CLASSES
Art Portfolio Development Class For Teens
Designed for middle and high school students wanting to attend specialized art high schools and colleges. Students will work with artist and educator Miki Iwamura to develop a strong body of work to present with their application. Class runs for 8 Sats. Sept. 8 – Nov. 3. Program fee is $270. Financial aid is available. Fee includes materials. 10 am – 1 pm at the Battery Park City Parks Meeting Room at the Verdesian, 211 N. End Ave. For more information and to register, call 212-267-9700.
The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy
is sponsoring a number of classes for adults through October 31. Participants work in color and/or black and white, rendering subjects of their own choice in a variety of media. “Elements of Nature Drawing” takes place in the gardens of Wagner Park. (Instructed by Enid Braun.) “Figure Al Fresco” and “Drawing in the Park” take place at the South Cove (access: West Thames St.) and “Volleyball After Work” and “Tai Chi” at Esplanade Plaza (access: Liberty St.) All classes are free. For more info, call 212 267 9700 or visit www.bpcparks.org.
DANCE
Choreographing Space
is an interdisciplinary collaboration presented by Eva Perez de Vega Steele and Ian Gordon that explores the intersection of architecture, dance, and moving image. Collaborators include: Kim Jones, Blakely White-McGuire, Yana Schnitzler, Esther Eiras, Arielle Javitch, David Potaux-Razel, Maia Sørensen, Eva Perrotta, Saskia Hannemann, Kristina Skjelberg, Atsuko Yagi and Robert Boston. Performances will be held at 6pm every Sat. until Sept.15. Free. 145 Nassau St. (btw Spruce & Beekman). www.epdvs.com/choreographingspace.html
Evening Stars: Ballet Hispanico
“Palladium Nights”New York City ’s largest free outdoor dance series returns to Battery Park with world class dance companies, co-presented with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and The Joyce Theater. This performance features Ballet Hispanico in Willy Rosario’s 2006 work “Palladium Nights” performed live to the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with Arturo O’Farrill. Sept. 6 at 7:30pm. Free.Battery Park. www.RivertoRiverNYC.com
SITELINES: States and Resemblances
Actor/photographer/video artist Ryutaro Mishima, Indonesian traditional dance and mask artist Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum, and choreographer/director Dean Moss combine shadow play, text, and dance. Through Sept. 6. Times vary. Free. The Elevated Acre, 55 Water St. 212-219-9401, www.rivertorivernyc.com.
EVENTS
Parents’ Network Breakfast
Parents, expectant parents and babies 0-12 months are invited to enjoy a monthly breakfast, share tips, seek advice and meet other new moms and dads. Organized through the Battery Park City Neighbors Association. Sept. 4 from 10-11:30 a.m. Free for BPCNA members and first timers. Applebee’s on Vesey St. Membership applications available at the event or at www.bpcnpa.com.
Sand, Salt and Spice
Create works of art using these three mediums. Use the colored sand to create underwater sea scenes and create works of art on paper with colored salt. Put your nose to work and take a spice smell test! Get a lesson in geography and world trade as families try to locate the countries where these spices originated. Create your own placemat designed with your favorite spice! Sept. 1, 12 – 3pm. Included with museum admission. $8 adults; $6 students/seniors; $4 children 5-12; children under 5 and Members free. South Street Seaport Musuem’s Peking Ship, Pier 16. 212.748.8786, www.southstseaport.org.
Sandy Hook Beach Express
Enjoy breathtaking views and famous sites along the NY and Jersey waterfront on a 40-min cruise to all that Sandy Hook has to offer – including beaches, swimming, biking, hiking, fishing, bird watching, windsurfing, picnicking, nature walks and more. 3 departure times every Sat. and Sun. On Labor Day, Sandy Hook Beach Express departs from South Street Seaport’s Pier 16 at 9:20am, 11:20am and 1:20pm. Adv tckts are $29 round-trip for adults and $20 ages 4-12. 1.866.9CLINE1, www.circlelinedowntown.com.
