free things to do in New York City
Free events for Wednesday, 05/12/10
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More
44 free events take place on Wednesday, May 12 in New York City.
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44 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Discussion | Work Life, Home Life: Should Government Require Paid Leave?


About 1.3 million working people in New York City have no paid sick leave, and pressure is mounting on employers to provide it. Local chambers of commerce predict the cost would be in the billions; labor advocates argue it is simply a matter of fairness—and the City Council has begun to move on legislation. In the national context of often inflexible work options and limited public spending on child care, are there plausible ways to improve family policies in the workplace? Or is it too much for business—and the economy—to bear? WITH: Sherry Leiwant, Executive Director, A Better Balance Sheebani Patel, Staff Attorney/Organizer, ROCNY Nancy Ploeger, President and CEO, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; Mary R. Watson, Associate Professor and Chair of Management Programs, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy; MODERATOR: Sharon Lerner, author, The War on Moms: On Life in a Family-Unfriendly Nation
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 am
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Five tours daily on the hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 am
Free...

Other | Blood Drive


In honor of National Police Week, an annual blood drive.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
free, no reservation required

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Workshop | Elements of Nature Drawing


Enjoy drawing in the parks and gardens with a professional artist/educator. Materials provided or bring your own.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:30 am
free, no reservation required

Other | Sirius XM Live on Broadway Taping


Broadway fans are invited to attend the taping of this radio show with host Seth Rudetsky. Interviews and performances are followed by autograph signings and photos. Guest: Matt Hydzik of West Side Story.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Tour | Exploring Hallett and the Pond Tour


Due to limited space, the first 20 people to sign in at the beginning of the tour will be able to participate! Take a break to enjoy the Park! Take this half-hour walk through the Park's smallest woodland area and learn its history, enjoy its peacefulness, and discover the mystery behind the waterfall.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Tour | Grand Central Terminal Tour


Tour of this magnificent Beaux-Arts landmark.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
$10 suggested donation

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$6

Screening | Pacific Heritage Films


Daily screenings of films including "Rolling Down Like Pele" and "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i "
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Other | Oral Cancer Screenings


Screenings are on a first-come first-served basis. No appointment is needed. Testing is quick and painless.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Figure al Fresco Drawing


Learn figure drawing outdoors with a clothed model and an artist/educator. Materials provided or bring your own.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Chamber Music Workshop


Reuben Blundell, director.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Screening | Pacific Heritage Films


Daily screenings of films including "Rolling Down Like Pele" and "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i "
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Poetry Reading | Book Launch: Voice Recognition: 21 Poets for the 21st Century


Voice Recognition showcases a new wave of poets from Britain and Ireland. The event will feature Siddhartha Bose, Ailbhe Darcy, Mark Leech, Colm O’Shea, and Sandeep Parmar. Hosted by editor James Byrne.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Introduction to MS Excel


An introduction to the basic features of Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program designed for the Windows environment. Topics include entering data & formulas, moving & copying data, formatting & print previewing worksheets. Introduction to MS Word is a prerequisite.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Adobe Bridge Seminar


The Adobe Bridge is included with “any” CS4 (Creative Suite 4) program, Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator. People often miss this new application or don’t know the full extent of what it can do! The Bridge lets you browse images as thumbnails, manage a collection of digital photos, drag and drop them into page layouts, develop camera raw files, view slide shows and more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | D.C. Anderson performs from his CD Close Companions


Anderson once more takes a bit of time off from his national tour of Phantom of the Opera to share another collection of often original and always unique songs.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Greg Milner discusses his book Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music


In 1915, Thomas Edison proclaimed that he could record a live performance and reproduce it perfectly, shocking audiences who found themselves unable to tell whether what they were hearing was an Edison Diamond Disc or a flesh-and-blood musician. Today, the equation is reversed. Whereas Edison proposed that a real performance could be rebuilt with absolute perfection, Pro Tools and digital samplers now allow musicians and engineers to create the illusion of performances that never were. In between lies a century of sonic exploration into the balance between the real and the represented.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Indie Rock: Left on Red


