‘Spirit of Harlem’ by artist Louis Del Sarte on Frederick Douglass Blvd at 125th Street in Harlem
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Libertation Day, celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation of 1865. It is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end to slavery in the United States. While much of our City is still under COVID-19 restrictions, our community celebrates in thoughtful walks, marches, and online, virtually. Here are a few ways to celebrate Juneteenth 2020 in New York, beginning with the One Million March.
Image pictured is the 2019 George Gray Award winner, “Guardians of the Puerto Rican Coast,” by Robert Selby. Image courtesy The Salmagundi Club
As New York City moves to step beyond the restrictions of COVID19, it is only appropriate that the Salmagundi Club re-opens its main floor gallery on June 29 with an exhibition of works depicting the United States Coast Guard, first responders in their own right.
Black Public Media (BPM) is celebrating 40 years of showing the world that #blacklivesmatter by bringing Black content creators and their stories to the forefront for audiences across all screens.
As the organization takes stock of its four decades-long history, it is releasing the BPM 40 for 40 Media Game Changers, a list recognizing 40 individuals and organizations that, like BPM, have helped keep Black voices and Black stories present in the media and shaped the modern-day landscape of independent, Black film and television.
Rendering of proposed design by artist Thomas Denny for Trinity Church. Image bia MBB/ NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
On June 2, 2020, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission will review proposals from Trinity Church and Murphy Burnham & Buttrick (MBB) Architects to replace its multi-story stained glass window located above the entrance with a commissioned stained glass window designed by British stained glass artist Thomas Denny.
Artist, Gayle Madeira, ‘Winter Clementine’, oil 6 x 6 in. Image courtesy of the Artist and Salmagundi Club
Online Viewing Rooms and our local Parks, large and small, have supported our efforts to stay healthy and positive during this difficult time. As we prepare for reopening June 8th, we continue with these creative ways to connect. June brings with it more than 40 art installations, performances and online exhibits to add to your list, as well as many Online Viewing Rooms & Tours still on view. Continue reading “Art Installations, Performances & Exhibits in our Parks + Online ~ June, 2020”→
Eight New York City museums are joining together to create the first ever day-long virtual Museum Mile Festival on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, from 9 am to 9 pm. Throughout the day, each museum will host live and pre-recorded programs, virtual exhibition tours, live musical performances, and activities for families streamed across their respective websites and social media platforms. Culture enthusiasts from around the world will now be able to join New Yorkers, during this unprecedented moment, and enjoy the festival.
The World is Full of Endless Things: Saul Leiter’s New Yorkis now in the Online Viewing Room at Howard Greenberg Gallery New York. The exhibition is a wonderful ode to New York, exploring Leiter’s nearly seventy-years in a City he loved ~ and in particular, the East Village where he lived beginning in 1952.
His mother gave him his first camera at age 12, and this seed planted bloomed at age 23, when he left theology school and moved to New York City. Aside from street photography, Leiter worked as a fashion photographer for twenty years, publishing in such well-known publications as Elle, Vogue, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar, to name just a few.
Image of Mayor Edward Koch who was the originator of the Percent for Art Program, along with Bess Myerson and the artist, Jorge Luis Rodriguez at ribbon cutting for ‘Growth’ in 1985 in the Art Park. Image via New York City Percent for Art courtesy of the Artist
On June 26th, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs will celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Percent for Art Program, and its first art installation, Growth, by sculpture artist, Jorge Luis Rodriguez. Here are some wonderful images of the artist and Growth as it was being created, and a few thoughts on this historic occasion by the artist when we visited his studio in May, 2020.
Roz Chast at Museum of the City of New York at the entrance to her exhibition in 2016
As we look forward to Roz Chast in Conversation with Lester Burg this month, it reminds us of the artists’ 2016 exhibition at The Museum of the City of New York ~ Memoirs.
Join Drawing America for a conversation with Roz Chast, The New Yorker staff cartoonist, to hear how she draws humor from these unprecedented times we all find ourselves in, especially here in New York. Ms. Chast will present a slideshow of drawings she has created since the pandemic began. Following the presentation, she will be in conversation with Lester Burg, former Deputy Director of the MTA’s Art and Design program in New York City. Continue reading “It’s Roz Chast in Conversation with Lester Burg ~ May 24, 2020”→
Pat Steir: Artist, a documentary film directed by Veronica Gonzalez Peña about the life of legendary artist Pat Steir, will be released on Apple TV, Prime Video, and other digital platforms as well as DVD on June 9, 2020.
Mark Battista, Flight of Inspiration, 2020. Digital Photography. 14 × 11 × 1 in 35.6 × 27.9 × 2.5 cm. $450.
The SCNY Photography Show has been unveiled in The Galleries at Salmagundi online viewing room in the Artsy Showroom. The works are presented by Salmagundi Club photographer members. Below are just a few of what will be on view, with the full collection at The Galleries at Salmagundi.