Summer Reading Extravaganza
Take 30% off all books and music in the store! Sept. 1 – 3. Housing Works Book Café, 126 Crosby St (btw Prince and Houston Sts). 212-334-3324, www.housingworks.org.
EXHIBITS
Beauty Surrounds Us
This exhibition of 77 works from the museum’s collection features an elaborate Quechua girl’s dance outfit, a Northwest Coast chief’s staff with carved animal figures and crest designs, Seminole turtle shell dance leggings, a conch shell trumpet from pre-Columbian Mexico, a Navajo saddle blanket, and an Inupiak (Eskimo) ivory cribbage board. The exhibition includes two interactive media stations, at which visitors may access in-depth descriptions of each object and, through virtual imaging technology, view and rotate a selection of the objects to examine them more closely. Through Fall 2008.Listening to Our Ancestors: The Art of Native Life Along the North Pacific CoastAn exhibition from 11 Native communities of more than 400 objects—including ceremonial masks, carvings, clothing, baskets and tools. Sections are assembled by curators from the Coast Salish, Makah, Nuu-chah-nulth,
Kwakwak’wakw
Heiltsuk, Tsimshian, Gitxsan, Nisga’a, Haida, and Tlingit communities. Through July 20, 2008. Show is currently in previews and opens on Sept. 12. Free. Off the Map: Landscape in the Native ImaginationNative Americans explore the idea of landscape and its multiple meanings in this new group show featuring work by Jeffrey Gibson, Carlos Jacanamijoy, James Lavadour, Erica Lord and Emmi Whitehorse. Through Sept. 3. Free. National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, 1 Bowling Green, 212-514-3700, www.AmericanIndian.si.edu.
Alexander Calder in New York
is the artist’s first-ever multi-work sculpture exhibition in New York City’s public spaces. An engineer by training, Calder’s works speak of his ability to work with industrial materials and also “demonstrate his joyful imagination, his sense of harmony and balance, and his lifelong interest in color, abstraction, scale and anthropomorphism.” Through Fall 2007. City Hall Park, Lower Manhattan, bordered by Broadway, Chambers St., Centre St. & Park Row.
From the Heart: The Photojournalism of Ruth Gruber
This exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage celebrates the life’s work of the 95-year-old journalist and activist. Through Oct.Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the HolocaustThis large-scale exhibition, presented in association with Ghetto Fighters’ House, Israel, brings to light the stories of men, women, and children who defied the Nazis. Through July 2008. $10 adults/$7 seniors/$5 students. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place, 646-437-4202, www.mjhnyc.org.
If These Walls Could Talk: 54 Pearl Street
As Manhattan’s oldest surviving building, 54 Pearl Street has witnessed nearly three centuries of the city’s history. Built as a home by Stephen Delancey,a Huguenot refugee turned successful merchant, in 1719, 54 Pearl Street represented the commercial, multi-cultural nature of early New York. Until Dec. 31, 2008. $4 general, $3 seniors and children under 18, and free to children under 6. Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl St. 212-425-1776, www.frauncestavernmuseum.com.
Nadia Gould, “A Retrospective”
An exhibition of paintings influenced by calligraphy and Tibetan tankas is sponsored by the New York Downtown Hospital, the only hospital in Lower Manhattan. Works are priced between $650 and $1800. Through Oct. 12. Free and open to the public. NYDH Lehman Brothers Emergency Center Lobby, 83 Gold St (at Spruce St). www.downtownhospital.org.
Shalom Neuman, “Amerika”
This series by a fusion art pioneer explores this country’s iconography and culture as reflected through “portraits” of its people. Sept. 6-18. Reception on Sept. 6, 6pm-midnight. Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard St. (btw Delancey and Rivington Sts). www.gallerybarnyc.com.
