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Free events for Thursday, 04/20/23
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on April 20, 2023?

69 free events take place on Thursday, April 20 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out April 20 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of April . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

69 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, April 20, 2023

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc Christian Dior: Destiny in America
free events nyc Lost Illusions (2021): French Adaptation of Balzac
free events nyc Ragtime, Concert Waltzes, and More with works by Debussy and Others
free events nyc The Spirit of the Savoy Ballroom
More Editor's Picks for 04/20/23
        

Discussion | From Dinkins to Adams and the Future of NYC Politics (online)


New York City has grown and evolved since 1989 when David Dinkins was elected as the first African American mayor of the largest city in America. As Eric Adams, the second Black executive, leads a 21st century New York, what similarities and differences exist between the two men, the five boroughs, and the millions of people who have moved in and moved out of the city? Professors Greer and Muzzio will discuss what has made NYC great, its past and present challenges, and what NYC could be in the years to come.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 am
Free

Tour | 13 Tours, All City Neighborhoods, Any Time Of The Day, Choose One Tour Or Many


These free tours take place at various times during the day, all day long. You can make reservations for as many tours as your schedule allows. SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights + DUMBO 3 Hour Lower Manhattan Harlem Chelsea and the High Line 6 Hour Downtown Combined Greenwich Village Central Park Lower Manhattan Midtown Manhattan Grand Central Terminal Graffiti and Street Art Tours World Trade Center
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Cardio Dance


A fusion of Hip Hop, R&B, Afro beats and dance cardio that promotes self-love and body confidence, using easy-to-follow moves. Instructor: Ebony Jones-Abdul Majeed
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Master Class | Oboe Master Class


An oboe Master Class with Robert Botti.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Ribbon Dancing


Combine cardio with artistry as you wave long ribbons in the air to create rainbows, waterfalls, dragons and ocean waves. Ribbon Dancing is as visually stunning as it is fun and easy to learn. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Ribbons will be available to borrow, but participants may also bring their own.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Fair | Street Fair


Free fun for the whole family, including arts, crafts, antiques, plants, entertainment, games, and more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Film | Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock


Charlotte "Charlie" Newton is bored with her quiet life at home with her parents and younger sister. She wishes something exciting would happen and knows exactly what they need: a visit from her sophisticated, much-traveled Uncle Charlie Oakley, her mother's younger brother. Imagine her delight when, out of the blue, they receive a telegram from Uncle Charlie announcing that he is coming to visit them for awhile. Charlie Oakley creates quite a stir and charms the ladies' club, as well as the bank President where his brother-in-law works. Young Charlie begins to notice odd behavior on his part, such as cutting out a story in the local paper about a man who marries and then murders rich widows. When two strangers appear asking questions about him, she begins to imagine the worst about her beloved Uncle Charlie. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey, Patricia Collinge, Henry Travers, Wallace Ford, Hume Cronyn Alfred Hitchcock was an English filmmaker who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today. His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins, although he never won the award for Best Director, despite five nominations.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Gallery Talk | Residential Rising: Lower Manhattan Since 9/11: Curator's Tour


Museum's director Carol Willis will offer a gallery tour of the show, which focuses on Downtown's doubled population and transformed skyline over the past twenty years. Start times: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm. 5pm
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Juggling in the Park


Jugglers use the park throughout the year to provide free classes to the public. Stop by for a quick lesson, stay for the whole time, or just enjoy watching them put their skills to the test. They're a friendly group and open to drop-ins, even if you catch them outside of the regular juggling lessons. All skill levels welcome. Equipment is provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Lunchtime Poetry Workshop


Celebrate National Poetry Month with a one-hour workshop on the art and craft of writing poetry. Led by Professors Dan Collins and Meghan Gilbert, this workshop will provide expert insight and practical, creative exercises in writing poetry. This workshop welcomes both novice and experienced writers of poetry. About the Presenters Meghan Gilbert is an Associate Professor of English and the Interim Faculty Coordinator of the First Year Experience at Guttman Community College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Gilbert holds a Ph.D. in English from St. John’s University. Dr. Daniel Collins serves as the Acting Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs at Guttman Community College. Dr. Collins received his Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in rhetoric and composition, and he has an abiding interest in innovative writing pedagogy. Dr. Collins’ recent research has focused on the relationship between the act of writing and the creation and maintenance of student well-being. With Dr. Meghan Gilbert, he is writing a book-length manuscript, Composing an Anti-Racist Academy, about culturally responsive pedagogy, anti-racism, and linguistic justice in the Composition classroom and beyond.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Resourcification and Ukraine-as-Territory (online)


