fusing the Pop and Appropriation movements, he had created small-scale copies—some no bigger than two inches square—of instantly recognizable works by the likes of Marcel Duchamp, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol.
Location: FLAG Art Foundation, 545 West 25th Street, 9th Floor
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.; Wednesday,–Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Saturday, October 27–Monday, November 12
17. “Emma Ressel: Olives in the Street” at Bard College
The rich culinary traditions of Emilia-Romagna became artistic fodder for Bard College alumna Emma Ressel during a 2016 artist residency in Lugo, Italy. The streets of town became her studio, the set for still-life photographs that at first appear enticing, but reveal bizarre ingredient combinations and elements of decay upon closer examination, undermining the initial sense of aesthetic pleasure.
Location: Woods Studio Gallery at Bard College, 23 Woods Road, Annandale-On-Hudson, New York
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Through Saturday, October 27
18. “Peter Alexander: Recent Works” at Franklin Parrasch Gallery
Listen, the world is noisy and scary and confusing right now. Why not take 20 minutes to bask in hypnotic new sculptures by Peter Alexander? The 79-year-old Los Angeles-based artist, part of the Light and Space movement, creates works that reflect light and ooze luscious color. You probably can’t bring a yoga mat and meditate in the gallery, but you’ll want to. Catch it before it’s closed.
Location: 53 E 64th Street
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Julia Halperin
Through Sunday, October 28
19. “Poetry in Motion at 25” at the New York Transit Museum Gallery & Store
For 25 years, New Yorkers have caught glimpses of poetry on subways and buses, a selection of over 200 pieces starting with an excerpt of Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” displayed by the MTA back in 1992. The program is now run through a collaboration between the MTA Arts & Design and the Poetry Society of America, and you can catch some its greatest hits in this exhibition from the New York Transit Museum.
Location: Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd Street (just off the Main Concourse in the Shuttle Passage, adjacent to the Station Masters’ Office)
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
20. “The Senses: Design Beyond Vision” at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
The Cooper Hewitt is fighting the good fight against our increasingly plugged-in digital world with an exhibition that defies traditional museum prohibitions against touching the art, and is designed to engage all five senses. Some of the pieces have been designed to help those with sensory disabilities such as blindness and deafness, like an easier-to-learn alternative to braille. Others, like scratch-n-sniff cherry wallpaper, are more whimsical.
Location: Cooper Hewitt, 2 East 91st Street
Price: General admission $18
Time: Sunday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Through Saturday, November 3
21. “Harvey Quaytman: Rockers and Pendulums, 1969–1977” at Van Doren Waxter
Van Doren Waxter’s show of the self-proclaimed “classical modernist” artist Harvey Quaytman comes right as his first large-scale museum show gets underway at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Quaytman’s shaped canvases helped to usher in a new way of understanding painting by incorporating sculptural elements like curved shapes, giving the illusion of the canvases sitting on rockers that could be set in motion.
Location: Van Doren Waxter, 195 Chrystie Street
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
—Caroline Goldstein