VOICES Publishing from the AAJA National Convention
Asking if there’s art to see in New York City is the equivalent of asking if there’s sand to see in the Sahara. This city has been the cradle for some of the most significant artists and artistic movements in America. So if you want to see art, you will find plenty of it. You’ll discover it underfoot in the form of drawings and stencils carved and sprayed onto the sidewalks, and you’ll find it peering down at you in the form of graffiti and street art pasted and painted to the foreheads and backsides of the city’s giant structures.
In an effort to give you an atypical New York art experience, this guide will point you not to the paragons of art such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Modern Art, but rather to the multitude of the city’s small galleries.
Art Galleries
My Plastic Heart
210 Forsyth St. (at East Houston Street)
Open Tuesday-Saturday noon-7 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.
Website: myplasticheart.com
You’ll find My Plastic Heart, a designer art toy store, in Manhattan’s Lower East Side surrounded by restaurants, bars and cafes that fit into the trendy mold of this neighborhood. Philip Lumbang, Julie West and Kelly Denato are just a few of the artists that have exhibits showcased in My Plastic Heart’s gallery.
Jonathan Levine Gallery
529 W. 20th St., ninth floor
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Jonathan Levine Gallery has its roots in the namesake’s work as an independent curator of art that was displayed in the city’s underground music venues such as CBGB, Webster Hall, Max Fish and Maxwell’s. According to the Web site, the gallery, in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, has played a role in “nurturing the careers of Shepard Fairey, Invader, Olek and others.”
Public Art Fund: “United Enemies”
Doris C. Freedman Plaza, near 59th Street at Fifth Avenue (until Aug. 25)
Website: publicartfund.org
Thomas Schütte is a German sculptor whose work has ranged from small figurines to big designs for grand national monuments. His art is featured by the city’s Public Art Fund on the southeast corner of Central Park. You’ll find the bronze statues, called “United Enemies,” teetering on spindly legs, at the edge of the park.
Public Art Fund: “Configurations”
MetroTech Center, Brooklyn
Website: publicartfund.org
Another featured piece from the Public Art Fund, “Configurations” is the collected work of four artists: Valérie Blass, Katinka Bock, Esther Kläs and Allyson Vieira. The sculptures were formed as an effort to understand the relationship between the solitary structure and the moving viewer. These pieces are on view in Brooklyn’s MetroTech Center until Sept. 16.
Museums
Society of Illustrators
128 E. 63rd St. (at Lexington Avenue)
Open Tuesday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday noon-4 p.m. (Hall of Fame gallery is closed Tuesday 6-8 p.m.)
Cost: Free
Website: societyillustrators.org/default.aspx
If it were not for the giant billowing banner hanging from the side of the building, you might unwittingly pass by the small beige building that is home to the Society of Illustrators. The featured illustrator in the museum’s Hall of Fame Gallery is Henry Patrick Raleigh, who worked as an illustrator for publications such as The San Francisco Examiner and The Saturday Evening Post.
The Museum at FIT
227 W. 27th St. (at Seventh Avenue)
Open Tuesday-Friday noon-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Website: fitnyc.edu/13666.asp
Perhaps one of the city’s most prominent fashion exhibits is the living catwalk of fashionably dressed residents. If, however, the clothing is too modern for you, then the permanent collection at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s museum might be a great option. The museum’s estimated 50,000-piece closet contains clothing ranging from the 18th century to “tomorrow,” and contains pieces by Dior and Balenciaga, among others.
International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas
Open Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
$14.
Website: icp.org/
You’ve arrived in New York City in time for the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibit, “A Different Kind of Order,” which features the works of 28 international photographers, videographers and multimedia artists.