The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has confirmed not only the centrality of energy to the war, but also the importance of Ukraine to global energy policy, with its far-reaching economic, environmental, and cultural consequences. This interdisciplinary series, co-organized by the Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia at NYU and the East European, Russian, Caucasian, and Central Asian Faculty Network at the University of Colorado Boulder, will explore the concept of energy as a shaping force in Ukrainian cultural and political history; the aesthetics of particular energy sources (fossil fuels, nuclear energy, renewables) in Ukrainian literature, film, and other media; the Russia-Ukraine energy nexus; Ukrainian energy markets; and environmental effects of energy production, consumption, and catastrophe. Asia Bazdyrieva’s recent research tests the hypothesis that through colonial expansionists projects of both Western European States and the Russian Empire (operating through cartography, texts, images, geological prospecting, etc.) the territories of present-day Ukraine were imaged and imagined as a territory of inexhaustible resources that can feed the entire world. In her presentation, she will talk about resourcification by looking at sociotechnical imaginaries that contribute to the making of a resource through arranging substances, technologies, discourses and practices deployed by different kinds of actors (Richardson 20214). This framework is productive in order to see how Ukraine’s territory and its people are imagined as a component of material exchange, as well as to see how the notion of the territory as a resource justifies a spatial organization that enables slow violence and environmental damage while equating the human population and life at large to geological, agricultural, and other forms of matter with usable material capacities. Speaker Asia Bazdyrieva is an art historian whose research spans visual culture and environmental humanities at large.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Bach at Noon (In Person and Online)


Take a momentary respite from a busy day to enjoy a selection of organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach in an intimate venue.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:20 pm
Free

Discussion | A Talk with New Yorker Food Critic Hannah Goldfield (online)


Julie Salamon (Wall Street Journal and New York Times) sits down with The New Yorker’s food critic and writer for the weekly Tables for Two restaurant column Hannah Goldfield. Previously, she was a fact checker at The New Yorker and an editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Her writing has appeared in New York magazine and The Times among other publications.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Discussion | How Philanthropy Can Advance Housing Equity


Housing is a human right. Yet, homelessness, housing discrimination, unaffordable housing, and a myriad of other problems continue to plague communities across the country. This panel will explore how philanthropists and funders have been–and should be–approaching support for accessible, affordable, and secure housing. How can they defend and advance rights and access to services for homeowners and tenants? How can they center community needs in their activism? They’ll discuss the role of philanthropy, as well as recommendations for nonprofits seeking to deepen partnerships with philanthropists in these areas.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Discussion | How Philanthropy Can Advance Housing Equity (online)


Housing is a human right. Yet, homelessness, housing discrimination, unaffordable housing, and a myriad of other problems continue to plague communities across the country. This panel will explore how philanthropists and funders have been–and should be–approaching support for accessible, affordable, and secure housing. How can they defend and advance rights and access to services for homeowners and tenants? How can they center community needs in their activism? They’ll discuss the role of philanthropy, as well as recommendations for nonprofits seeking to deepen partnerships with philanthropists in these areas.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by Brahms and More for French Horn


Clinton Webb, French horn. Program Vitaly Bujanovsky (1928-1993), From Four Improvisations from Traveling Impressions Hermann Neuling (1897-1967), Bagatelle for Low Horn and Piano Frederic Duvernoy (1765-1838), From Mes Adieux, Trois Nocturnes Favoris pour Piano et Cor Camille Pepin (1990-present), Pluie, larmes de la Terre Brahms (1833-1897), Sonata for Piano and Cello No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:30 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by Schubert and More for String Quartet (In Person AND Online)


NOVUS NY String Quartet, featuring Melissa Attebury, mezzo-soprano. Program Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979), Daybreak and Poem for String Quartet Lili Boulanger (1893-1918), Pie Jesu Schubert (1797-1828) Erlkönig Juhi Bansal, Cathedral of Light Samuel Barber (1910-1981), Dover Beach Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936), The Sunset
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by J.S. Bach and More for Flute and Harpischord (In Person AND Online)


Sandra Miller, Baroque flute; and James Richman, harpsichord. Featuring the music of Quantz (1697-1773), Hotteterre (1674-1763), J.S. Bach (1685-1750), and others.
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:15 pm
Free

Discussion | Exploring Microbial Futures: Microbes Amidst Global Change (in-person and online)


