Big Fun: Indigenous Art & Performance as Resistance @ Museum of the City of New York
In conjunction with the exhibit Urban Indian: Native New York Now, MCNY has curated an evening of poetry and music centering Indigenous art. Big Fun is named for a 1981 poem by Diane Burns (Anishinaabe/Chemehuevi), a well-known Lower East Side poet and performer. Curated by poet Nicole Wallace, the evening features performances by interdisciplinary artists and singers who are members of the Indigenous Kinship Collective, plus a special guest: Diane Burns's daughter, Britta Ninshonz Burns Ruona.
Tuesday, January 28th, 6:30 p.m. // Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave., Harlem // Tickets: $15
Ecstatic Music: Bang on a Can @ Merkin Hall
Shake it all out at the latest performance in the Ecstatic Music series: Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund Concert. The Bang on a Can PCF has chosen four composers to create their own idiosyncratic forms of dance music. You’ll hear Amanda Berlind’s Bird Chart, which aims to capture the “absurd and beautiful choreography” of birds; Alvin Curran’s Missteps, “a plate of one-note melodies gently grilled over dysfunctional harmonies”; Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Illimani, “a document of the stream of notes in my head”; and Qasim Naqvi’s Featureless, inspired by theories on black holes.
Tuesday, January 28th, 7:30 p.m. // Merkin Hall, 129 West 67th St., Manhattan // Tickets: $25
Masters of Social Gastronomy: Dry January @ Caveat
Analyze abstinence at Masters of Social Gastronomy, a lecture series about the history and science of food. This month’s topic, fittingly, is Dry January. First you’ll hear from culinary historian Sarah Lohman about the history of the Temperance Movement, Prohibition, and the dream of an alcohol-free world. After that, food-scientist Jonathan Soma will explore the ever-expanding industry of booze-free beers and spirits, which seem to be having a moment.
Wednesday, January 29th, 6:30 p.m. // Caveat, 21A Clinton St., Manhattan // Tickets: $12
New York State Pavilion
Tod Seelie / GothamistRediscovering New York @ Brooklyn Historical Society
Get to know some intriguing corners of the city at Rediscovering New York, an evening of film and conversation. Learn the nuanced histories and potential futures of three unique places: Hart Island, the Fort Totten Water Battery, and the New York State Pavilion. You’ll hear from experts, activists, and artists including Unforgotten Films creator Aaron Asis, Untapped New York founder Michelle Young, Moses Gates of the Regional Planning Association, Salmaan Khan of People for the Pavilion, and more.
Thursday, January 30th, 6 p.m. // Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn // Tickets: $15
Open House 2020: Celebration of Cool @ The Apollo Theater
Black History Month is here, so kick it off with a visit to Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater. Open House 2020 will be hosted by Billy “Mr. Apollo” Mitchell and Metrofocus’s Jenna Flanagan, with music by WBGO host Keanna Faircloth. There will also be performances by Grammy-winners Casey Benjamin and the Keyon Harrold Quartet, as well as an advance screening of the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool followed by a talkback with the director and producers. Plus there’s a whole separate program for kids, with interactive activities, additional musical performances, and more.
Saturday, February 1st, 1 p.m. // The Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th St., Harlem // Free
Congratulations to Those Men @ Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg
Inspired by Issa Rae throwing shade at this year’s list of all-male Oscar noms for Best Director, Nitehawk has put together Congratulations to Those Men, a week’s worth of standout 2019 films directed by women: Alma Har’el’s Honey Boy, Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady of Fire, Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, Chinonye Chukwu’s Clemency, Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, and Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods. All screenings will be introduced by Refinery29 film critic Anna Cohen, and a portion of ticket sales will go to The Future of Film Is Female.
Opens Saturday, February 1st // Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg, 136 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn // Various prices
Night of Philosophy and Ideas
A Night of Philosophy and Ideas @ Brooklyn Public Library
Smarten up at A Night of Philosophy and Ideas, a 12-hour all-night marathon of debates, performances, screenings, readings, music, and virtual-reality experiences, co-presented by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. A tiny sampling of the more than 60 speakers: winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics Esther Duflo, Columbia philosophy professor Katja Vogt, bestselling author Tomasz Stawiszyński, Cherokee activist Rebecca Nagle, award-winning media producer Molly McBride, and ACLU attorney Emerson Sykes.
Saturday, February 1st. 7 p.m. // Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn // Free
Why We're Polarized @ St Joseph's College
Take a good, hard look at today’s political climate at Why We're Polarized, part of Greenlight Bookstore’s Brooklyn Voices series. Vox cofounder and political analyst Ezra Klein will discuss his new book by the same name, which “reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction.” He’ll be interviewed by bestselling author and National Book Award–winner Ta-Nehisi Coates. Tickets include a copy of Klein’s book.
Sunday, February 2nd, 2 p.m. // St Joseph’s College, 245 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn // Tickets: $32
Chili Cookoff & Superbowl Watch Party @ QED Astoria
If you’re trying to see the big game in a low-key way that doesn’t include rabid sports fans or a packed bar, you could do worse than QED’s Chili Cookoff & Superbowl Watch Party. Bring your best chili (or your best appetite) and laugh while comedians riff over the first half—though don’t worry, they’ll shut up during commercials, halftime, and the rest of the game. If even that’s too much sportsball focus for you, take a break in the front room, which will have the Puppy Bowl on a separate huge screen.
Sunday, February 2nd, 5:30 p.m. // QED Astoria, 27-16 23rd Ave., Queens // Tickets: $5 to watch, $10 to enter your chili