Meet Liah Alonso and Kelly Halloran, collectively known as Left on Red. The two young women’s talents run the musical gamut but they are primarily a rock duo featuring Liah on guitar, Kelly on violin, and both on vocals with lots of harmonies.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Talk | Optimizing Cashflows and Budgeting


Learn how to manage debt, save money in New York, build savings, and put together a good spending plan. William Wu, CFP will give you the basics, and get you on track with your finances. Wu joined Kramer Financial Group after working as a financial advisor in Merrill Lynch's Global Wealth Management Group. He is very passionate about financial planning and believes in the benefits that proper planning can bring. With an emphasis on financial literacy and his ability to provide independent financial advice, he is able to serve his clients in the best way possible.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Yoruba Richen's Documentary Promised Land (2001)


This film invites viewers to take an inside look at the critical story of land reform and racial reconciliation in the new South Africa. It explores how the country is rebuilding itself after years of living under the racist, violent system of apartheid.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Constellations, Toilet Paper, and 16th Century High Society


Join artist Karen Azoulay in a collaborative workshop and toilet paper party! Azoulay will instruct participants in the craft of transforming the most disposable of all household products into a unique and everlasting work of art. Toilet paper will be hand-stitched into wrist cuffs reminiscent of the elaborate neck ruffs seen in 16th-century Dutch portrait paintings. Once each design is complete, the newly decorated hands of each participant will then be photographed wearing their creations. These hand portraits will later be compiled by Azoulay and used to create a new artwork in her ethereal series Constellation Leo. Karen Azoulay is a visual artist based in New York City. Solo exhibitions include 'Fire Tale', curated by Joseph R. Wolin at Four Gallery in Dublin, Ireland, 2007; 'Wading Under a Crackling Sky', curated by Glenn Ligon at CUE Art Foundation in New York City (2007); and 'The Evening Canopy and the Sunset Hour' at Mercer Union in Toronto (2006). Her work has been included in group shows at the Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY; Stichting, Eindhoven, Netherlands; Hanna Gallery, Tokyo; Art & Idea, Mexico City; Galerie Kunstbuero, Vienna, and White Columns, New York among others.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free...

Author Reading | James McGrath Morris discusses his book Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power


Like Alfred Nobel, Joseph Pulitzer is better known today for the prize that bears his name than for his contribution to history. Yet, in nineteenth-century industrial America, while Carnegie provided the steel, Rockefeller the oil, Morgan the money, and Vanderbilt the railroads, Pulitzer ushered in the modern mass media.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Performance | Musical Theater Workshop & Teen Acting Workshop Performance


Lucy Moses School students perform original theater pieces.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Discussion | Peter Carey, Award-Winning Author


The Australian-born novelist and short-story writer is one of only two writers to have won the Booker Prize twice -- for Oscar and Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang. He has also won the Miles Franklin Award three times. He collaborated on the screenplay of the film Until the End of the World with Wim Wenders.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Talk | Why Translation Matters


Often ignored, misunderstood, or misrepresented, translation is actually an essential part of our reading experience whenever we pick up a copy of Anna Karenina, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Tin Drum and thousands of other works. This evening’s talk by acclaimed translator Edith Grossman sets out the argument for why translation matters and why we should all take a closer look at this art form. Grossman has been a professional translator since 1972, and a full-time translator since 1990. Her translations of writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Carlos Fuentes are contemporary classics. Her translation of Don Quixote is widely considered a masterpiece.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Talk | Yes, Design Can Make You Happy


A presentation by the Austrian graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Dan Nadel discusses his book Art in Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures, 1940-1980


In this engaging and smart volume, Nadel focuses on the lesser-known comic works by celebrated icons of the industry, like H.G. Peter (the artist behind Wonder Woman), John Stanley (the writer and artist for Little Lulu), Harry Lucey (one of the artists behind Archie), Jesse Marsh (the artist for Tarzan), and Bill Everett (best know for his characters Sub Mariner and Dr. Strange).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Poetry Reading | Daniel Mendelsohn reads from his translation of poems by Constantine Cavafy


