Things to Do Around NYC: August 26–September 1

Things to Do Around NYC: August 26–September 1
The old Penn Station in 1955. (AP Photo/John Lent)
8/25/2016
Updated:
8/25/2016

COMMUNITY EVENTS

NEW IN MANHATTAN


Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) Exercises
Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m., through Sept. 27 (skipping Sept. 13)
Muhlenberg Library, 209 W. 23 St.
A class of five exercises including meditation. Come relieve your stress and anxieties, increase your energy and vitality, and enjoy peace of mind. Free. en.FalunDafa.org

Metropolitan Opera Summer HD Festival
Aug. 26–Sept. 5
Lincoln Center Plaza
The series will present 10 past performances from the company’s acclaimed Live in HD series of movie theater transmissions, featuring leading Met stars in a varied selection of operas by Bizet, Donizetti, Lehár, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi. There will be 3,100 seats for each screening. Free. MetOpera.org

New York Film Festival
Sept. 30–Oct. 16
Various locations
The 17-day New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring top films from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. $10–$20,000. Filmlinc.org/nyff2016

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN

Meditation at the Highline
Tuesdays, 8 a.m.–9 a.m., through September
22nd Street Seating Steps
Rise above the city streets and begin your day focused, centered, and connected with nature. Join the Integral Yoga Institute, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, and other guests for guided meditations. Open to people of all ages and experience levels. Free. TheHighLine.org

Stargazing at the Highline
Tuesdays, through Oct. 25
The Diller–von Furstenberg Sundeck (at West 14th Street)
Head to the High Line each Tuesday night for a romantic walk along the park and a chance to take a closer look at the stars. Peer through high-powered telescopes provided by the knowledgeable members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York to see rare celestial sights. Free. TheHighLine.org

Art Tour: Wanderlust
The Highline Park
Mondays, 6:15 p.m.–7 p.m., through October
From sculptures and murals to performances and videos, the High Line is filled with public art. Join High Line Art Assistant Curator, Melanie Kress for an insider’s view on High Line Art’s current Wanderlust exhibition. Tour location provided via email following RSVP at TheHighLine.org

New York & The Nation
Ongoing
The Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History, 170 Central Park West
Explore the story of New York and America in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History. $20 adults, $12 students, $15 seniors. NYHistory.org

Family Sundays at Rubin Museum
Ongoing
150 W. 17th St.
Bring your family to the Museum for a Sunday afternoon full of family-friendly activities. Drop into the Education Center for some art-making, enjoy our 2 p.m. family exhibition tour, or go on your own thematic gallery search. Free. RubinMuseum.org

Film Society of Lincoln Center
Ongoing
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 W. 65th St.; Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St.
Year-round programming that includes premieres of new films from an international roster of established and emerging directors. $14. FilmLinc.com

ENDING ELSEWHERE

Magical Designs for Mozart’s Magic Flute
Through Aug. 27
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
An exhibition that compares scenic and costume designs from a select group of 20th and 21st century productions extolled for their remarkable visual achievement. Since its premiere in 1791, this opera has inspired countless teams of directors and designers to create a cornucopia of imaginative productions that have beguiled audiences of all ages. Free. LincolnCenter.org

ONGOING ELSEWHERE

SummerStage
Through Sept. 23
NYC Parks
New York City’s largest free performing arts festival, bringing more than 100 free performances to Central Park and 15 neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs. Free. SummerStage.org

Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) Exercises
Thursdays 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., through Sept. 22
Fort Hamilton Library at 9424 4th Ave., Brooklyn
A class of five exercises including meditation. Come relieve your stress and anxieties, increase your energy and vitality, and enjoy peace of mind. Free. en.FalunDafa.org

Friday Night Fireworks
Fridays, 9:30 p.m.
W. 10th St., Coney Island
Every Friday is a reason to celebrate! Join Coney Island for Friday Night Fireworks. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. every Friday night during the season. Friday Night Fireworks start the last weekend in June and conclude the Friday before Labor Day. Free. LunaParkNYC.com

Paint It Up: Still-Life Watercolor
Through Sept. 27
Poe Park Visitor Center, the Bronx
Experience the thrill of bringing a blank piece of paper to life, by creating a still life with a brush, paint, and water. Free. NYCGovParks.org

VISUAL ARTS

NEW IN MANHATTAN

Faith and Photography: Auguste Salzmann in the Holy Land
Sept. 12–Feb. 5
The Met Fifth Avenue, Gallery 852, The Howard Gilman Gallery
The first-ever exhibition devoted exclusively to the career of the French academic painter, archaeologist, and photographer Auguste Salzmann. In 1853, Salzmann embarked on the arduous journey from Paris to Jerusalem. Hoping to objectively verify religious faith through the documentation of the city’s holy sites, he turned to photography, creating one of the most enigmatic bodies of work of the 19th century. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org