How will bacteria, fungi and other microbes shape and be shaped by the future in 2040 and beyond? What do microbes and fungi have to do with climate change and sustainability? This event aims to answer these questions in the only way we know how: from an interdisciplinary perspective. We are surrounded by a tremendous diversity of microbes and fungi that is often invisible to the naked eye. These organisms drive carbon and nutrient cycling, process waste, facilitate plant growth, support our food systems, and shape our climate. At the same time, microbes are themselves impacted by anthropogenic activities and climate change. In response, artists and scholars across disciplines are focusing on microbes to envision new climate futures and center multispecies relationships in sustainability movements. This two-hour long event will be broken into two parts: first, the audience will engage in a short panel discussion featuring Patricia Kaishian (Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Bard College) Elizabeth Hénaff (Assistant Professor of Integrated Media at NYU Tandon), and Sarah Hearn (Artist and Researcher). The discussion will be followed by opportunities to engage with and visualize microbes through microscopy, a grow-your-own mushroom station with the NYU Mycology Group, and other interactive activities. We hope to explore what new knowledge might emerge when we consider interdisciplinary (and cross-disciplinary) research and practices about the connection between microbes and climate change. The event will be an opportunity to highlight how interdisciplinary methods—particularly those that bridge the sciences and arts—can challenge the status quo and offer others important new perspectives on large and often intangible issues related to climate change.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Live Jazz from Harlem (in-person and online)


Gerry Eastman is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, bassist, composer, and entrepreneur who has worked with greats like Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Etta James, and the Isley Brothers. His distinctive avant-garde jazz, funk, and soul stylings attract fellow musicians and the jazz community to his live appearances, especially at the Williamsburg Music Center, which he founded 41 years ago. The only black-owned jazz club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, WMC is a musical laboratory and club that fosters young artists and hosts popular Friday and Saturday night jam sessions.
   New York City, NY; NYC
2:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Artists Against Authoritarianism


When Hungary’s illiberal regime began taking control of universities, only one fought back: The University of Theater and Film Arts in Budapest. After months of protest, half the faculty resigned — and then a mass of students left with them. Now they are building a liberatory and international alternative. Speaker László Upor, a professor and dramaturg on the frontlines of the movement, tells the story of this inspiring cultural resistance.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Language Issues as a Pretext for Military Intervention: The War in Ukraine and its Balkan Connection (in-person and online)


A talk by Robert Greenberg, University of Auckland. Moderated by Mark Andryczyk. This presentation explores the cultural and linguistic ramifications of the ongoing war in Ukraine arguing that the Russian invasion has accelerated processes of Ukrainianization especially among the country’s Russian speakers. These processes have arisen in direct defiance of Vladimir Putin’s declared aims of liberating and protecting Ukraine’s Russian speaking population. Like Slobodan Milošević in the Yugoslav conflicts of the 1990s, Putin has used historical grievances and language issues to justify his country’s attacks on Ukrainian cities, towns and villages. As will be demonstrated in this talk, the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s serve as precedents that help us understand Putin’s mindset and aims in Ukraine. Ironically, the early signs are that the aim to suppress Ukrainian language and identity are failing in a scenario similar to that in the former Yugoslavia.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:15 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Dance on Film: One & One Other (online thru Apr 24)


In a bizarre play between reality and absurdist fantasy, One & One Other is a dance film offering a window into the secret world that exists on the fringes of our late-night consciousness. At the heart of the film is the mind’s ability to transport us away from the mundane, habitual rhythm of life into the incongruous realm of our imagination; a place that oscillates between the fantastic and the harrowing. One & One Other is Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern and Emilie Leriche’s fifth collaboration together, driven by a shared ambition to push the boundaries of film and dance and uncover how the two media might meet, intersect, and disrupt each other.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Birdwatching | Spring Birding Tour


Discover the surprising diversity of birds that call Bryant Park home during migratory season with guided tours by NYC Audubon, led by environmental educator and urban naturalist Gabriel Willow. Located in the heart of Midtown, the park is a hotspot for avian visitors and birders alike. Past sightings include warblers, tanagers, vireos, thrushes, and even a Chuck-will’s-widow.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Christian Dior: Destiny in America


Author Marie-France Pochna and senior curator of education Tanya Melendez-Escalante in conversation about Pochna's 2021 book. Dior's official biography reveals the secretive and surprising man who revolutionized fashion. The book offers new insight on his spirituality and relationships, as well as a contemporary perspective on his legacy. Marie-France Pochna is an expert on fashion and trends in the luxury market, a professor, and a TV producer. A book signing will follow the event.
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:30 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by Hindemith, Scriabin, and More for Double Bass (In Person AND Online)


Zachary George Marzulli, double bass. Program Hindemith (1895-1963), Sonata for Double Bass and Piano Mason Bynes, the WRECKoning Scriabin (1872-1915), Poem for Contrabass and Piano, Op. 32 No. 1 Andres Martin, Bass Concerto No. 1 Edgar Meyer (1960-present), Duet No. 2 for Cello and Bass
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:30 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by Richard Strauss and More for Violin (In Person AND Online)


Yu-Ping Tsai, violin. Program Vitali (1663-1745), Chaconne for Violin and Piano in G minor Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931), "Au Rouet” Poème No. 2, Op. 13 Richard Strauss (1864-1949), Violin Sonata, Op. 18 Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), Suite de Pieces, Op. 3 for Violin and Piano
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Screening | An American Ballet Story (2022)