Already a celebrated critic, memoirist and classicist, Mendelsohn drew together his interests in ancient history, literature, gay life and culture, and beautiful language to produce the finest, most readable version of the modern Greek poet Cavafy (1863–1933) to come along in decades.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Screening | Encore!: Student Projects


A screening of senior thesis projects by students in the BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects Department.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Book Discussion | Kevin Baker's Striver’s Row: Early Life of Malcolm X


The Book Discussion Group reads this novel reimagining of the early days of Malcolm Little—the man who became Malcolm X.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Olen Steinhauer reads from his book The Nearest Exit


In Steinhauer's new spy novel, the main character from The Tourist is immersed in a complex world of clandestine warfare and affairs of the heart.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Sarah Ellison discusses her book War at the Wall Street Journal


Ellison’s work of deep reportage goes deep inside the transition between the Bancroft family and Rupert Murdoch.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Staged Reading | Steven Cosson's The Civilians' The Great Immensity: A Sister's Search


Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman. Directed by Cosson. Polly, a photojournalist, disappears while working in the virgin rainforests of Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal. Phyllis, Polly's twin, embarks on an international search for her lost sister that spans the North American continent, from the tropics to arctic Churchill, Canada. With great wit, intelligence and theatricality, The Civilians weave the sisters’ story as they survive polar bears, tundra buggies, snakes, and a Chinese pimp - all while grappling with the harsh and seemingly hopeless realities of climate change.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Performance | The And The Heart Says Whatever Talent Show and Variety Hour


Comedian/author Julie Klausner (I Don’t Care About Your Band), performance artist/author Mike Albo (The Underminer) and musician/playwright Dan Fishback — and other secret special guests! — will salute musicians like Stevie Nicks and Liz Phair in song, to celebrate the publication of Emily Gould's heavily Nicks-inspired essay collection. Rest assured that the feeling will remain even after the glitter fades.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | 1924 Now!


David Noon, Coordinator. Instrumental and vocal works of 1924 The culminating concert of David Noon’s history course, Music and Life in 1924. Come dressed for the Roaring Twenties.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Author Reading | Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child reads from their book Fever Dream


Preston and Child are back, and so is Special Agent Pendergast. This time he is looking into the death of his wife Helen. As he delves into her past, he wonders who he married.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Dance Performance | Dance: Eva Schmidt / Aya Shibahara / Paul Matteson / Adrian Jevicki


A program of non-curated shared showings of experimentation and work-in-progress, for artists at all stages of their development. The events are centered around an audience discussion moderated by an artist-in-residence or an occasional guest, where they will experiment with different feedback methods to support and inform the artists’ process.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:00 pm
$3 suggested donation

Concert | Guitar Soloists Spring


Featuring the guitar students of Michael Newman and Fred Hand, these concerts include performances of works by great masters from the Renaissance, new works by students and faculty, and everything in between.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Theater | Student Production: Sarah Kane's 4:48 Psychosis


Kane's last play is her most affecting work. The setting is inside a suicidal mind. Mind versus body: which force decides the fate of the psychiatric patient? 4.48 was written to be presented in various ways as it's structure is poetic and without characters. Come and experience the version that features two actors representing the body and mind and demonstrating the battle between the continuation of life and the progression of death.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
$5 donation suggested
9:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Performance | MacGuffin: Improv Comedy


True to its name, MacGuffin, which is a term used to describe an event, character, or object that motivates the scene forward but isn’t what the scene is about, is one step ahead of the audience’s expectations. MacGuffin members have studied with New York’s finest improv theatres including The Upright Citizens Brigade, Gotham City Improv, and The PIT. MacGuffin is Nash Bennett, Nick Carrillo, Patty Devery, Josh Hurley, Brandon McTavish, and Tracy Mull.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 pm
$6
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Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Discussion | Major Political Correspondent in Conversation

Regular Price: $40
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Classical Music | Arias from Operas by Puccini & More

Regular Price: $40
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Play | Family Comedy at a Major Theater

Regular Price: $35
CFT Member Price: $0.00