Ancient Faience Meets Times Square

In an unusual meeting of the ultra-modern and the exquisitely ancient, Phoenix Ancient Art, a dealer in fine antiquities with bases in New York and Geneva, chose to advertise its December show “Faience: World Treasures” on what might be the world’s most famous television screen, the Jumbotron in Times Square.

The electronic billboard displayed many of the beautiful artworks from the show, a presentation of ancient faience pieces from the private collection of the Aboutam family. The company, originally begun by Sleiman Aboutam, is today owned and run by his sons, Ali and Hicham, who perpetuate the collection of fine faience jewelry and amulets. Most of the 100 objects in the collection are from the Middle and New Kingdoms of Egypt, dating back to as much as 2040 BCE, and as early as 1294 BCE. The oldest pieces are from Mesopotamia and date from about 2500 BCE and are animal shaped amulets.

The show itself ran at the New York branch of Phoenix Ancient Art from December 6th – 30th, then moved to the 57th Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair at the end of January, and will be at the Geneva gallery of Phoenix this spring.

Judy Chicago at The Dinner Party

The Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art is celebrating its 5th anniversary this week by holding an extraordinary banquet with some of the world’s greatest women of the past three thousand years invited.

The celebratory banquet is wonderful installation artwork produced on a grand scale, created by Judy Chicago. The decorative sculpture, “The Dinner Party,” is a huge, triangular table set to host 39 special guests, 13 women from each of the past three millennia on each side. From legendary, primordial goddesses, to women from the Middle Ages and up until the 20th century, included are such luminaries as Queen Elizabeth I, Sacajawea and Emily Dickenson. An additional 999 names are inscribed in gold leaf on the tiled floor.

Curator of the Sackler Center, Catherine Morris explained why an additional fourth side to the table will be symbolically presented during the anniversary celebrations:
“The question I often get when giving tours of ‘The Dinner Party’ is ‘who would be there today, who would we add?’”

In response to this question 15 contemporary women will be honored on Wednesday at the center’s first-ever First Awards, all first in their specialties and fields.

The honorees are, in part, Sandra Day O’Conner, the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court; Toni Morrison, the first African-American woman to be honored with the Nobel Prize for literature; the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Pearl Mankiller (who died in 2010); and Muriel Siebert, the first woman to have a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Sackler Center is largely the result of the efforts of its chief benefactor, Elizabeth Sackler. The 8,000-square-feet Center’s main aim is to raise awareness and appreciation of feminist art.

“There is a serious underrepresentation of women and feminist artists in museums and galleries globally,” said Sackler. Sackler donated Chicago’s “The Dinner Party” to the museum, where it makes its permanent home when it is not on tour.

“The center’s purpose is not to resolve the use of the word feminism,” Sackler said. “It is a place where people can come to have dialogues about the meaning of feminism, reminding us of women’s contributions in the past, marking women’s achievements in the present, and inspiring contributions in the future.”

Biking in Central Park

Spring has sprung, and what better way to enjoy the warming, blooming city, than with a bike ride through Central Park.

Bikers can choose to go out on their own, exploring the many gorgeous nooks and crannies that make this incredible inner city park one of New York’s favorite attractions; or they can participate in a guided tour throughout the magnificent park, visiting some of the highlights of the park, including: Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle, Wollman Rink and lots more.

There are additional tours available touching on some fascinating themes such as the Movie Scene Tour in which bikers spend their two-hour tour visiting the spots where many scenes from famous movies were filmed, such as scenes from “When Harry Met Sally,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” and “August Rush.”

Also available are the Arts and Architecture Tour and a Central Park Walking Tour. Biking and/or walking through this historic park, one of the greatest public spaces on earth, is an experience not easily forgotten.
 

David Zinman

Conductor and Beethoven expert David Zinman will lead the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in a wonderful way which promises to give audiences the feeling that they are hearing this music for the very first time.

Zinman is a native New Yorker and the chief conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich. He recorded “Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies” in 1999 before which time he spent ten years imagining what Beethoven’s music should really sound like, researching how performances were actually conducted at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries.

Each symphony will feature one of the following soloists: Peter Serkin, Alisa Weilerstein or Gil Shaham. For more information visit NYC-ARTS.

Blood Knot at the Signature Theater

The Signature Theater was founded in 1991 by James Houghton. Houghton’s goal was to explore and celebrate playwrights in a deeper way, frequently devoting an entire season of performances to works by one living contemporary writer.

This year the theater moved to its new home, a space designed by the illustrious architect Frank Gehry in such a way as to give form to the lofty ambitions of Houghton’s dream.

