Mean Girls for grown-ups, Drake vs. Tchaikovsky, the Orchid Show is back, NYC Beer Week begins and more things to do in NYC this weekend.
Here’s Brooklyn now
BRIC, which celebrates 40 years as the leading venue for free cultural programs in Brooklyn, has opened its 2019 Biennial. This year’s art show focuses on the voices of Southern Brooklyn as they respond to the theme The Impossible Possible. Most works are at Gallery at BRIC House, with satellite shows at Green-Wood Cemetery and other venues. Through April 7, 647 Fulton St., Brooklyn, free, bricartsmedia.org
Former FBI deputy chief tells all
After more than two decades of service, Andrew McCabe was fired from his job as deputy director of the FBI 26 hours before his retirement. Meet him at The Strand on Thursday night for a talk and signing of his new book The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, which recounts his dramatic career and why the FBI is essential to liberty. Feb. 28, 7 p.m., 826 Broadway, $29.99 (includes the book), strandbooks.com
Ready for baseball season?
Football is done and the groundhogs said an early spring is on the way, but it’s not quite baseball season yet. To tide you over, Citi Field brewery Mikkeller NYC has created a new IPA, Hey Ho, Simcoe! and they’re unveiling it this Thursday with a Nintendo MLB tournament at Randolph Beer Dumbo. Feb. 28, 7 p.m.-midnight, pay as you go, mikkellernyc.com
Reinvent yourself
Join a free dance party and exhibit tour at the Rubin Museum on the opening night of its new show The Power of Intention: Reinventing the (Prayer) Wheel. Meant to spark your own personal empowerment, the event includes happy hour at the museum’s K2 Lounge, music by DJ Tasha Blank, docent-led tours and after-hours dancing. March 1, 6-11 p.m., 150 W. 17th St., free, rubinmuseum.org
Do you really love New York?
Think you know New York? Take part in the ultimate battle for hometown pride at The Panorama Challenge, the Queens Museum’s annual trivia show now in its 12th year. Together with the City Reliquary museum, the quizmasters have created a game incorporating its giant scale model of the city that will test your knowledge of history, people, architecture and more. Play or just enjoy the show! March 1, 6 p.m., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, $15, artful.ly
Fridays are for Big Band music
Need your fix of brass blasting the dancefloor hits of the 40s? The McKittrick Hotel’s Manderley Bar has a new weekly residency: MK Groove Orchestra, live on Fridays. The “electro-funk powerhouse jam band” from Brooklyn is rooted in the Big Band era (think hot brass and sultry vocals), backed by a modern rhythm section. Starting at 10:30 p.m., 532 W. 27th St., entry is free or $25 to reserve seating, mckittrickhotel.com
Brunch with Dolly Parton
Everyone is feeling the love for country queen Dolly Parton (courtesy of Netflix’s amazing new movie Dumplin’), so this month’s edition of Country Brunchin’ at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg is all about southern music from Dolly cover band The Doll Parts followed by the classic workplace movie 9 To 5 served with a brunch “so tasty you’ll think you died and went to Publix.” March 2 & 3, 10:45 a.m., 136 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, $18, nitehawkcinema.com
Not like in the movies
If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at sex in the movies, this month’s edition of Adult Sex Ed is for you. Dani Faith Leonard’s enlightening storytelling show that fills the gaps (ha!) in your sex education comes to Caveat on Saturday all about sex onscreen — who’s having it, how it’s filmed, the ratings system and more — with special guests including Natalie Wall (Awkward Sex and the City), Shelwa Sharpe (2 Dope Queens) and Robert King (Dietland). March 2, 7 p.m., 21A Clinton St., $15-$20, must be 21+, caveat.nyc
Brooklyn throws an indoor block party
Calling all parents of cabin feverish kids! This Saturday, Brooklyn Bridge Parents and City Point are throwing an indoor block party with totally free things to do like STEM activities, a bounce house, Lego and other building blocks, soccer, slime making and more. You’ll also explore summer camp options for kids ages 1-10. March 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., BKLYN Studios at City Point, 445 Albee Square W., Brooklyn, citypointbrooklyn.com
The grand finale of NYC Beer Week