Policing a Changed City
chronicles how the NYPD has used new technology, community outreach, and intelligence gathering to fight crime and terrorism since 9-11. Ongoing. $5 suggested donation, $3 seniors, $2 children 6 – 12. New York City Police Museum, 100 Old Slip (btw South & Water Sts). 212-480-3100, www.nycpolicemuseum.org.
Scenes from the Bible
In this exhibit,11 contemporary artists speak through the Hebrew Bible about themselves and their ideas concerning religion, culture, sex, psychology, history, and art. Artists include John Bradford, Simon Carr, Lynda Caspe, Marcia Clark, Stan Fein, Ora Lerman, Richard McBee, John Servetas, Jack Silberman, David Wander, and Malcah Zeldis. Curated by Lynda Caspe. Sept. 6 thru Oct. 21. Reception Sept. 6, 6-8pm. Synagogue for the Arts Gallery Space, 49 White St (btw Bway & Church). 212.966.7141.
Soho Photo
Solo exhibitions include Eva Marosy-Weide’s “In All Probability,” Raphel Senzamici’s “Moon Works,” Robert Dahl’s “Now and Then: Lisbon,” and “Memories of Robert Borsuk: A Tribute Exhibit.” Spotlight exhibitions include Marius Zgirdea’s “My Nest” and “The Pain of the Twin Towers,” and John Chang’s “World Trade Center in the Clouds.” Guest exhibitor is Brian Jones, whose show is entitled “Concealed and Revealed.” Sept. 6 – 29. Opening reception on Sept. 6, 6-8pm. Soho Photo, 15 White St (btw 6th Ave & W. Bway). 212-226-8571, www.sohophoto.com.
There Once Was a Neighborhood: The Lower East Side, 1937-1950
Photographs taken by Rebecca Lepkoff capture the lives and times of a vibrant, close-knit and functional multi-ethnic community. These images uncover a forgotten time and place and reveal how the Lower Eat Side has both stayed the same and changed forever. Ongoing. $8 general admission, $6 seniors/students, $4 children 5 – 12, under 5s are free. South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St (btw Front & South Sts). 212-748-8786, www.southstseaport.org.
World’s Tallest Building: Burj Dubai
Construction on Burj Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is scheduled for completion in 2008. Although its exact altitude remains a secret, the spire that stretches above its 160 stories will climb to at least 2300 feet, nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building. The exhibition features architectural models, drawings and computer animations, wind-tunnel models, and construction photographs and videos. Through Sept. $5 general, $2.50 seniors/students. The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Pl (btw Little West St & 1st Pl). 212-968-1961, www.skyscraper.org.
MUSIC
Live Music at the Ketch
Musicians Maija Kupris and Chris Palmerini will perform a variety of musical genres. Sept. 6, 5-8pm. Free. 181 Pearl St. 212-422-1965.
Frankie Morales Mambo of the Times Orchestra
Enjoying the distinction of being the last singer of the Tito Puente Orchestra, Morales delivers a high-energy concert that showcases his talents and dexterity. Sept. 6 at 7pm. Free. Battery Park City’s Wagner Park (Battery Place btw West St & First Pl). www.rivertorivernyc.com.
Seaport Music: Battles and Deerhunter
New York’s own Battles currently produce some of the most intense and hypnotic experimental music around, while Atlanta’s Deerhunter have slowly emerged as one of the best new bands of the year, fresh off the release of their stunning debut album, “Cryptograms.” This is an outstanding double-bill. Aug. 31 at 7pm. Free. South Street Seaport, Pier 17. 212-SEAPORT.
TALKS & READINGS
Comedy & Tragedy: Tales of Preserving the City’s Historic Theaters
This Historic Districts Council lecture will focus on NYC’s theaters—their architectural significance and unique histories. From Broadway’s designated landmarks to the neglected theaters of the other boros with unknown fates, this panel will cover all aspects of theater history in NY. Speakers include Cezar Del Vall, architectural historian and guide Tony Robins and terra-cotta specialist Susan Tunick. Sept. 6 at 6:30pm. $15, $10 for Friends of HDC. SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam St. 212-614-9107, www.hdc.org.