1964 was a time of major shifts in civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights. That year, the Joffrey Ballet split in two over a struggle for artistic control, and the HARKNESS BALLET and its founder Rebekah Harkness burst onto the American arts scene. Bold and controversial, Harkness revolutionized the way dance was performed forever. An American Ballet Story is about this iconic company, its rise and fall, and its effect on contemporary dance, music, and art that is still with us today. The screening will be followed by a Q & A with moderator Walter Rutledge of Out & About NYC Magazine and the producers of the film. Registration required.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Barry Flanagan: Pataphysics and Play


An exhibition of sculpture by Barry Flanagan (1941–2009). Including never-before-seen work from the artist’s estate, this presentation will focus on the importance of the imaginary realm in both the tenets of play and the philosophy of ’pataphysics as coined by the French writer Alfred Jarry. Absurdity, Flanagan proposes, is equally as justifiable as profundity.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Bradley Hart: Evolution


Bradley Hart introduces his two latest breakthrough series, Artifacts and Post-Impressions. The opening reception will feature a live art creation in which the artist reveals his latest “Popping” technique. The acrylic and bubble wrap paintings from his notable Injection series are now transformed into Artifacts. The artist places a layer of canvas on top of the Injection before rolling repeatedly over the two layers with his mobility scooter. This process culminates in the creation of the modified Injection, the Impression and multiple prints called Post-Impressions.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Jonathan Horowitz: Human Nature


An exhibition of new work by Jonathan Horowitz. Featuring video, painting, and lenticular photography, the show is the artist’s first with the gallery and follows Horowitz’s acclaimed exhibition at the Jewish Museum, New York, We Fight to Build a Free World: An Exhibition by Jonathan Horowitz (2020-21).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Malik Roberts: To Suffer a Lick


Brooklyn-based artist Malik Roberts is a painter who reappropriates popular images from the media to reveal the absurdity of the mundane. His fragmented forms and decontructed portraits convey the underlying strains and pressures masked by his figures' appearances. As Roberts' visual language is steeped in modern and pop art influences, his sophisticated compositions invite the viewer to consider the impact of visual media in the digital age.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Film | Rhythms of the Land (2015): The Sharecroppers' View


Over two decades ago, Dr. Gail P. Myers, the co-founder of Farms to Grow, Inc and director of Rhythms of the Land interviewed her first 92-year-old elder on life and legacy of a sharecropper. During the summer of 2012, Dr. Myers toured 10 southern states -- Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida -- interviewing over 30 farmers, sharecroppers, and gardeners and a 5th generation coil basket weaver. Several of these interviews are with elders, 98, 92, and 109.   Rhythms of the Land fills the gap of the missing narrative after emancipation and honors black farmers as stewards of the land, love of family and community despite the overwhelming odds of life as a sharecropper. At times tender and other times jarring, it's an informative and moving film that I think you and your networks will love. In the film you will meet Alvin Steppes, the one farmer who was most instrumental in the Pigford vs Glickman class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture for racial discrimination in allocating loan assistance. Hear firsthand accounts from 92, 98, 109-year-old elders of the farming traditions, love of family, land, and community despite the exploitation and disparities of a sharecropper. Followed by a conversation with Myers and a subsequent panel discussion featuring farmers, chefs, food systems activists and scholars.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Tastes Like War: A Memoir of Schizophrenia and Food


Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Grace Cho's memoir is a hybrid text about a daughter’s search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia. In her mother’s final years, Cho learned to cook dishes from her mother’s childhood in order to invite the past into the present, and to hold space for her mother’s multiple voices at the table. And through careful listening over these shared meals, Cho discovered not only the things that broke the  brilliant, complicated woman who raised her—but also the things that kept her alive.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Vista Chinesa: Euphoria in Brazil (in-person and online)


From Tatiana Salem Levy, one of Brazil’s rising literary stars, an acclaimed novel about the violation of a woman and a city, based on true events. It is 2014. There is euphoria in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro. The World Cup is about to take place and the Olympics are in sight. It is a time of hope and frenzied construction. Júlia is a partner with an architectural firm working on the future Olympic village. During a break from a meeting at the town hall, she goes for a run in the hillside neighborhood of Alto da Boa Vista. There, a man puts a revolver to her head, takes her to a secluded spot, and rapes her. Left abandoned in the woods, she drags herself home, where her boyfriend and family members are waiting for her. Vista Chinesa brings light and shadow to a city whose stunning beauty cannot conceal the most serious human and political problems, and gives voice to a story that is tragically not uncommon.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Poetry Reading | Alliance for Positive Change Voices Poetry Reading


Welcome Alliance for Positive Change's Creative Writing Workshop as they read their poems and share their stories! Since 1999, this workshop has been a safe, creative space where New Yorkers affected by HIV and other chronic conditions transform their insights and experiences into powerful poetry.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | CANCELLED***Katarina Riesing: She Shed***CANCELLED