Michaelangelo Lovelace, Untitled, 2008. Ink one paper. 8.5 x 11 in. ML209.. Image courtesy Fort Gansevoort Gallery
Beginning Thursday, May 28, Fort Gansevoort will present Nightshift, an exhibition of drawings by Michelangelo Lovelace (b. 1960), composed from the bedsides and common areas of nursing homes throughout Cleveland, Ohio, where he has worked for over 30 years as a nurse’s aide while pursuing his artistic practice.
The Arsenal (Central Park) image credit: Daniel Avila/NYC Parks
#GoingGreenForParkies ~ Empire State Building and Other City Landmarks to Go Green in honor of Parks Workers on May 21st ~ a day when New York City will salute Park workers around the World with green lights and by wearing green, and In a show of support, San Francisco’s City Hall, Coit Tower, and Conservatory; Australia’s Royal Botanic Garden Sydney; and the Con Edison tower all lit green for parkies.
Rendering of proposed mural at the Jewish Museum (Courtesy of the Jewish Museum)
The Jewish Museum hopes to display a multi-story mural installed at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 92nd Street with the neon-blue message, ‘All the Stars in the Sky have the Same Face‘. It was originally designed in 2011 by American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner, with lettering in Hebrew, Arabic and English.
Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced an online Early Warning Dashboard to monitor virus containment. The dashboard allows New Yorkers to see for themselves all of the state’s data tracking new infections and their severity, hospital capacity by region and other metrics. The early warning system dashboard was developed in consultation with internationally-known experts who have been advising New York State.
Artist, Gayle Madeira, ‘Winter Clementine’, oil 6 x 6 in. Image courtesy of the Artist and Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club Spring Auction, benefiting the historic club, has been rescheduled for June 19 at 4:00pm online. The works by artist members include all media from oil paintings, sculpture, fine-art graphics, and photography. This Event is a major fundraiser for the non-profit Salmagundi Club.
On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission held a virtual public hearing on the proposed Manida Street Historic District in Hunts Point. The Commission will schedule a vote at a public meeting to be held in June, 2020. Below is a brief history of this beautiful street.
2019 Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize Recipient: Sameer Al-Doumy Description: “A married couple drink coffee in the remains of their home in Souma.” Location: Syria. Courtesy Fotografisks
Fotografiska New York, the photography museum located in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, announced today their partnership with United Nations Human Rights and David Clark Cause as the exclusive presenter of the annual Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize Competition and subsequent exhibitions.
On Monday May 18, 2020 at 7:00pm, Harlem Stage, the legendary uptown performing arts venue will host an online premiere celebration on Facebook and Instagram in place of its annual spring gala. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Harlem Stage is forced to cancel its in person event but is pleased to premiere a virtual event to be enjoyed by all arts and culture lovers.
Artist Margaret Short, ‘Joker in the Tulip Bed’, 2020; Oil on Linen; 13 x 14 in.; 33 x 35.6 cm. Annual Members’ Exhibition in Galleries at Salmagundi online at the Artsy Showroom
Museums and galleries have shut their doors, but not their commitment to art and the artists they represent. Online Viewing Rooms have been popping up due to the ban on public gatherings, and parks and public spaces have become a respite for New Yorkers getting a breath of fresh air and enjoying a bit of open space. Here are more than 30 outdoor art installations, online performances and exhibitions to enjoy in May + a host of great viewing from past months.
COVID-19 has created a swift economic downturn for large and small businesses alike. We have seen tremendous unemployment and a volatile stock market – not unlike the Great Depression in 1929 ~ with so many New Yorkers loosing their businesses and their savings. A remnant of the Great Depression still exists in the Bronx. We thought it a good time to take a look back at the history of The Andrew Freedman Home.
Artist Shuk Susan Lee, “Fiesta In Panama” 2020, pastel, 16 x 19 x 3/10″; 40.6 x 48.3 x 3.3 cm.
The Galleries at Salmagundi unveiled its Annual Members’ Exhibition in the Artsy Showroom. The online exhibition showcases its club members’ finest works of art in all media ~ oil, watercolor, pastel, graphics, sculpture, photography and mixed media.
Kerstin Brätsch: Fossil Psychics for Christa, 2020
Kerstin Braetsch’s most recent works, titled Fossil Psychics for Christa, are brightly-colored, three dimensional stuccos, hovering between the realms of painting and sculpture. Stucco is a form of plaster, historically used to imitate marble and other rare stones. “It’s about extending painting,” Braetsch has explained of what drives her work, “following the logic of my brushstroke but in a different language.” With this material, Braetsch creates “paintings” that appear ancient, like the result of geologic phenomena. Created with the assistance of master artisan Valter Cipriani, they resemble brushstrokes and monsters, regular motifs in Braetsch’s oeuvre. These impossible objects are physically immediate, almost demanding to be touched, as well as deeply mysterious, like fossils transported here from another, less corporeal realm. Step into the Online Viewing Room at Gavin Brown’s enterprise for the exhibition, Kerstin Brätsch: Fossil Psychics for Christa.
