Events &amp; Things To Do

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! See the newest of American art according to curators Christopher Y. Lew and Mia Locks at the Whitney Biennial, then check the original intent of Solomon R. Guggenheim’s collection at the museum bearing his name. Put your arty dancing shoes on for a party at the Knockdown Center, then celebrate fashion at the House of Yes. Get an insider’s look at Daniel Gustina’s designs for Old Hollywood at FIT, and check out Ventiko’s sanctuary at Chinatown Soup. Finally, spend an evening with funny artists at Muchmore, or indulge in your favorite French things at a screening of Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.
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Events & Things To Do

Swale floating park returns this spring with a new look

Photo courtesy of Strongbow

March 21, 2017

Swale floating park returns this spring with a new look

With spring officially here, it’s the perfect time to visit your favorite park. While there are plenty to choose from, there’s only one that floats on water. As reported by Time Out, Swale, the collaborative floating food forest, which let visitors pick free produce last summer, is back with an updated design--"a blossoming apple orchard surrounded by garden beds filled with herbs, fruits and vegetables." In a collaboration with Strongbow, the newly designed barge will be docking at public piers from April through October.
Find out more here

March 21, 2017

Artist who created Wall Street’s ‘Charging Bull’ angered by ‘Fearless Girl’ statue

A post shared by Melanie Hunt (@melaniehunt1331) on Mar 7, 2017 at 4:50am PST The creator of the iconic Wall Street "Charging Bull” is snorting mad over the appearance of the bull's new companion, artist Kristen Visbal’s bronze "Fearless Girl” statue. 76-year-old Arturo di Modica, the artist who made the iconic sculpture that, like its young challenger, was installed in the wee hours, says the girl is “an advertising trick,” reports MarketWatch.
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Events & Things To Do

March 20, 2017

Two Trees looks to local artists to help elevate everyday living

By 6sqft

Developers are increasingly using art as a way to turn their buildings into more than just stacks of expensive apartments. Many see adding sculptures or installations as ways to activate a place, making it an integral part of the urban experience. But while most are eager to jump on the biggest names in the business, there […]

258 years ago, the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in NYC

The parade in 1904 at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street via The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library

March 17, 2017

258 years ago, the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in NYC

By Annie Doge

Sure, New York has plenty of interesting history, but who would have thought the first recorded St. Patrick's Day parade was held not in Ireland, but in our fair city? It was on March 17, 1762, 255 years ago and 14 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that Irish soldiers serving in the British army marched to honor the Catholic feast day of St. Patrick, their country's patron saint. With Irish immigrants flocking to the United States, and in large numbers to New York, in the mid-19th century, the parade became an annual tradition and spread elsewhere in the country.
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March 17, 2017

‘Bach in the Subways’ brings classical music underground this weekend

This weekend, celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach's 331st birthday by listening to musicians play all the Baroque hits in subway stations across the city. From Saturday to Monday, Bach in the Subways will bring hundreds of performers underground and above, sharing the German composer's work with New Yorkers for free as part of the MTA's Music Under New York program.
Find out how it all started

Events & Things To Do

March 16, 2017

Bid on a VIP tour of Yale with Robert A.M. Stern and other starchitect experiences

The Van Alen Institute announces their fourth annual Auction of Art + Design Experiences, offering a rare international sampling of curated events with leading names in the creative world. Like an omakase of "distinctive experiences" with some of today's most notable innovators in the architecture, design and culture spheres, the benefit auction, available via Paddle8, offers a Robert A.M. Stern-led VIP preview of the architect’s addition to the Yale University campus, an afternoon in the archives of Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro outside São Paulo, a workout at Medellín Sports Coliseum with its architect, Giancarlo Mazzanti, a visit to a collection of stilted Miami beach houses with architect Terry Riley, meditation studio time with Winka Dubbeldam and a tour of John Lautner-designed horror story homes in the Hollywood hills, to name just a few.
More cool experiences to bid on, ahead