Referring to both the female counterpart to the Man Cave where a woman can be herself, and the shedding of skin, clothes, masks, or burdens, "She Shed" is a group of quieter works nonetheless fraught with intensity. Where earlier pieces cropped body parts and pushed them to the frame edge in order to play with the intersection of the sexy and the grotesque, Riesing's new works on silk focus on the body submerged in its surroundings. Rather than sit atop the stretched surface as paint would, her figures are hand painted with dye and painstakingly sewn into the silk itself, seeping through to the other side and becoming an indelible part of the fabric. Similarly, another merging takes place as Riesing plays optical tricks, and the body is intertwined or confused with the spaces it inhabits.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Caribbean Dance Fitness


A fun and exciting workout that uses easy to follow dance steps to maintain cardiovascular health. This class is created for all levels and you do not need any prior dance experience to participate. Instructor: Donnette McFarlane
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Talk | Decolonizing Museums (online)


Shimrit Lee, the author of Decolonize Museums,  puts some of the themes from her book into conversation with issues in international affairs.  
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Performance | Kinstillatory Mappings in Light and Dark Matter: Music, Dance, Poetry


A monthly ceremonial fire centering Indigenous protocol and knowledge, with guest artists and activists engaging through music, dance, poetry, and more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Undressing Catherine of Aragon on the Page and Screen (online)


Catherine of Aragon, who was married to Henry VIII for twenty-four years before he divorced her for another woman, is known as a paragon of queenship. Catherine’s reputation as a pious and devoted queen remains intact today, despite the ongoing debate over the status of her virginity when she wed Henry. This controversy is central to Catherine’s life and story and the way she is represented in historical dramas. This talk explores popular representations of Catherine, including Showtime’s The Tudors (2007-2010) and Starz’s The Spanish Princess (2019-2020), and how she seems to escape the hypersexualization and eroticization that tends to swirl around Tudor queens. Hachimi will also consider how The Spanish Princess offers a more diverse depiction of Tudor England than we’ve previously seen in historical dramas. Author Yasmine Hachimi is a Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow at the Newberry Library’s Center for Renaissance Studies.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Upon Thy Gates: Chinese and Jewish Traditions at Home


A panel discussion about Jewish and Chinese cultural traditions that have come to represent safety and protection. Learn about Jewish and Chinese traditions regarding ritual objects associated with protecting the home, including when these traditions began, the religious and social concepts behind these ideas, the imagery depicted on these ritual objects, and what happened to these traditions in the diaspora. Presenting on this panel will be scholars Ken Smith, Joanna Lee, Regina Stein, and folklorist Ilana Harlow.  
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Pay-what-you-wish

Book Discussion | Literary Conclusions: The Poetics of Ending in Lessing, Goethe, and Kleist (in-person and online)


Endings are not just singular moments in time, but the outcomes of a process. And whatever a book's conclusion, its form has a history. Literary Conclusions presents a new theory of textual endings in eighteenth-century literature and thought. Analyzing essential works by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Heinrich von Kleist, Oliver Simons shows how the emergence of new kinds of literary endings around 1800 is inextricably linked to the history of philosophical and scientific concepts. Author Oliver Simons examines the interrelations of Lessing's literary endings with modes of logical conclusion; he highlights how Goethe's narrative closures are forestalled by an uncontrollable vital force that was discussed in the sciences of the time, and he reveals that Kleist conceived of literary genres themselves as forms of reasoning. Kleist's endings, Simons demonstrates, mark the beginning of modernism. Through close readings of these authors and supplemental analyses of works by Walter Benjamin, Friedrich Hölderlin, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, his study crafts an elegant theory of conclusions that revises established histories of literary genres and forms.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:15 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Alachi: Visions of Enlightenment


An extraordinary exhibition of floor-to-ceiling interior temple images.  At an altitude of ten thousand feet nestled in a lush valley surrounded by the majestic Himalayas, the world-renowned Buddhist monastery complex of Alchi is a destination for art lovers and seekers alike. Mandalas and towering sculptures of Bodhisattvas adorn the walls, ceilings, and doors of each temple including scenes from the Buddha’s life and celebration of secular life depicted by artistic excellency during the 11th-century renaissance of cross-cultural activity in the region. Alchi holds some of the oldest surviving paintings in the Buddhist world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Book Club | Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food from Sustainable to Suicidal by Mark Bittman


