Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting and thought-provoking shows, screenings, and events. In light of the global health situation, we are currently highlighting digital events, as well as in-person exhibitions open in the New York area. (Times are all EST unless otherwise noted.) 

Monday, August 17—Sunday, November 29

In Queens, a man asks people and cars that pass by for financial help. Photo credit: Kay Hickman

1. “Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine” at the New-York Historical Society

What could be more apt right now than a special outdoor exhibition documenting the experiences of New Yorkers across the five boroughs during the height of the shutdown? The  show features more than 50 photographs by Kay Hickman and 12 audio interviews with the photographs’ subjects by writer Kevin Powell, all gathered during an intensive two-day journey across the city in early April. The exhibition takes place in the museum’s rear courtyard, providing an open-air environment for visitors. “We hope this exhibition can offer our visitors a moment of solace to reflect on what they and the city as a whole have experienced in recent months and to better understand this moment in time,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president of the New-York Historical Society.

Location: New-York Historical Society, rear courtyard of the museum at West 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
Price: Free
Time: Thursday (age 65+ and immunocompromised only), 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

—Eileen Kinsella

Wednesday, August 19—November 15

Doug Aitken, migration (empire) (2008). Production still. Courtesy of the artist; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zürich; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; and Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

2. “Doug Aitken: migration (empire)” at the Carnegie Museum of Art

One artwork well suited to the topsy-turvy nature of the world these days is Doug Aitken’s migration (empire), available through the Carnegie Museum of Art’s website beginning Wednesday. The presentation is the second in a series of spotlights on the museum’s video collection, following a presentation of work by Rachel Rose earlier this spring. In migration, North American migratory animals are displaced, popping up in motel rooms instead of their natural habitats. A surreal work for surreal times!

Price: Free
Time: Online, 24/7, through November 15

–Caroline Goldstein

Thursday, August 20

Jaume Plensa, Carlota (oak), Julia (oak), Laura Asia (oak), and Wilsis (oak), (2019) Photo by Tria Giovan. Image courtesy Parrish Art Museum.

3. “Field of Dreams” at the Parrish Art Museum

This outdoor show is part of the museum’s new “Art in the Meadow” initiative, created to activate its extensive outdoor spaces with an array of sculpture that engages the architecture and landscape. For the inaugural presentation, the 14-acre grounds at the Parrish will host work by 10 international, multi-generational artists working in a variety of genres. Offerings include several new installations created for the museum by Theaster Gates; a suite of four new sculptures by Jaume Plensa; and new works by Jim Dine. Monumental sculptures by Isa Genzken and Giuseppe Penone will be installed in the coming weeks.

Price: Free
Time: Museum grounds are open every day, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

–Eileen Kinsella

Thursday, August 20 

Claudia Cano, Rosa Hernandez–The Cleaning Lady (2012–2016). Courtesy of MCASD.

4. “To Tame a Wild Tongue: Artist Talk with Claudia Cano” at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Curatorial fellow Alana Hernandez is leading a series of Instagram Live talks with artists included in “To Tame a Wild Tongue,” a now-online exhibition that looks at the legacy of the post-Chicano art movement. This Thursday, she’ll be speaking with San Diego-based artist Claudia Cano, whose work in photography, film, and performance explorers domestic work and the invisibility of Latinx workforce. 

Time: 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST
Price: Free

–Katie White

Through Friday, August 21

Sean Fader, @gogo_gemini #gaylife #gaybeard #femme #masc from the series “Best Lives” (2019–20). Photo courtesy of Denny Dimin Gallery, New York.

5. “Sean Fader: Thirst/Trap” at Denny Dimin Gallery, New York

Photographer Sean Fader presents two series inspired by the ways that LGBTQ+ culture in the US has evolved over the past 20 years. Presented in ornate gilded frames, “Best Lives” features heroic portraits of members of the queer community. The artist built a custom app to aggregate the posts to queer hashtags such as #instagay, #nonbinary, and #genderfluid, and then reached out to potential subjects on Instagram to arrange a photoshoot. The second body of work, “Insufficient Memory,” is inspired by the introduction of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 1999, a bill that took 10 years to pass. In photographs of homes, fields, and other innocuous-looking scenes, Fader documents the sites of 80 murders committed against LGBTQ+ individuals. He drove 15,000 miles to complete the series, which he shot with a low-resolution digital camera. The graininess of the large-scale images is a nod to how quickly these crimes were forgotten, and the difficulty Fader had in researching them, since they are often overlooked by local news outlets.

Location: Denny Dimin Gallery, 39 Lispenard Street, New York
Price: Free
Time: By appointment

—Sarah Cascone

Friday, August 21

Installation view of Ruth Asawa, Untitled (S.693, Hanging Six-Lobed, Two-Part, Complex Form Within a Form With One Suspended Sphere in the Top Lobe) (ca. 1956); Untitled (S.335, Hanging Four-and-a-Half Open Hyperbolic Shapes That Penetrate Each Other), (ca. 1954); Untitled (S.531, Hanging Six-Lobed, Two Continuous Interlocking Forms) (circa 1950). Photo by Ron Amstutz, courtesy of Glenstone Museum; ©estate of Ruth Asawa.

6. “Artmaking From Home: Suspended Sculptures” at the Whitney Museum of American Art

Get out of your head and use your hands for a bit this Friday afternoon. The Whitney’s latest half-hour live art-making workshop (conducted safely online, of course) puts Ruth Asawa front and center on the mood board, as artist and educator Camilo Godoy guides participants through the process of creating 3-D forms that can liven up their interiors from mid-air. You’ll have to supply the suggested materials yourself (click through to see the list), but the instruction and inspiration are free.

Price: Free with registration
Time: 1 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

—Tim Schneider

Saturday, August 22—Monday, September 7

Orion Martin, Twirl (2020). Image courtesy Bodega.

7. “Open Air” organized by Tong Art Advisory in East Hampton

Many up-and-coming artists saw their shows get cancelled or delayed as a result of the lockdown. This show, organized by Tong Art Advisory inside an open-air garage space in East Hampton, aims to give them a boost. Around 15 emerging and mid-career artists, ranging in age from 22 to 35, contributed works, most of which are brand new. Ten percent of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to a charity of the artist’s choice.

Location: 4-10 Sherrill-Fosters Path, East Hampton
Price: Free
Time: Wednesday–Sunday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.; Monday–Tuesday, by appointment. (Must practice social distancing, mask required.)

–Eileen Kinsella