March 16, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week- 3/16-3/22

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! Break out after the blizzard cabin fever, and get into an evening at MoMA for their yearly Members Party (yes, that means you need to become a member if you aren’t already!) If architecture is more your thing, celebrate the Van Alen Institute at The Tunnel, or if you’re just not into parties, get cultural at the opera in Bushwick. BBQ joint/gallery Fort Gansevoort welcomes guest curator Hank Willis Thomas for a new show, and Creative Time stages a Shirin Neshat talk at the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Enjoy historic postcards of synagogues of the past at Museum at Eldridge Street, then appreciate the surreal illustrations of You Jung Byun. Finally, get an insider’s tour of Grand Central Terminal, including a jaunt across its catwalk to get your very own aerial pictures of the beautiful concourse.
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Events & Things To Do

March 14, 2017

Fewer young foreigners traveling to NYC because of Trump

New York City expected tourism from foreigners to fall after President Trump’s chaotic announcement of his first executive order in January which banned travel from seven majority-Muslim countries because it was unclear which travelers would be allowed into the country. However, as reported by Crain’s, it’s not just money-spending travelers that have avoided the Big Apple; it’s student and youth groups that are canceling trips to the city.
Learn more here

March 13, 2017

Studio Tack transforms an old motor lodge into a minimalist boutique hotel in Upstate New York

By Rebecca Paul

This 1960s guesthouse in upstate New York was recently transformed into a charming boutique hotel by the Brooklyn-based design firm Studio Tack. The Scribner's Catskill Lodge boasts a modern yet rustic aesthetic, highlighting both good design and the property's expansive mountain views. The hotel is located close to Hunter Mountain's popular ski slopes, which are all visible from inside the cozy hotel.
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March 13, 2017

A pavilion created from 300,000 recycled cans is coming to Governors Island this summer

"Cast & Place" is the winner of FIGMENT’s 2017 City of Dreams competition, an annual design contest that challenges architecture and design firms to build a pavilion out of recycled materials to be assembled on Governors Island and displayed during the summer. This year, it will be made out of more than 300,000 aluminum cans (the number of cans used in NYC in an hour), melted down and cast into cracked clay. According to the group’s Kickstarter page, the material will be soil excavated from the East River, recycled cans, and reclaimed wood, which will form lightweight, strong panels to provide structure and shade.
See their design here

March 10, 2017

At $31B, Airbnb now second most valuable private company behind Uber

After raising an additional $1 billion in a financing round that began last summer, Airbnb, the short-term stay rental company, is now listed as the second most valuable private company in the United States, following Uber, the ride-hailing business, as the New York Times reported. Airbnb, based in San Francisco, has raised more than $3 billion and secured a $1 billion line of credit since the company was founded in 2008. It is now worth nearly $31 billion dollars.
Find out more here

March 9, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 3/9-3/15

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! A new month means a new art film across the screens in Times Square, with March inviting folks to jump into Matteo Zamagni’s "nature abstractions." Graffiti kings Crash, Bio and Nick Walker host an exclusive exhibition in the West Village, while Donna Ruff’s lace-like paper pieces are taking over Rick Wester in Chelsea. Artist Dionisios Fragias does a familial collaboration with his wife at Emmanuel Fremin, and Dexter Wimberly guest curates at Ground Floor Gallery presenting Tammy Nguyen. Spend the day fusing art and activism at MoMA’s Wikipedia edit-a-thon, then head to the French Consulate’s gorgeous bookstore, Albertine, for a talk with famed designer Agnes B. Finally, check out the Brooklyn Bazaar, at the former Polonaise Terrace, and pick up medical history ephemera, taxidermy, and other oddities at their special annual flea market.
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Events & Things To Do

March 8, 2017

Exciting new details emerge for the TWA Terminal hotel

By Diane Pham

The excitement was palpable yesterday evening as New Yorkers packed into the SVA Theatre for a special presentation on one of the city's most important rehabilitation projects: the redevelopment of Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA flight center into a hotel. Taking the stage were the development and architecture teams who divulged a slew of new details regarding the design, the hotel's offer, and even the pricing of the rooms.
more details from the night's event here

March 8, 2017

Kristen Visbal’s ‘Fearless Girl’ statue defies Wall Street’s bull to promote women in business