From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and pioneering journalist, an expansive look at how history has been shaped by humanity's appetite for food, farmland, and the money behind it all — and how a better future is within reach. The story of humankind is usually told as one of technological innovation and economic influence — of arrowheads and atomic bombs, settlers and stock markets. But behind it all, there is an even more fundamental driver: Food. In Animal, Vegetable, Junk, trusted food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments, from slavery and colonialism to famine and genocide — and to our current moment, wherein Big Food exacerbates climate change, plunders our planet, and sickens its people. "Epic and engrossing." — The New York Times Mark Bittman is a journalist, food writer, and author of 30 books, including the bestselling How to Cook Everything and VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Film | The New Boats (2022): The Fishing Industry's Impact on Sierra Leonean Communities


An investigative documentary that brings attention to the impact of international industrialized fishing in West African waters and its disastrous effect on local fishing communities in Sierra Leone. Chi-Gie Chor-ga’ is the name given to the new international boats that have started using the most destructive methods of fishing, both breaking international law and destroying fish breeding grounds. These boats are mainly operated by large Chinese and Korean fishing companies. The film presents a riveting account of one community’s attempt to protect their livelihood and way of life. We witness their daily struggle and attempt to keep a new influx of international companies accountable for their actions and preserve not just an important cultural symbol of Sierra Leone, but a critical food source that the country and region depends upon. 90 min. Followed by a conversation with the director Lansana Mansaray.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Talk | A Tale of Two Pyramids: From CEO to Archaeologist


Douglas Tilden discusses his journey from a retired CEO of a major shipping company to a published field archaeologist. Tilden is former Board member of the Archaeological Institute of America, and now an Independent Researcher as well as benefactor for our educational initiative. Tilden discusses with us his journey from a retired CEO of a major shipping company to a published field archaeologist fulfilling a life-long dream. He will also share his experiences and observations gained from over ten years of work with the Maya civilization in Belize: what made it so distinctive and his views on what caused the demise of this once flourishing civilization.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Talk | The Maps That Made Manhattan: The History and Role of the Manhattan Topographical Bureau (online)


Hector Rivera, Topographical Manager at the Manhattan Borough President's Office, will talk about the work and history of the Manhattan Topographical Bureau, including its archive of official maps, some dating back to the 1600s.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Concert | "Pop Detox": A New Multi-Media Composition


Eleanor Lougee-Heimer, actor; and Leslie Ashworth, viola. The premiere of a multi-media work: video and sound in dialogue with live actor and musician.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Video | (Mis)Reading the Image: Selections by Darrin Martin (online thru Apr 28)


A screening and discussion lead by artist and educator Darrin Martin, whose video, performance, and print-based installations have considered the synesthetic qualities of perception, and notions of accessibility through the use of tactility, sonic analogies, and audio descriptions.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Poetry Reading | 2 Poets Read from and Discuss Their Work


A poetry reading by Ama Codjoe and Rio Cortez. Ama Codjoe is the author of Bluest Nude. She is also the author of Blood of the Air, winner of the Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize. Her honors include a 2017 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award, a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, and a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship. Codjoe's work has twice appeared in The Best American Poetry. She lives in New York City. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Rio Cortez's debut poetry collection, Golden Ax was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award in Poetry. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed, Adroit Journal, and elsewhere.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Poetry Reading | 2 Poets Read From Their Work


Rachel Hadas, Professor Emerita of English at Rutgers University-Newark, is the author of many books of poetry, essays, and translations. Her most recent poetry collections are Love & Dread (2021) and Pandemic Almanac (2022). Jennifer Franklin holds degrees in poetry from Brown University and Columbia. She has published three full-length collections, most recently If Some God Shakes Your House (2023). Franklin is a recipient of a 2021 CRCF Literature Award and a 2021 City Artist Corps NYFA grant for poetry.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | At the Edge of the World Man Sits and Laughs: Living Through the Anthropocene


Austrian author Philipp Weiss for a reading of his critically acclaimed book. The reading is followed by a conversation with Barbara Kosta, professor and head of the Department of German Studies at University of Arizona. 1000 pages, five volumes - one novel. In At the Edge of the World Man Sits and Laughs, Philipp Weiss recounts the world’s transformation during the Anthropocene – that time in earth's history in which the human being became tonstitutive power. Between France and Japan, from the 19th to the 21st century, this bold novel depicts a Panopticon of our fleeting reality. Each one of the five volumes has its own form: encyclopaedia, manga, novella, audio-transcription and notebook. Seventeen-year-old Paulette experiences the 1871 Paris Commune, is one of the first European women to travel to Japan in the Meiji-era, lies frozen in the ice of the French Alps for over one hundred and thirty years. The climatologist Chantal, her great-great-granddaughter, follows her footsteps to the Far East, sketching a cynical story of the universe while escaping a love and its power. The artist Jona travels to Japan in search of his lover Chantal, but instead of finding her, he finds a multiple catastrophe: an earthquake, a wave, a nuclear accident. Nine-year-old Akio walks through destroyed territory for days. He finds comfort in Satoshi, a homeless day laborer who is cleaning up nuclear power stations and who is slowly dying from the effects of radiation. Driven by a phantom pain, the young Japanese woman Abra wanders through Tokyo and loses herself on her virtual journey through the city.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Carmen and Grace: Lured Into Drugs