The Signature Center is now the home to three major Off-Broadway venues: a 299-seat main stage; a 199-seat miniature opera house; and a versatile courtyard theater named in honor of the late Romulus Linney.

If you come today at 2pm, Sunday February 26th, you will be able to enjoy the remake of Athol Fugard’s 1961 allegory about racism, Blood Knot. More performances of this tale about two brothers from South Africa will take place at the following times:

Tue 7:30pm; Wed 2pm, 7:30pm; Mar 01 – Mar 02 7:30pm; Mar 03 2pm, 8pm. Ending: Sun Mar 11 2pm.

For more information call (212) 244-7529

Pershing Square Signature Center is located at 480 West 42nd at Tenth Avenue

Max Brenner Chocolate

•    Chocolate by the Bald Man: At 841 Broadway you will find the very special chocolate home of Max Brenner, a company that does not balk at the chocolaty unusual, such as chocolate filled bagels, pizza topped with chocolate and even fudge! You can believe they will be going all out for Valentine’s with a Chocolate Love Box, Chocolate Spa Gift assortments, or how about Max’s Valentine Love. Give them a call, or just stop by. 646-467-8803, Union Square, Manhattan.

•    Starbright Floral Design: Much more than just a place to get flowers, on hand at 150 West 28th Street in Chelsea is a complete gardening department store with shrubs,

Starbright Floral Design

bamboo, outdoor plants, and flowers, too. They offer services such as plantscaping and custom arrangements. For Valentine’s pick from amazing bouquets of roses such as ‘Be My Love,’ ‘Always on My Mind,’ and ‘Make Me Blush’ are a small sample of what’s available. 800-520-8999, Chelsea, Manhattan.

•    Katrina Parris Flowers: At 191 Lenox Avenue you will find the beautiful, award-winning selection of boutique flowers designed by owners and husband and wife team of Katrina Parris and Mark Pinn. They create elegant and unusual arrangements for all occasions, and also for Valentine’s Day. Famous for their incredible attention to

Katrina Parris Flowers

detail they display their flowers for weddings, corporate events, and other times when flowers provide just the right touch. Also offered are free group workshops on the basic rules of flower selection, design principles and care. 212-222-7030, Harlem, Manhattan.

Wicked on Broadway

Kids’ Night Out on Broadway is a fantastic way to take your children out for an unforgettable experience, and not have to mortgage the house to do it. From February 5^th through the 9^th, kids between the ages of 6 and 18 can get a free ticket to a Broadway show when they are accompanied by an adult with a full price ticket.

The list of shows from which to choose is long, including such incredible productions as The Lion King, Anything Goes, Sister Act, and many more. There are several off-Broadway shows also available, such as Rent, Stomp, Avenue Q, and others.

As an added bonus, those participating in KNOB are invited to Madame Tussauds for a pre-theater party on February 7^th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. The event is free to kids and one parent or guardian who has a KNOB ticket for a participating show. Kids will meet many cast members, participate in a variety of fun programming, and will get to explore the world-renowned wax museum. Madame Tussauds is located at 234 West 42^nd Street, between 7^th and 8^th Avenues.

Miners' Hymm /Photo: Bill Morrison

Who says you get what you pay for? If you are looking for something really special to do, consider the salute to New York-based artist and filmmaker Bill Morrison which will be held, for free, at the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center.

Not only will you be enthralled by the silent films of Morrison from January 31^st through February 3^rd, but the first and last films will be accompanied with the performance of live music.

This series of screenings will examine a selection of some of Morrison’s major works which were all done in collaboration with some of today’s most exceptional new-music composers.

On January 31^st ‘The Miners’ Hymms,’ Morrison’s paean to the coal mining culture of northeastern England, will be accompanied by a brass-filled score by the renown electronic composer hailing from Iceland, Jóhann Jóhannsson. Performing the piece will be The Wordless Music Orchestra.

All the films in the series will begin at 7:30pm, and are free of charge. This program is probably one of New York’s most “worth-it” events, a great experience at no cost. Run, don’t walk!

Visitors stand on a specially engineered platform before an 18-foot high-definition screen, and feel like they are on a magical voyage of exploration. When you are finished, it is just a step away to visit the must-see Observatory, where the magic of New York truly comes to life.

The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center together present these less well known films, which sometimes go on to become quite successful, gaining entry into theaters around the country and broadcasts on television. Ajam was one such movie; a crime thriller shot on the streets of Jaffa in Israel, which was featured in the 2010 New York Jewish Film Festival and went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.

For more information visit the web site of the Jewish Museum.

Four Hundred Miles to Freedom is just one of the many fascinating films which will be shown at the festival.