$50–$142
Check out five cool exhibits when Smithsonian magazine sponsors free admission at city museums.
By Sarah Rammos
Some of the city’s hottest cultural spots offer free admission on Saturday 24 during this annual event sponsored by Smithsonian magazine (download a coupon at smithsonianmag.com/museumday). Check out five of the coolest under-the-radar exhibits.
Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators
What to see: Rock & roll history is on view in “Rolling Stone and the Art of the Record Review.” The show features more than 90 original illustrations from the music magazine’s reviews section, with musicians including the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Tyler and Neil Young represented. Notable pieces include Philip Burke’s oil painting of Beck, which accompanied a review of the singer’s 2008 album Modern Guilt, as well as a collage on paper and sandpaper by Lou Beach, from an October 1976 issue for the article “There Went Summer.”
Where to go: 128 E 63rd St between Park and Lexington Aves (212-838-2560, societyillustrators.org). Sat 24 noon–4pm.
The Jewish Museum
What to see: Step into the apartment of a Jewish family in 1930s Berlin in “Maya Zack: Living Room.” For her installation, the artist created four giant computer-generated 3-D images (yes, you’ll have to wear glasses) based on the family home of Manfred Nomburg, a German-born Jew who fled Berlin in 1938. Audio recordings of an interview that Zack conducted with Nomburg are played as people explore the installation, which boasts re-creations of Nomburg’s living room, dining room, kitchen and other spaces.
Where to go: 1109 Fifth Ave at 92nd St (212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org). Sat 24 11am–5:45pm.
Asia Society
What to see: Korean sculptor U-Ram Choe stages his first solo museum show in New York as part of the organization’s “In Focus” series, in which artists draw inspiration from a piece in the Asia Society’s permanent collection. The original work is a 10th-century statue of Hindu deity Shiva Nataraja. For his interpretation, Choe created a kinetic sculpture that includes metal, resin and LED lights.
Where to go: 725 Park Ave at 70th St (212-517-2742, asiasociety.org). Sat 24 11am–6pm.
Fraunces Tavern Museum
What to see: This 18th-century watering hole is also home to “New York Held Prisoner: Revolution and the City.” Artifacts on view chronicle the British occupation of NYC during the Revolutionary War; among the coolest pieces is a spike from a fence that surrounded a statue of King George at Bowling Green. The monument was torn down by overenthusiastic patriots who—incited by a public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776—wanted to show the monarch what they really thought of him.
Where to go: 54 Pearl St at Broad St (212-425-1778, frauncestavernmuseum.org). Sat 24 noon–5pm.
The Rubin Museum of Art
What to see: The exhibit “Human Currents” features the work of photographer Hannes Schmid, who captured images and video of Maha Kumbh Mela, a monthlong festival in North India that is held once every 144 years. The 2001 gathering, during which people made a pilgrimage to bathe in the Ganges River, attracted about 60 million people—a crowd so large that it could be seen from space. A related show, “Pilgrimage and Faith: Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam,” showcasing artifacts from the spiritual lives of each of the religions’ followers, like a 13th-century Christian reliquary casket and a Tibetan hand prayer-wheel.
Where to go: 150 W 17th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves (212-620-5000, rmanyc.org). Sat 24 11am–6pm.
individual event price varies, full festival pass $55; visit website for details
$10, students and members $7
Giovanni Bellini, St. Francis in the Desert