Melissa Coss Aquino's novel is an emotionally riveting coming-of-age drama about two cousins lured into the underground drug trade at a young age and the inextricable ties that bind them, as one woman seeks power and the other seeks a way out—the debut of a vibrant and stunningly original new voice in fiction.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Letters to a Writer of Color: Challenging Fiction's Conventions (online)


A revelatory and captivating collection of essays from an international array of writers of color. Full of heart, humor, instruction, and inspiration, the collection challenges the codes and conventions that have shaped our assumptions about how fiction should be written, and celebrates the power of literature as a means of liberation. Editors Deepa Anappara (Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line) and Taymour Soomro (Other Names for Love) are joined by contributors Amitava Kumar (Immigrant, Montana) and Madeleine Thien (Do Not Say We Have Nothing) for an essential conversation on writing, reading, representation, and resistance.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$5

Film | Lost Illusions (2021): French Adaptation of Balzac


Story of the rise and the fall of a young man in Paris who dreamed to be a writer and became a journalist. Director: Xavier Giannoli Stars: Benjamin Voisin, Cecile de France, Vincent Lacoste 149 min. In French with English subtitles
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Video | Pop Detox: A Multimedia Composition


A new multi-media composition by Andrea Liberovici. .  The premiere of a multi-media work: video and sound in dialogue with live actor and musician. The composer is developing this work in the course of his Fellowship at the Italian Academy.  Eleanor Lougee-Heimer, actor Leslie Ashworth, viola
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Performance | Remembrance of Things Present: Contending with the Legacy of the Holocaust (online)


The story of the Holocaust continues far past liberation. Those born in the generations that followed especially feel the deep and resounding imprint in all aspects of their lives. In these surprisingly inspiring and heart-opening stories, learn how the daughter of a French resistance fighter must choose between a life of activism and her own survival. See how the son and grandson of Tuvia Bielsky, leader of the partisans, contend with the legacy of a hero. See the unexpected fear one grandson feels as he visits his family’s home in Germany, 65 years after his family fled the Nazis. Remembrance of Things Present features Jordan Bielsky, Lisa Ann Grant, Rosie Moss, and Tali Green and is directed by Susan Morgenstern.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$10 suggested donation...

Video | Full Disclosure: Selected Video-Performances 1972-75 (online thru Apr 30)


An online streaming program of a selection of Anthony Ramos’s video-performances circa 1972-1975, a fertile period for the artist then based in Los Angeles. Ramos’s interest in time and duration stems in part from his long friendship with Allan Kaprow, with whom he studied and worked under as a teaching assistant, and who housed him following his imprisonment for conscientious objection. Ramos met Kaprow while a student at the Southern Illinois University and participated in a handful of the artist’s iconic “happenings,” including the ambitious 1967 event Fluids,, which involved the construction of several intricate igloos across Pasadena. He was later part of a coterie of West coast figures inspired by Kaprow to mount their own interventions—Ramos often staged prankish, ephemeral art events with fellow artists Joe Ray and Lowell Darling, who appear in the two plastic bag videos.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Sound Healing for Grief (online)


Experience the power of sound healing as we calm our nervous system and ground the body with a sound bath and humming and toning exercises. In this experiential session we will explore the sound of our breath, our voice and the nurturing power of sound healing as we come together in deep relaxation to reconnect with ourselves. Event participants will learn and practice humming and toning exercises which calm the nervous system and ground the body. We will end with a sound bath where Boshko Boskovic of Let’s Heal NYC, will use the sound of his voice and a Shruti Box to support your grieving process. Sound Healing for grief is a group experience centering around the therapeutic abilities of sound based on the understanding that the law of vibration is one of the fundamental forces of the universe. Sound healing is the practice of intentionally creating waves of harmonic sound which envelop and surround the body. Whether actively participating in the creation of the sounds or acting as a passive receiver, sound healing has the soothing ability to repair aspects of ourselves that are out of alignment restoring us to harmony. Benefits include: releasing endorphins, stimulating deep breathing, increasing oxygen in the brain and blood flow. Boshko Boskovic is a Reiki Master and Sound Healing practitioner trained and certified in the Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki lineage and in sound healing from the Sound Healing Center in Sausalito, California. He is the founder of Let’s Heal NYC, a private practice specializing in Reiki and Sound Healing treatments.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Screening | Water Rhythms: Listening to Climate Change