Collector’s Choice, New York Historical Society
Aug. 19–ongoing
170 Central Park West
A selection of paintings that characterize the highly individual tastes and historic contributions of several New York City collectors who shaped the New-York Historical Society’s holdings. NYHistory.org

Campaigning for the Presidency, 1960–1972: Selections from the Museum of Democracy
Aug. 26–Nov. 27
New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
Coinciding with the 2016 presidential election, the New-York Historical Society will showcase more than 120 objects from The Museum of Democracy/Wright Family Collection, considered one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive collections of historical and political campaign memorabilia. NYHistory.org

Kogei: Contemporary Japanese Art
Sept. 8–Oct. 8
Onishi Gallery, 521 W. 26th St.
Even more than a display of the exquisite artistry of over 30 Japanese contemporary artists, this exhibition introduces into the international art market “Kogei”—a category of art object translated from Japanese as “Art Crafts.” This category of “Art Crafts” has specific qualifications, and refers to a class of artistic creations produced with advanced technical skill and refined design aesthetics. OnishiGallery.com

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN

Design for Eternity: Architectural Models From the Ancient Americas
Through Sept. 18
The Met Fifth Avenue
From the first millennium B.C. until the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century, artists from the ancient Americas created small-scale architectural models to be placed in the tombs of important individuals. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org

Lost in Old New York
Through Oct. 1
Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York is offering museumgoers a chance to travel back to the 19th and 20th centuries with Lost In Old New York , an interactive installation of eight classic images of to the city’s most iconic locations. From the beaches of Staten and Coney Islands and the old Penn Station to the 1939 World’s Fair, Lost In Old New York celebrates the places that, for well over a century, helped New York become a world-class city. MCNY.org

Watteau’s Soldiers: Scenes of Military Life in 18th Century France
Through Oct. 2
The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St.
Most know Jean-Antoine Watteau as a painter of amorous aristocrats and melancholy actors, a dreamer of exquisite parklands and impossibly refined fêtes. Few artists would seem further removed from the misery of war. And yet, early in his short career, Watteau created a number of military scenes—about a dozen paintings and some thirty drawings. Frick.org

Citizen Soldier: Ebenezer Stevens and the American Revolution
Through Oct. 2
New York Historical Society 170 Central Park West
Ebenezer Stevens, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army, rose through the officer ranks during the Revolutionary War and participated in pivotal events like the Boston Tea Party and the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. His life and military career are explored through objects from New-York Historical’s collection, including Stevens’ Society of Cincinnati badge and officer’s tailcoat, in addition to selections from New-York Historical’s manuscripts and prints collection. NYHistory.org

Photographs by Larry Silver
Through Dec. 4
New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
A showcase of 45 photographs of everyday New Yorkers and major New York City sites taken during a transformative period in history. This new exhibition highlighting the early works of the Bronx-born photographer captures the day-to-day life in the city’s post-World War II urban environment that has since largely disappeared. NYHistory.org

NEW ELSEWHERE

Manifesto
Sept. 13–25
634 Park Ave., Brooklyn
Drawing on more than 50 manifestos by artists, architects, choreographers, and filmmakers, this highly theatrical cinematic installation by cinematographer and video artist Julian Rosefeldt reinterprets these famous texts as poetic monologues that are brought to life by Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett. $20. ArmoryOnPark.org

Material Cultures Exhibition
Sept. 8–Oct. 23
Opening reception: Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.
Gallery at Bric House, 647 Fulton St.
Material Cultures is a group exhibition featuring the work of eight contemporary visual artists who engage with and respond to essential elements of textile: weaving, pattern, draping, embellishing, and wearing. One of the oldest forms of human production, textiles maintain profound connections to history, ritual practice, cultural identity, creative expression, and politics. BricArtsMedia.org

ONGOING ELSEWHERE

American Gardens on Canvas
Through Sept. 11
New York Botanical Garden
American Impressionism, a prominent artistic style that flourished at the turn of the 20th century, comes to life in a captivating Garden-wide exhibition. In the Conservatory, stroll through an American Impressionist garden, a stunning interpretation by Francisca Coelho, NYBG’s renowned curator and designer, of the alluring gardens that influenced iconic artists such as Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent. NYBG.org

The Art of Discovery
Through Sept. 4
Steinhardt Conservatory, Brooklyn Botanic Garden
This colorful exhibit features artwork from the Garden’s book for young naturalists “The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature.'' The environmental scenes created by children’s book illustrator Laszlo Veres in partnership with members of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Education staff show dozens of the plants and animals found in the forests, ponds, and meadows in the northeastern United States, including in New York City and other cities nearby. BBG.org

