CULTURAL EVENTS in NYC + – MAY 2012

NY African Film Festival – now through 5/28

The film festival, presented under the banner 21st Century: The Homecoming explores “notions of home and homeland . . . .  Films and archival footage, will be presented alongside supplementary programs including panel discussions, visual and performing art exhibitions, and professional development workshops for artists.” 

venues: Lincoln Center, Columbia University, Maysles Cinema, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYC

< www.africanfilmny.org >

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Faces, Time and Places -- through 6/30

art exhibition showing the work of Ron Wood, guitarist, of The Rolling Stones

Symbolic Collection Gallery, San Diego, CA

< www.symboliccollection.com >

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Lucky Rice Festival – 5/1 – 5/6

feasts of Asian cuisine   

< www.luckyrice.com >

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2012 Bike Expo NY – 5/3 – 5/5

This event gives participants a “look at urban cycling against the backdrop of New York.  It will feature vendors, live-performances, hands-on programming, bike gear giveaways and free bicycle classes for both youth and adults!”  (The 2012 Five Boro Bike Tour packet pick-up will also take place at the Expo.) 

Pier 36, Basketball City, NYC 

< www.bikenewyork.org >

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Frieze New York – 5/4 – 5/7  

Art Fair

“Frieze New York, the American edition of the annual Frieze Art Fair in London, debuts with more than 180 contemporary art galleries from around the world.” 

$25-$40 (tickets available online only)

Randall’s Island, NYC

< http://friezenewyork.com >

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Founding Choreographers: A Celebration of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins – 5/5

Lectures and performances by the NYC Ballet

David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC

< www.lincolncenter.org >

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Anita Baker – 5/6

Radio City Music Hall, NYC

< www.TheGarden.com > 

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Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance -- 5/6, 5/13 & 5/20

The “film documents how The Joffrey Ballet revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet technique, combining art with social statement and setting ballets to pop and rock music scores.” 

Symphony Space, NYC

< www.SymphonySpace.org >

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Tribal Art Week – 5/7 – 5/13

“The NYC Tribal Art Show 2012, is a one of a kind cultural event designed for collectors, dealers, curators and museum professionals to view, purchase and discuss traditional art objects from Africa, Oceania and the Americas.  The Tribal Art Show will take place at the Bohemian National Hall at the same time as major auctions and various gallery exhibitions around New York City.” 

Bohemian National Hall, NYC

< www.NewYorkTribalArt.com >

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Florence + The Machine – 5/8

Radio City Music Hall, NYC

< www.TheGarden.com > 

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The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour – 5/8 & 5/9

Beacon Theatre, NYC

< www.TheGarden.com >

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Toni Morrison – 5/9

“Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison discusses her new novel, Home.  The deeply moving fiction extends Morrison's profound take on America's history with a twentieth-century tale of redemption.” 

Symphony Space, NYC

< www.SymphonySpace.org >

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Spirituals, Rags and Strings – 5/9

live concert

“In 1892, H.T. Burleigh became one of the first African-American students admitted into the National Conservatory of Music in NYC.  The spirituals he sang inspired the Conservatory’s visiting director, Antonin Dvorak, to write several masterpieces based on American themes.”    

Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch, NYC

< http://bphil.org >

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Art & Design Graduating Student Exhibition – 5/9 – 5/22

“This show presents the work of more than 800 students receiving AAS and BFA degrees from FIT.  The exhibition features work in 17 areas of study: Accessories Design, Advertising Design, Communication Design, Computer Animation & Interactive Media, Fabric Styling, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewelry Design, Menswear, Packaging Design, Photography, Textile/Surface Design, Toy Design, and Visual Presentation & Exhibition Design.” 

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC

< www.fitnyc.edu >

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Rock and Roll Icons: Photographs by Patrick Harbron – 5/10 – 8/10

“The exhibition features many photographs that have never been published or exhibited.  Harbron photographed artists such as Elvis Costello, Blondie, The Cars, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Police, Tom Petty, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, KD Lang, Dire Straits, . . . The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Ray Charles, and Eric Clapton.”

NY Public Library for the Performing Arts, NYC

< www.nypl.org >

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The Music of Jelly Roll Morton – 5/11 & 5/12

Live show with The Marcus Roberts Octet and The New Orleans Piano Kings w/ Ellis Marsalis, and other performers

The Allen Room, NYC

< www.LincolnCenter.org >

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Self Magazine’s Workout in the Park – 5/12

Outdoor fitness activities, fashions and nutritious cuisine   

Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, NYC

< www.selfworkoutinthepark.com >

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An Evening of Spoken Word with Ruby Dee – 5/13

“Stage, film and television icon and American treasure, Ruby Dee, speaks the word and tells the truth in this culturally entertaining experience of music and spoken word.  One will rarely witness this kind of unforgettable evening with the Oscar nominee, Kennedy Center honoree, and Emmy, Grammy and Image award winner.”    

Apollo Theater, NYC

< www.apollotheater.org >

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THE BROADWAY MUSICALS OF 1975 – 5/14

“The Broadway by the Year series continues with 1975 featuring music from A Chorus Line, The Wiz, Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show, Shenandoah and more.  . . . sung by a cast of talented cabaret and Broadway performers.” 

The Town Hall, NYC

< http://the-townhall-nyc.org >

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Good Folk: Women of Hip Hop – 5/16

live show with Invincible, Pri the Honeydark's, Helixx C, Big Tara of ANOMOLIES, DJ Reborn & The Ladies of MAWU

Joe’s Pub, NYC

< www.JoesPub.com >

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Loudon Wainwright III – 5/18

with family members (including Rufus Wainwright) and friends

The Town Hall, NYC

< http://the-townhall-nyc.org >

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NYC Bike Expo – 5/18 & 5/19

“two days of all things road cycling” 

Penn Pavillion, NYC

< www.nycbikeexpo.com >

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The Great Googa Mooga Festival – 5/19 & 5/20

“an amusement park of food & drink” with many chefs including Anthony Bourdain, Marcus Samuelsson and Michael Symon, plus music from The Roots, Daryl Hall & John Oates, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and other performers

Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC

< http://googamooga.com >

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Monet's Garden – 5/19 – 10/21

“This stunning tribute to French Impressionist Claude Monet showcases a seasonally changing interpretation of the gardens that inspired his art.”  

NY Botanical Garden, Bronx, NYC

< www.nybg.org >

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Sinead O'Connor – 5/22

Beacon Theatre, NYC

< www.TheGarden.com >

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Steve Winwood – 5/23

Beacon Theatre, NYC

< www.TheGarden.com >

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Il Divo & Orchestra – 5/29 & 5/31

Beacon Theatre, NYC

< www.TheGarden.com >

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For more events, visit

 < www.ny1.com/content/ny1_community_calendar/events >.

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