A screening and performance of composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra’s ambitious work, a collaboration between Ibarra and glaciologist, geographer, and climate scientist Dr. Michele Koppes, which maps water rhythms from source to sink. Ibarra’s composition is derived from field recordings of five global watersheds, including the Greenland ice sheet and glacier-fed rivers of the Himalayas. It has also been installed at TED Countdown Edinburgh, Scotland (2021); ARKO Art Center, Seoul, Korea (2021); Fridman Gallery, Beacon, NY (2021); and the San Francisco Exploratorium (2022). 
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Only Now: The Moving Memory Project


An evening of movement, conversation, and community engagement around the themes of memory, forgetting, and identity. Featuring: Dancers for a Variable Population, 2 teaching artists will lead a 30-minute dance session for attendees. (7:30pm) Work-in-Progress showing of DEA, a new 15-minute contemporary dance by award-winning choreographers Stefanie Nelson and Maya Orchin. Performed by Graziella Murdocca, Maya Orchin, and Mark Willis. Inspired by Massimo Bontempelli's 1925 play Nostra Dea in which the main protagonist's personality is determined solely by the attributes of the clothes she is wearing. (8pm) A moderated post-performance discussion by David Shenk, renowned author of The Forgetting, who will pose questions for the artists and request audience feedback about the work. Reception with Live Jazz Music by musicians from the Manhattan School of Music and a Dance Party (8:45pm)  
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Master Class | Piano Master Class


A piano master class with Eduardus Halim. Eduardus Halim has appeared with such orchestra as the Baltimore Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Malaysian Philharmonic, and the Russian National Orchestra. He has given recitals at Alice Tully Hall and the 92nd Street Y in New York and at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Ragtime, Concert Waltzes, and More with works by Debussy and Others


Marilyn Nonken, piano. The program includes music of Scott Joplin (1868-1917), Scott Hayden (1882-1915), and Louis Chauvin (1881-1908), alongside works by Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), and Francois Meimoun (1979-present) inspired by ragtime and popular genres.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Syncopated Musings: On Rags, Waltzes, and Novelties for the Piano


A CD release party for Professor of Music and Music Education and Chair of the the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at NYU Steinhardt, Marilyn This delightful program includes pieces by: Scott Joplin: Solace: A Mexican Serenade (1909) Scott Joplin and Louis Chauvin: Heliotrope Bouquet (1907) Claude Debussy: Children's Corner  (1908) Scott Joplin and Scott Hayden: Sun Flower Slow Drag (1901), Kismet Rag (1913) Olivier Messiaen: Fantaisie Burlesque (1932) Scott Joplin: Pleasant Moments (A Ragtime Waltz) (1909) François Meïmoun: La Danse selon Matisse (2017) .
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Jazz | The Spirit of the Savoy Ballroom


Harlem's Savoy Ballroom was one of America's best known and most historically important dance venues, regularly hosting performances by Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie. Renowned as the birthplace of the Savoy-style Lindy Hop predominant among that era's Black dancers, the Ballroom's anti-discrimination policy sparked a cultural cross-pollination that informs popular dance and music to this day. The spirit of the Savoy lives on in this evening of participatory swing dance scored with swing-jazz played by Charles Turner & Uptown Swing and The Eyal Vilner Swing Band. The audience will be joined on the dance floor by professional Savoy swing Lindy Hoppers from choreographer Caleb Teicher's SW!NG OUT.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Zumbra Workout (online)


Zumba is a fusion of Latin, international and popular music dance themes creating a dynamic, exciting, effective fitness system. The routines feature aerobic, fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body with easy to follow dance steps. Instructor: Ashley Thompson
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Comedy Club | Bomb Shelter Comedy Show


Bomb Shelter is a free weekly comedy show in New York City where you'll find some of the best comedians performing. Expect free pizza.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by Purcell, J.S. Bach, and More for Baroque Violin (In Person AND Online)


Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pajaro, Baroque violin. Program Biagio Marini (1594-1663), Sonata sopra 'Fuggi dolente core', Op. 22 No. 1 Monteverdi (1567-1643), L'Orfeo, SV 318: Sinfonia Purcell (1659-1695), Pavane in G minor, Z. 752 Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704), Mystery (Rosary) Sonata No. 16 in G minor, The Guardian Angel: Passacaglia Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632-1692), Varie partite sopra diverse sonate per il violino: Toccata Tarquinio Merula (1595-1665), Ballo detto Eccardo Salamone Rossi (1570-1630), Sinfonia Ottava Andrea Falconieri (1585-1656), Folias echa para mi Senora Dona Tarolilla de Carallenos J.S. Bach (1685-1750), Sonata No. 5 for Violin and Obbligato Harpsichord in F minor, BWV 1018 Purcell (1659-1695), O Solitude, My Sweetest Choice, Z. 406 Francois Couperin (1668-1733) and Marin Marais (1656-1728), Selections from Les Concerts royaux, Nouveax concerts, & Pieces en Trio Niel Gow (1727-1807), Lament (for the Death of his Second Wife) Traditional, Lumkom
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:00 pm
Free
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