A post shared by Melanie Hunt (@melaniehunt1331) on Mar 7, 2017 at 4:50am PST Early Tuesday morning a bronze statue of a young girl in high tops, face defiant, hands firmly on her hips, was placed in front of the iconic charging bull statue in lower Manhattan’s Bowling Green park. The statue, created by artist Kristen Visbal, was installed by international asset management company State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) to bring attention to the need for more women on corporate boards–and for more female business leaders in general.
What's behind the girl

Events & Things To Do

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

Rendering of Powerhouse Workshop via Herzog & de Meuron

March 7, 2017

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

By Dana Schulz

Despite its Superfund status, the Gowanus Canal has ushered in a Whole Foods, an artisanal ice cream factory, and more than one high-end residential development, but one vestige of its gritty, industrial days has remained--the so-called Batcave. Build in 1904 as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company's Central Power Station, the warehouse was taken out of service in the '50s, becoming in the 2000s a home for squatters, venue for impromptu dance parties, and unofficial street art display. But it looks like the former warehouse will now join the ranks of its Brooklyn-esque neighbors, as the Times reports that Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron will transform the space into an art production factory and exhibition space to be called the Powerhouse Workshop, though it will preserve the iconic graffiti
Get the whole scoop

March 6, 2017

ARTech opens a free pop-up playground for brainy kids in Meatpacking

By Metro New York

When art meets science and technology, kids do more than just learn—they’re inspired to think in new ways. That’s the premise of ARTech, a free indoor science and technology-themed playground open now through April 29 at 451-459 West 14th Street. Created in partnership with the Children’s Museum of the Arts and New York Hall of […]

Events & Things To Do

March 6, 2017

The best design museums in New York City

By Diane Pham

New York is an international center for design. World-famous architects and designers have learned here, lived here, and worked here. And New York shows off the immense talent in the city and elsewhere with some of the world's greatest design museums. Here is a small sample of some of the best places to see the latest and greatest works, as well as where to dig when you're looking for inspiration from the past.
See our top picks here

March 3, 2017

‘Show-stopping’ Hamilton collection includes love letters and a lock of hair

Historic collections expert Seth Kaller throws his hat into the Hamilton ring for this year’s Antiquarian Book Fair, happening March 9-12 at the Park Avenue Armory. The Alexander Hamilton Collection (part of a larger collection titled “The Genius, Passions, Foibles and Flaws of our Founding Fathers” ) promises to be a unique collection of original letters, documents and imprints relating to the life and times of the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and founder of the New York Post, shown for the first time and offered for sale at the book fair.
See what's in the collection

March 2, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for Armory Arts Week 2017

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! Armory Arts Week has come to New York again, bringing a hustle and bustle of artists, galleries, art buyers, and art lovers from around the world. The main event is joined by a myriad of satellite fairs that could keep you busy for days, including a new location of the SCOPE Art Show, a fair dedicated solely to paper, and VOLTA’s focus on solo exhibitions. To pair with the fair excitement, the Public Art Fund is installing an open-air mansion just outside Central Park, and MoMA PS1 opens its galleries for a food- and booze-infused party. Head to Brooklyn to see Chad Hasegawa transform ordinary house paint into Abstract paintings, or, if historic art is more your thing, check out a 9th-century shipwreck at the Asia Society.
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Events & Things To Do

March 2, 2017

Gracie Mansion’s new exhibit tells the story of NYC during World War II

By Dana Schulz

In honor of the residence's 75th anniversary, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy has announced a new art installation titled "New York 1942," a collection of World War II-era objects that tell the story of New York City during this time, as well as of the period when Gracie Mansion became the official mayoral residence under Fiorello La Guardia. The exhibit will display more than 50 artifacts, documents, and pieces of art, including a signed World Series Yankees baseball, the Jacob Lawrence painting "The Migrants Arrived in Great Numbers," a photo from Weegee, ration tokens, and a first-edition print of "The Little Prince."
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Events & Things To Do

The history of tattooing in NYC – and its 36-year ban

Charlie Wagner tattooing Millie Hull, 1939; Image courtesy of the New-York Historical Society.

March 2, 2017

The history of tattooing in NYC – and its 36-year ban