In The South Bronx of America
Through Oct. 16
Museum of the City of New York
An astonishing collection of 42 original prints by the photojournalist Mel Rosenthal, revealing the harrowing social conditions of the South Bronx from 1976-82. When these photographs were taken, city officials targeted the South Bronx to become an Enterprise Zone, where factories would be built and their owners given special tax privileges. This marked the start of a tumultuous period of decline in the South Bronx. MCNY.org

PERFORMING ARTS

NEW IN MANHATTAN

Violetta & Her Sisters
Through Aug. 28
Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia St.
Featuring Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Jules Massenet’s “Manon,” a semi-staged “Scenes From the Demi-Monde,” with excerpts from Puccini’s “La Rondine” and Leoncavallo’s “La Bohème,” and a recital featuring the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, with settings by Debussy, Fauré, Duparc, Vierne, d'Indy, Loeffler, and others. Preview: $10. Tickets: $25–$54. DellArteOpera.org

NEW ELSEWHERE

Park Armory Recital Series
Sept. 8–Nov. 20
634 Park Avenue, Brooklyn
Since its reopening, the Belle Epoque splendor of the Board of Officers Room has shown through in magical recitals that invoke the salon culture of the Gilded Age. Featuring recitals by Lisette Oropesa, Roderick Williams with Jenny Agutter & Susie Allan, Kristóf Baráti & Klára Würtz, and Andreas Scholl & Tamar Halperin, as well as two Lindemann Young Artist Concerts, and Roomful of Teeth. ArmoryOnPark.org

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN

Shakespeare on Screen
Through Nov. 5
Peter Jay Sharp Building at BAM, 30 Lafayette Ave.
Filmed live performances of the Bard’s most beloved plays, screened in glistening HD at BAM Rose Cinemas. This season’s lineup features critically acclaimed productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Julie Taymor, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. $25. BAM.org

MUSIC

NEW IN MANHATTAN

Summer String Fest
Aug. 26 at 3 p.m.
Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th St.
The 2016 Summer String Fest at Kaufman Music Center’s Lucy Moses School concludes with a rousing free performance featuring student ensembles, conductor Rob Kapilow and the Harlem Quartet. Free. KaufmanMusicCenter.org

An Evening With Toto
Aug. 27, 8 p.m.
The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St.
Best known for their Top 5 hits “Africa”, “Hold the Line”, and “Rosanna”, Toto has had an enormous impact on pop culture throughout their 38-year career. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of half a billion albums. This performance will feature classic hits, some of their latest songs, and fan favorites. $45–$75. TheTownHall.org

Donovan: The Retrospective/Sunshine Superman Fiftieth Anniversary Tour 2016
Sept. 15, 8 p.m.
Zankel Hall
On the 50th anniversary of his song “Sunshine Superman,” Donovan’s Fall tour makes a stop at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. Donovan returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time since his 1984 performance. In the early days, he traded songs with Bob Dylan and was an influence on the Beatles. Donovan was a voice for “flower power” and the psychedelic revolution. CarnegieHall.org

Mariko Takahashi
Sept. 16, 8 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/ Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Japanese vocalist Mariko Takahashi has been performing for over 40 years. She recorded her first songs with the band Pedro and Capricious, and has since released over 60 albums as a solo artist. She has performed at Royal Albert Hall in London and the Convention and Exhibition Centre Grand Hall in Hong Kong, and now returns to Carnegie Hall for a third time. $40–$120. CarnegieHall.org

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN

Piano in Bryant Park
Upper Terrace
Mon.–Fri., 12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m., through Sept. 30
Summertime, and the livin‘ is easy... so swing on by for toe-tappin’ performances by New York’s finest, playing ragtime, stride, and jazz to your and My Heart’s Delight. Free. BryantPark.org

Mostly Mozart Festival
Through Aug. 27
Various Locations
Lincoln Center launched America’s first indoor summer music festival as Midsummer Serenades: A Mozart Festival in August 1966. The idea was a success from the start, and by 1970 the festival had transformed into Mostly Mozart. MostlyMozart.org

Spiral Music
Wednesdays
Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St.
Spiral Music presents acoustic music every Wednesday evening at the base of the museum’s spiral staircase. Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music and the art in the galleries. Free. RubinMuseum.org

NEW ELSEWHERE

Complete Bartok String Quartet Cycles
Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.
National Sawdust, 80 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn
The Chiara Quartet has been playing string quartets and asking probing questions since 2000. Always interested in engaging with the music at its core as well as reaching audiences, the quartet has dedicated itself to finding ways to make the musical experience meaningful for all involved. ChiaraQuartet.net