Carol Crawford, The Secret Life of Flowers, Mixed media construction, 25″ h x 31″ w x 5″ d, $2,500. Image courtesy of the artist and Atlantic Gallery
Atlantic Gallery opened its Online Viewing Room to the exhibition, Future (Perfect). In an effort to do their part and help our amazing city get through this tough time, Atlantic Gallery members have decided to donate 20% of all sales to the UNITED WAY NYC: Covid19 Community Response & Recovery Fund.
The historic Harlem-based theater is resuming its 51st season with the launch of a new initiative called NBT@Home: Uplifting Communal Resilience on Wednesday, April 22, at 5:30 p.m. ET on its Facebook page and Facebook Live. NBT@Home is a new, free five-part weekly digital series that will present curated, hour-long artist discussions on subjects including the arts and health in the Black community and beyond.
Look for NBT@Home on Wednesday, April 29th, May 6th, May 13th, May 20th.
Broadway Bouquet via Terrain Work will be located at the Flatiron car-free location at 23rd street. 2018.
Today is Earth Day 2020 ~ a year when we will contemplate our environment from the safety of our homes. In past years, we have celebrated the day in all five boroughs, with car-free spaces for educational kiosks, music, performances, art ~ runs, walks, fitness classes, biking + more. Let’s take a look back at just a few Earth Day events in the Garment District to Flatiron District and Times Square in 2018 and 2019.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is closed due to COVID-19, but the Museum invites all to step into a seven-part virtual tour, displaying more than 2,100 artworks.
(above) Access Mars allows any member of the public to explore the discoveries of NASA’s Curiosity rover. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
You have the time, so why not take the ultimate day-trip ~ to Mars. Starting April, 2020, everyone can get a taste of what that feels like. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, collaborated with Google to produce Access Mars, a free immersive experience. It’s available for use on all desktop and mobile devices and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) headsets. That includes mobile-based virtual reality devices on Apple and Android. Buckle up!
Messages of love, gratitude and solidarity from Times Square Arts, Poster House, Print Magazine and For Freedoms
Times Square Arts, Poster House, Print Magazine, and For Freedoms have launched a citywide public art campaign featuring artist-designed PSAs and messages of love, gratitude, and solidarity with New York City’s health care and essential workers. Radiating out from the screens of Times Square to the digital billboards above Lincoln Tunnel and nearly 1800 LinkNYC kiosks across all five boroughs, the initiative turns our city’s digital displays into platforms of public service and appreciation through the lens of established and emerging graphic designers and visual artists from around the world.
Carl Van Vechten, Allen Meadows, c. 1940. Image courtesy Keith de Lellis Gallery
Keith de Lellis Gallery celebrates the portraiture of Carl Van Vechten (American, 1880-1964) in its spring exhibition in the Online Viewing Room. Van Vechten moved to New York City from Chicago in 1906 to pursue a writing career (he would become the first American critic of modern dance while contributing to the New York Times) before dedicating himself to photography.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an ambitious program providing free meals to all New Yorkers in need during the COVID-19 crisis. To this end, the Mayor named Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia to the post of COVID-19 Food Czar. Her job ~ to make sure that no New Yorker goes hungry.
A new documentary on Bill Cunningham aired on Amazon Prime this year, shadowing the famed photographer on the streets of the city he loved, and in the iconic building where he lived much of his professional life ~ Carnegie Hall Studios ~ next door to another famed photographer, Editta Sherman.
Here, we take a look-back at Editta’s life and portrait work, which was on view at the New York Historical Society in a 2017 exhibition, The Duchess of Carnegie Hall: Photographs by Editta Sherman
Carl Mydans, Untitled, c.1936, Gelatin silver print; printed later, 16 x 20 inches, Mounted. Signed in in on mount recto. $8,000.00. Image courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery
Depicting challenges impoverished Americans were enduring at the time, with photographs by Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Gordon Parks, among others, the exhibition, One Third of a Nation: The Photographs of the Farm Security Administration, demonstrates the extraordinary power of photography to define an era and inspire social change. Although the exhibition was planned months before the current pandemic situation, the images now take on a new relevance. The exhibition is now in the Howard Greenberg Gallery Viewing Room.
Albanese Meats and Poultry Shop, 238 Elizabeth Street, NYC
Moe the Butcher, the much-loved owner of Albanese Meats and Poultry passed away today, April 8, 2020, just shy of his 96th birthday. Moe Albanese has been running the shop since he took it over in 1954 from his Mother, who ran the shop that she and her husband, Moe’s Father, opened in 1923.
