Art Nerd NY’s top art, architecture, and design event picks – 7/13-7/19
Art Nerd New York founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers!
This week, party it up at PS1 Moma’s Night at the Museum, then get to the roots of the salsa movement in New York with the Museum of the City of New York’s walking tour. The Center for Architecture leads a tour about the space-age architecture of the 1964 World’s Fair, and the Design Trust for Public Space hosts a potluck at the park outside of the Holland Tunnel. Speaking of public space, Madison Square Park’s art installation will be the scene to experience yoiking, a northern Norwegian practice of channeling animal spirits with the voice. Interesting. Then, this weekend is all about outdoor festivals. Head to Governors Island for free kayaking, boating and fun for City of Water Day, or to the Rubin Museum for their annual free block party. Finally, Bar Tabac shuts down Smith Street in Brooklyn to celebrate Bastille Day—a French festival of food, drinks, and petanque!
Design Trust’s Public Space Potluck
Freeman Plaza East, Varick Street between Watts and Broome Streets
Thursday, July 13, 6:00-7:30pm
Celebrate the public space reclamation around Holland Tunnel, while mingling with design enthusiasts and sharing a meal. Hudson Square Connection President Ellen Baer and Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects Principal Signe Nielsen, RLA, FASLA, will discuss how the transformation took place and the design strategies that were used to create an oasis in such an unlikely place. Bring a small dish to share.
Night at the Museum: Past Skin
MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue
Thursday, July 13, 8:00pm-11:59pm
Get a better view of the museum’s two light installations—James Turrell’s Meeting sunset program and Jenny Sabin Studio’s glowing Lumen—during its after hours party which will include DJs, food, drinks, and performance. Jillian Mayer, MSHR, and Hannah Levy (in collaboration with choreographer Phoebe Berglund) will present a series of “simulated happenings” throughout the evening, in an attempt to distort and synthesize boundaries between reality and the surreal.
In the Steps of Salsa Walking Tour
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 5th Avenue
Friday, July 14, 3:00pm
Expand on MCNY’s current exhibition, Rhythm & Power: Salsa in New York, by seeing where it all happened. Put on your walking shoes and join Elena Martinez, a folklorist at City Lore, for a two-mile walk to explore the music venues, theaters, and social clubs that fostered the nascent dance movement.
City of Water Day
Governors Island, Colonel’s Row
Saturday, July 15, 10:00am-4:00pm
For the tenth year, The Waterfront Alliance’s annual City of Water Day encourages New Yorkers to open our eyes to the beauty and possibility of our waterfronts. Joining a fair on dry land, the day includes free boat tours on all kinds of vessels, from tall ships to tugboats; free rowing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, and the highly anticipated Con Edison Cardboard Kayak Race!!
Prismatic Park: Ánde Somby
Madison Square Park, 11 Madison Avenue
Saturday, July 15, 12:00-1:00pm, and again 6:00-7:00pm
You’ve probably never heard of yoiking, a Northern Norwegian practice of bringing one’s voice to the edge of its capabilities in order to channel the spirit of the animal world, but today you can experience it twice right here in New York City. As part of his artist’s residency at Blank Forms, Somby will perform amidst Josiah McElheny’s Prismatic Park throughout the month.
Remembering the Future: Architecture at the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair ↑
Meet in front of Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows
Sunday, July 16, 12:30-2:30pm
The Center for Architecture hosts this offsite walking tour of the innovative “Space Age” architecture if the World’s Fair, including Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion, Wallace Harrison’s Hall of Science, and modern sculpture by Peter Muller Monk, Donald, le Duc, Jose de Rivera, and others, while commemorating the 50th anniversary of that memorable, controversial exposition.
Bar Tabac’s Bastille Day Celebration
Bar Tabac, 128 Smith Street, Brooklyn
Sunday, July 16, 12:00-6:00pm
Bastille Day may be the 14th, but Smith Street is partying into the weekend. Join in on the celebration which will include a game of Petanque, music, amazing food, cold beverages, and the summer sun. 20,000 attendees will once again mill about the booths of local businesses and chow down on Bar Tabac specialties.
Rubin Museum Block Party
150 West 17th Street
Sunday, July 16, 1:00-4:00pm
The annual family-fun (and free) block party is back, celebrating the exhibition “The World Is Sound.” Spend the day noshing on Himalayan snacks, live performances such as The Blue Angels Drumline, Silent Disco, meditation spaces and a bevy of workshops.
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Lori Zimmer is a writer, curator, and founder of Art Nerd New York, an off-beat art history guide to the city. Lori is also the author of two books, The Art of Cardboard: Big Ideas for Creativity, Collaboration, Storytelling, and Reuse and The Art of Spray Paint. Follow her on Twitter @ArtNerdNY or Instagram @TheLoriZimmer