NYC Beer Week ends with a brunch dedicated to the brewers who rise to the challenge of creating a special beer made entirely with New York state-grown ingredients. Taste your way through them at Randolph Beer Dumbo, and help crown your favorite breweries with the Ruppert’s Cup. March 3, noon-2 p.m., 82 Prospect St., Brooklyn, pay as you go, nycbrewed.com
Count us all
Help make elections more fair at It’s Common Census, a Mardi Gras-themed variety show featuring drag bingo, comedy, live music and burlesque at The Bell House. Your fun will be raising money for Southern Echo, an organization focused on redrawing gerrymandered voting maps ahead of the 2020 Census. March 3, 3 p.m., 149 Seventh St., Brooklyn, must be 21+, $25, eventbrite.com
How tattooing changes your body
Those with a strong stomach should check out MoMA PS1’s new commission. This edition of its ongoing program VW Sunday Sessions invites the strong of stomach to watch as tattoo artist and sculptor Doreen Garner tattoos someone live — who’s been hooked up to an EEG machine that broadcasts their body’s response to the process as endorphins and adrenaline mix. The information is turned into a “visual environment” meant to connect you with your own body. March 3, 3 p.m. 22-25 Jackson Ave., Queens, $15, moma.org
Relive an excellent adventure
Bill & Ted are set to ride again in a newly announced third film! Get psyched by rewatching the original with BBQ Films at their final CBD-infused Green Screen night of the season. Comedians Sameer Naseem and Gabe Pacheco from Funhouse Comedy will get you pumped, there’s a Wyld Stallyons air guitar contest, plus the usual video game arcade, photobooth and free swag. March 3, doors at 4:20 p.m., Chelsea Music Hall, 407 W. 15th St., $22-$55, eventbrite.com
Thing to Do in NYC: Ongoing
Step into the movies
You may not qualify for an Oscar, but you can step inside Oscar-nominated movies at Dolby Soho, the sound and video company’s new experience store. Experience stepping onto the stage with Freddie Mercury in their Infinity Space, immerse yourself in First Man inside the Dimension Pod, wander the Spider-Man Forest and much more. Through March 10, Wed-Sun 1-8 p.m., 477 Broadway, free, soho.dolby.com
Get creative with technology
The Brooklyn Academy of Music wants to show you how technology can make anyone more playful and bring out their inner artist. Their fourth annual Teknopolis event — now for grown-ups too with new programs and special evening hours — takes over four floors of the BAM Fisher building with over 20 cutting-edge experiences to inspire your inner creator. Feb. 23-March 10, 321 Ashland Place, $16-$45, bam.org
Dive into a black hole
Fresh off dazzling the Sundance crowds, Spheres is a three-part virtual reality movie that takes you inside a black hole (via an Oculus Rift headset). Your captains (narrators) are Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Chastain and Patti Smith, so enjoy the ride! Through March 3, Mon-Fri 2-8 p.m., Sat-Sun noon-8 p.m., 600 Fifth Ave., $50, rockefellercenter.com
Beyond Disney and Pixar
As North America’s largest film festival for children and teens, the New York International Children’s Film Festival is dedicated to sharing thoughtful, provocative and intelligent short films and features for children and teens ages 3-18. You’ll find dozens of animated, live action, documentary, virtual reality and experimental films from over 30 countries. Feb. 22-March 17, nyicff.org
Beyond the Campbell’s Soup cans
Who is Andy Warhol? The Whitney Museum goes on a vast journey to find out in its major winter exhibit Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again, opening Nov. 12. The show peels back his carefully crafted persona, the show looks at how Warhol changed the role of artists in society, including new materials discovered after his death in 1987. Through March 31, 99 Gansevoort St., included with admission: $25 adults, free for kids 18 and under; whitney.org
The splendor of Singapore
The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show uses this delicate and prized flower to tell broader stories about the world and art. This year’s theme is Singapore, a tribute to the vibrant so-called City in a Garden and its dramatic Supertrees and Arches. On Orchid Nights, enjoy the flowers with live performances, dining and drinks. Feb. 23-April 28, nybg.org
What does your selfie say about you?