The much loved Fifth Avenue Easter Stroll will be put on a shelf this year, as New Yorkers work through the difficulties and hardships caused by the Coronavirus. This year, during Easter Week, we take a look back at some of our favorite strolls, and New Yorkers strutting their stuff.
Ki Smith Gallery will not be physically opening its doors to the exhibition, Base 12: Don’t Call It a Comeback due to coronavirus. However the artists in this group exhibition announced that they will participating in the Fight Coronavirus & Artist Aid online auction, organized by Christie’s Corporate Social Responsibility program.
New Visions: VICE, an exhibition and editorial series showcasing photographers from around the world.
Fotografiska New York, the Manhattan-based photography museum, introduces the launch of The Foto Sessions; a new digital exhibition space created to showcase incredible photography while the world stays at home. In light of COVID-19 events, the museum has temporarily closed its doors, but will continue to spotlight both aspiring and accomplished photographers via the online destination. The content hub will feature virtual galleries, artist interviews and profiles, audio recordings from previous live events, and community photography submissions, all designed to bring the museum and its signature programming into living rooms across the globe.
In addition, the new program, Fotographers (in) Focus will flip the camera on the photographers, framing them as the subjects that provoke and sustain creative curiosity in online video interviews.
The Rubin Museum of Art is sending out an online ‘Rubin Care Package’ of art and practices for navigating our world in this time of instability and feeling of global community fear, loss, isolation and stress. Take refuge in the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room.
Adapting to changing times, The Apollo Theater will hold auditions for its new season via online submissions.
For the first time in its 86 year history, the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night auditions will be conducted exclusively through online submissions, for the summer and fall 2020-21 season.
Installation image of ‘Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s.’ Photo: Nicholas Papananias, Courtesy Grey Art Gallery, New York University
Pilar Trujillo, Desayuno sobre la hierba, 2015. Tapestry (burlap embroidery with wool), 73 x 61 in. Courtesy of the Artist and Fort Gansevoort
Fort Gansevoort Gallery will open its online window, announcing SEEING THROUGH YOU, a series of weekly online exhibitions organized for the gallery by invited curators and scholars. Launching with its first exhibition on Thursday, March 26, 2020, this initiative will highlight artists from around the globe and aim to initiate lively discourse among larger and more diverse audiences for whom the web and social media are an even more vital ‘salon space’ in a time of crisis.
Museums and galleries have shut their doors, but not their commitment to art and the artists they represent. Online Viewing Rooms have been popping up due to the ban on public gatherings, and parks and public spaces have become a respite for New Yorkers getting a breath of fresh air and enjoying a bit of space. Here is a list of some online viewing, free and available to the public now, and beginning in April, 2020. We will continue to add content, as more exhibitions open their doors online.
We appreciate museums and galleries offering free content online, along with new virtual gallery exhibitions. Hauser & Wirth New York will launch the online exhibition, Louise Bourgeois. Drawings 1947-2007, on March 25, 2020.
From past performances, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, image courtesy NYTF on Facebook
In a time of great anxiety, several of our museums, galleries and educational institutions are stepping up with free online programming. The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, who brought us ‘Fiddler on the Roof‘ in Yiddish, has stepped up with ‘Folksbiene LIVE!’, a social media performance series. Can’t get to Broadway? Check out the online stage at Folksbiene! Live.
New York City Parks have a plethora of outdoor art installations throughout all five boroughs. It may come to pass that our City is put under a ‘shelter-in-place’ order. But in the meantime, a nice long walk and some fresh air and exercise might be good for mind and soul. Here are a few suggestions, keeping in mind that some of the installations are temporary, and coming to an end as soon as the end of this month.
Gordon Hookey, GH001, Pelvis Deadly, 2005, Oil on canvas, 48 x 66.25 inches
Fort Gansevoort Gallery will open its doors to Sacred Nation, Scared Nation, the first solo exhibition in the United States for noted Brisbane-based Waanyi Aboriginal artist Gordon Hookey (b. 1961, Cloncurry, Australia). Hookey uses metaphors, wordplay, and humor – sometimes brazenly provocative – to subvert tropes of English colonialization and to reclaim, empower, and redefine Aboriginal culture. Eschewing the traditional dot abstraction most commonly associated with indigenous Australian art, Hookey deploys deceptively folksy figuration and bold painted words in paintings that connect Black Aboriginal experience to that of African Americans.
NYC Parks + The Battery Conservancy. Photo credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today joined The Battery Conservancy President Warrie Price, Manhattan Deputy Borough President Matthew Washington, City Council Member Margaret Chin, Community Board 1 Vice Chair Tammy Meltzer, and community members to break ground on The Battery Playscape reconstruction project.
