Compiled by Scott Stiffler
AAJA TOWN HALL: CHINATOWN UNCOVERED
The Asian American Journalists Association and the Museum of Chinese in America are sponsoring a roundtable discussion, which brings together journalists who cover one of Downtown’s most vibrant communities. Together, they’ll explore what’s good, what’s bad and what’s missing in the coverage of Chinatown’s news, culture, arts and politics. Following the panel, AAJA will lead a discussion on solutions to help address these gaps. Fox-5 WNYW reporter Ti-Hua Chang will moderate. Confirmed panelists include Ed Litvak of The Lo-Down NY, former Sing Tao Daily reporter Cindy Liu, and Downtown Express Associate Editor John Bayles. Nov. 4, 6-9 pm (refreshments at 6, roundtable at 7). Free. At the Museum of Chinese in America (215 Centre St. btw. Howard & Grand Sts.). RSVP to bchen@mocanyc.org. For details, visit www.mocanyc.org/visit/events or call 212-619-4785.
VISUAL SENSATIONS: ROBERT SWAIN PAINTINGS
“Color is a form of energy derived from the electromagnetic spectrum that stimulates our perceptual processes and is instrumental in conveying emotions.” That’s what drives Robert Swain — both intellectually and in terms of what you see on the canvas. This particular collection (“Visual Sensations”) draws from work produced between 1967 and 2010. Through Nov. 14, at the Hunter College Times Square Gallery (MFA Building, 450 W. 41st St. btw. 9th and 10th Aves.). Free. Gallery hours: Tues.-Sat. from 1-6pm. For more info, visit www.robertswainnyc.com and www.hunter.cuny.edu/art/galleries.
POETS HOUSE
Their Battery Park City home has a 50,000-volume poetry library, a children’s room, a multimedia archive, a programming hall and a reading room. On Nov. 4 at 7pm, “A Nuyorican State of Mind” has poets and friends gathering to honor the life and work of seminal Nuyorican poet and playwright Pedro Pietri (1944–2004). Nov. 6 at 11am, “Poetry for Children: World Record Imaginations with Karen Benke” is a writing workshop in which young poets break impossible world records of their own invention (free). Nov. 18 at 7pm, “A Sweetness Buried in the Mind” has National Book Award–winning poet Gerald Stern reading from his just-published “Early Collected Poems 1965–199” and discussing his work with Ross Gay (author of the poetry collection “Against Which”). On Nov. 20, from 2:00–4:30pm, “The Lost Poetry of World War II” examines poems written in response to the bombing campaigns of World War II and contemplates the role of poetry as a means of moral witnessing and historical testimony. This seminar is led by Daniel Swift, author of “Bomber County: The Poetry of a Lost Pilot’s War” and a professor of English at Skidmore College. All events are $10, $7 for students/seniors, and free to Poets House Members (unless otherwise noted). At 10 River Terrace (at Murray St.). Call 212-431-7920 or visit www.poetshouse.org.
FIFTH ANNUAL REMEMBERING FULTON FISH MARKET EXHIBIT
Naima Rauam’s depiction of the Fulton Fish Market hammers home the loss of that longtime Downtown destination with images rendered in the melancholy mediums of watercolor and charcol. Her visual recollections depict a time when the streets of the Seaport came alive every night with the buying and selling of fish. Nov. 4-28, at SEAPORT! Gallery (210 Front St., corner of Beekman, South St. Seaport). Exhibit Hours: Tues.-Sun., 12pm to 7pm (closed Thanksgiving Day). For more info, call 212-964-8465 or visit www.artpm.com/shows.htm. Rauam’s limited edition prints are now available at the South St. Seaport Museum Shop (12 Fulton St.). Notecards of her watercolors are available at Bowne & Company (211 Water St., South St. Seaport).
PANEL DISCUSSION & WALKING TOUR: JEWS & CHINESE FOOD:
Chinese food and the Chosen People go together like Christmas and Christians. Maybe that’s why Jews crowd Chinese restaurants on December 25. But their love of Asian cuisine doesn’t begin or end on that specific date. A trio of authors will discuss the chosen food of the chosen people. Those panelists are: Jennifer 8. Lee (author of “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles”), Professor Donald I. Siegel (author of “From Lokshen to LoMein: The Jewish Love Affair with Chinese Food”) and Andrew Coe (author of “Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States”). The culinary conversation takes place at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Following the discussion, the Museum of Chinese in America will lead a walking tour of Chinatown. Tickets for panel are $10 ($7 for seniors/students, $5 for Museum members) For tickets, visit www.mjhnyc.org or call 646-437-4202. For the walking tour, $15 ($12 students/seniors, $10 for Museum of Jewish Heritage and Museum of Chinese in America members). Pre-registration for the walking tour is required; space is limited to 50. To register, use the same phone/website info provided for the panel discussion. This event is co-sponsored by the Museum of Chinese in America.
FIRST MOROCCAN FILM FESTIVAL
Be among the first to sample films from the first U.S. Moroccan Film Festival. It’s a perfect introduction for those who have heard of Hollywood and Bollywood, but wish to learn more about Mollywood. Opening night, the film “Burned Hearts” makes its East Coast premiere. This drama chronicles the struggle of one Europeanized Moroccan to come to terms with his religious and ethnic identities. On Oct. 30, nine dramatic, documentary and comedic films will have their U.S. premiere (English subtitles). Proceeds from the Festival go to the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), a nonprofit dedicated to community development in rural Morocco. Oct. 29 & 30 at Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick St., at Laight St. — one block below Canal). For a complete schedule and to purchase tickets, visit www.highatlasfoundation.org.
EAR TO THE EARTH
This year, the annual “Ear to Earth” festival of sound, music, and ecology takes on then theme of “Water and the World” by using compositions, installations and presentations to explore the current states of water and our social and cultural attitudes towards it. Melting ice and rising sea levels, access, privatization, pollution, storm intensity and salinity are just a few of the thorny issued dredged up by this ambitious fest. Oct. 29 at 8pm, it’s the world premiere of Kristin Norderval’s “Tattooed Ghosts” along with Matt Rogalsky’s “Memory Like Water.” Oct. 30 at 8pm, “New York Soundscapes” offers three world premieres: Miguel Frasconi’s “Inside-Out.” Aleksei Stevens’ “Standing Water: Sound Map of the Gowanus Canal, 2010” and Paula Matthuson’s “Navigable.” Nov. 1, it’s the world premiere of Charles Lindsay and David Rothenberg’ “Western Water” alongside Andrea Polli and TJ Martinez’s documentary “Dances with Waves.”
The festival runs through Nov. 1, at the Frederick Loewe Theater (35 West 4th St.), the Greenwich House Music School (46 Barrow St.), White Box (329 Broome St.) and Kleio Projects (153 1/2 Stanton St.). Tickets for events at Greenwich House and White Box are $15 ($10 for EMF Subscribers and seniors, $5 for students). Free admission to events at the Frederick Loewe Theater. A Festival pass is $30. For a full schedule and details on the abovementioned events, and for more info, visit www.emfproductions.org or call 888-749-9998.
Would You Like to See Your Event listed in the Downtown Express? Listing requests may be sent to scott@downtownexpress.com. Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Information may also be mailed to 145 Ave. of the Americas. New York, NY 10013-1548. Requests must be received at least three weeks before the event. Questions? Call 646-452-2497.