A fascinating new exhibit at the International Center of Photography analyzes the selfie. Your Mirror: Portraits from the ICP Collection looks at how people present themselves for the camera, as well as who photographers choose to portray and how through everything from 19th-century daguerreotypes to Instagram. Feb. 8-April 28, 250 Bowery, $14, icp.org
New York Through a Cartoonist’s Eyes
The city’s museums are honoring the cartoonists who have lampooned, skewered or called out the absurdity of daily life in New York, first with Roz Chast and now renowned New Yorker cartoonist Mort Gerberg. His first major museum exhibition opens this Friday at the New-York Historical Society with over 120 cartoons, drawings and “sketch reportage” chronicling and commenting on life in the city as well as social issues from women’s rights to old age and politics. Feb. 15-May 5, 170 Central Park West, $20, nyhistory.org
Where technology and humanity meet
Whether it’s helping paralyzed people walk again or helping us see in the dark, technology is becoming a partner to our biology. In Bionic Me at the New York Hall of Science, step into full-body experiences and hands-on displays like moving a ball with your mind and using a robot arm to explore the next phase of human evolution. Feb. 11-May 5, nysci.org
Meet Frida Kahlo all over again
The largest exhibit of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s works in the U.S. in 10 years is coming to the Brooklyn Museum. Alongside her famous paintings, drawings and photography, the show includes rarely seen clothing, accessories and possessions discovered in 2004 that give a personal look into how politics, gender, national identity and disability played a part in her work and life. Feb 8-May 12, brooklynmuseum.org
A fantasy legend gets a real-world tribute
J.R.R. Tolkien stoked a love of fantasy in generations of readers before his films revived the genre onscreen. Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth at The Morgan Library reveals his original illustrations, maps, draft manuscripts and more from The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus personal photographs and memorabilia. Through May 12, 225 Madison Ave., $20, free for 12 and under, themorgan.org
Make life more colorful
One of our favorite Instagram pop-ups of the year, Color Factory, just extended its SoHo run through May 14. If you’ve got visitors in town, it’s a great bonding experience instead of just taking photos of each other. And who doesn’t love a ball pit? 251 Spring St., $38, colorfactory.co
See how Harlem has changed
Harlem’s longtime chronicler Nari Ward is getting his first retrospective at the New Museum that brings together sculptures, paintings, videos and large-scale installations spanning three floors. As a chronicler of life, many of his early sculptures were created with materials scavenged from buildings and streets in Harlem, and address topics like gentrification, racism and power that have profoundly changed the neighborhood. Feb. 13-May 26, newmuseum.org
What’s the deal with Jerry Seinfeld now?
After a two-year run of sold-out shows at the Beacon Theater in 2016-17, Jerry Seinfeld is back in residence. The stand-up comedian known best for pulling back the veil of glamour from New York and more recently drinking a lot of coffee with fellow comedians will appear for 10 nights with two shows each. Feb. 8-June 7, msg.com
An unflinching survey of Mapplethorpe’s legacy
Few photographers can claim to be equally acclaimed as controversial, but then there’s nothing conventional about Robert Mapplethorpe as the Guggenheim’s new retrospective Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now shows. The dozens of works include examples of all the ways he challenged the world to see beauty in places it wasn’t looking — chief among them black men and BDSM scenes — while also stripping celebrities of their glamour, images that remain provocative even today. Through July 10, 1071 Fifth Ave., $25, guggenheim.org
The power of Love & Resistance
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a turning point that took the LGBTQ civil rights movement went from a handful of activists to a national movement. Beginning in February through August, the New York Public Library is commemorating the events at the Stonewall Inn beginning with Love & Resistance, a photography exhibition chronicling how the movement started in the 1960s and ‘70s. Feb. 14-July 14, nypl.org
The sexy side of punk rock
Punk culture protested pretty much everything about what it saw as the mass-produced, repressed lives we were leading, often by using sexuality to transgress and defy expectations. New York’s lusty playground the Museum of Sex just opened a new exhibit Punk Lust: Raw Provocation 1971-1985, an immersive gallery with over 300 artifacts spanning various archives and private collections. Through Nov. 30, 2019, 233 Fifth Ave., $19.50, museumofsex.com