Fiction Book Club
meets the first Mon. of every month, at 7pm in the poetry section. The next book, for Sept. 3, is “The Key” by Junichiro Tanizaki.First Tuesday Series: Damon LinkerHosted by author and activist Mark Crispin Miller, this monthly series features authors whose books tackle political issues from a stance outside the mainstream. Damon Linker traces the rise of conservatism among both Protestant and Catholic Christians in his new book “The Theocons,” arguing that some have a growing and dangerous influence on the Republican Party and the separation of church and state. Join a conversation about American religion and politics. Sept. 4 at 7pm.
FreeKids Story Time with Arts and Crafts
Kids ages 2 to 7 are invited to listen to a reading from one of our favorite picture books. The reading is sometimes presented by a local children’s book author, and at other times by children’s book staff. Story time will be followed by guided crafts and activities. Every Saturday at noon. Free.New Stories from the South2007 marks the series’ 22nd edition, which aims to be an “enduring celebration of the short story.” Edward P. Jones, this year’s editor, won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Known World.” Jones will speak about his work and introduce 2 new talents, Joshua Ferris and Angela Threatt, who have stories published in the anthology. Hosted by the National Book Critics Circle. Sept. 6 at 7pm. Free.Upper North Side Series: Vincent LamThis series, in cooperation with the Canadian Consulate, highlights the best of Canadian literature and culture. A runaway Canadian bestseller, Lam’s “Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures” won the 2006 Giller Prize — Canada’s premier literary honor. Lam, a practicing physician in Toronto, tells the story of 4 medical students with compassion and sometimes gruesome humor, revealing the human face behind the doctor’s mask. Sept. 5 at 7pm. McNally Robinson Booksellers, 52 Prince St. (btw Lafayette & Mulberry). 212-274-1160, www.mcnallyrobinsonnyc.com.
THEATER
Absinthe
The most sultry acro-burlesque variety show in town featuring seductive artists performing amazing feats of balance, strength and danger with unfathomable flexibility. Through Sept. 30. Showtimes vary, call for details. Tickets are $50, $55 and $69.La VieTheatro-batic show filled with aerial acrobatics, wild characters and wicked music. Through Sept. 30. Showtimes vary, call for details. Tickets are $25 and $55. Spiegelworld at the Fulton Fish Market, South St under the Brooklyn Bridge. 212-279-4200, www.spiegelworld.com.
Caged
is a short film about animals in captivity that deals with the feeling of being trapped and wanting to find a new way to escape. Dates vary through Sept. 2.
The Error of Their Ways
looks at a society fractured by a lack of belief in anything meaningful and everyone has something to protest against. Through Sept. 2. Shows are part of the American Living Room Festival In its 18th year, this festival supports the development of new, multi-disciplinary works and artists in a setting that strives to make theatre as much a part of everyday life as watching TV. All performances are at 8:30pm. Tickets are $15 ($10 for donors).
FringeNYC Encore Series
will present a dozen works in rotating repertory at two downtown venues: Soho Playhouse and The Theatres at 45 Bleecker. Selected shows have either been audience favorites, lauded by critics, or both. Through Sept. 16. Tickets $18. www.fringenyc-encores.com.
Pornographic Angel
A world premiere theater production based on short stories by Nelson Rodrigues, one of Brazil’s most acclaimed playwrights. The Lord Strange Company and Tantrum Theater present this 80-min performance that opens the celebration of Brazilian Independence Day. Sept 6 thru 30. Times vary. Tickets $20. Ohio Theatre, 66 Wooster St. www.smarttix.com.
Removable Parts
In the name of love, how far would you go? The unrequited lover in this new musical contemplates voluntary amputation through hilarious pop songs. Composed and performed by Corey Dargel with pianist Kathleen Supové. This duet playfully exposes the disastrous relationship between a broken heart and a mind willing to give into its logic. Sept. 6 – 15 at 7pm. $20 general, $15 students. HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave (btw Spring and Broome, entrance on Dominick). 212-352-3101, www.here.org.
Voices of the Town—A Vaudeville Salute!
Vaudeville came to NY in the 1880’s, took root in the musical halls of Lower Manhattan, and provided a route out of poverty and a measure of quality to immigrants and minorities, especially women and African-Americans. With song and dance, this show portrays some of the vaudeville greats, including Sophie Tucker, Mae West, Bert Williams and Florence Mills. Written and directed by Melba LaRose. Presented by NY Artists Unlimited, in association with MTP-Montauk Theatre Productions and Shooting Star Theatre. Sept. 7 at 7pm. Reservations required. $9 members/$10 non-members. At the South Street Seaport Museum’s Melville Gallery, 213 Water St. 212.748.8786, reservations@southstseaport.org.
TOURS
Confino Living History Tour
Perfect for kids and families, this “living history” apartment is based on the Sephardic-Jewish Confino family from Kastoria (once part of the Ottoman Empire, now in Greece). A costumed interpreter dressed as teenage Victoria Confino circa 1916 welcomes visitors as though they were newly arrived immigrants, teaching them how to adapt to America. Visitors can touch any items in the apartment. One hour. Fridays at 1pm & 2pm, Sat. and Sun. at noon, 1, 2 & 3pm.Lower East Side Stories: Walking TourIn collaboration with local residents, the museum has created a 90-minute walking tour that looks at the neighborhood’s past and present, focusing on specific sites in both historical and contemporary contexts. Sat. and Sun. 1 and 3pm. $17 adults, $13 students, and $3 seniors. The Tenement Museum, 108 Orchard St. 212-431-0233, www.tenement.org.
East Village Walking Tours
Every Tues. thru Sun. at 11:00 a.m. (weather permitting). $12 per person, $8 for LES residents and guests. Meeting at the Astor Place “cube,” located on a traffic island in the middle of E 8th St. (btw Lafayette * 4th Ave.) For more info, visit https://eastvillagetours.com.
Harbor History Tour: North River
Enjoy a guided tour of the byways and backwaters of NY Harbor aboard a restored 1930 wooden tugboat. Sail around the Battery and head up the Hudson River. Sites include Chelsea Piers, 79th Street Boat Basin, George Washington Bridge, and Spuyten Duyvil. Sept. 1, 10am – 2pm.. $80 members / $100 non-members. Price includes a box lunch, beverage, and light refreshments. Depart from Pier 16 (behind the Peking) 10 min early. Reservations req. 212.748.8786, reservations@southstseaport.org.
Public Art Walking Tours
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council offers a series of 3 theme-based, self-guided audio tours exploring the meaning, reception and context of public art Downtown. Entitled “Art and Security,” “Art and the Body,” and “Monuments and Memory,” the 45-minute tours are narrated by Perry Garvin and William Smith. Simply download the tours to your iPod or other MP3 player and start walking. Free. www.lmcc.net.
Wall Street Walking Tour
Free 90-minute guided walking tour weaving together the history, events, architecture and people of Downtown. Thursdays and Saturdays at noon. Meet at the steps of the National Museum of the American Indian. One Bowling Green, Alliance for Downtown NY, 212-606-4064, www.downtownny.com
Listings Requests
for the Downtown Express may be mailed to Sarah Norris at 145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-1548 or e-mailed to listings@downtownexpress.com. Please include listings in the subject line of the e-mail and provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Information must be received two weeks before the event is to be published. Questions, call 646-452-2472.
States and Resemblances
Actor/photographer/video artist Ryutaro Mishima, Indonesian traditional dance and mask artist Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum, and choreographer Dean Moss combine shadow play, text, and dance. Through Sept. 6. at The Elevated Acre.
