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THE
ART OF EATING |
Many museums are now catering to the
gastronomic needs of their patrons
allowing museum goers to combine dining with an exhibit just as theater
goers, for years, have married dinner and a show. To turn your next museum
visit into a more complete experience, here a a few dining options worth
considering: |
Modern & Modern Café at MoMA
9 West 53rd Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues)
212-333-1220
 New York Restaurateur, Danny Meyer known for such downtown successes
as Tabla, Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern has come to midtown.
This newest venture required him to bring an appealing restaurant to
the newly re-opened MoMA with a style, service, decor and cuisine that
would complement the museum's image without diverting totally from his
own edgy style. The reviews vary greatly, most however are extremely
favorable. For a revitalizing afternoon or evening snack Modern Café
offers thirty
items plus, a host of deserts served in modest portions. The best news
is that the cafe shares a kitchen and chef with the more formal
restaurant next door, giving casual diners a chance to sample the
creations of Chef Gabriel Kreuther. In the main dining room, you'll
experience a more formal environment that combines a clean modern and
elegant style, with food that has been fastidiously prepared and a
delightful view of the museum's expanded sculpture garden that lends a
sense uniqueness and exclusivity to your dining experience. |
The Garden Court Café at the Asia
Society
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street
New York City, NY
(212) 570-5202
www.asiasociety.org
In the lobby of the recently renovated Asia Society you will find a
glass enclosed Garden Café serving lunch Tuesday through Sunday from
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and dinner on Friday evenings until 9:00 p.m.
A detailed menu developed by New York's largest catering firm, Great
Performances, can be found on their web site.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
General Information: 212-535-7710
Dining at The Metropolitan Museum of Art ranges from the very casual
to the very elegant:
 The Cafeteria For
those of us who remember the old cafeteria located for years to the
left of the Great Hall, the new modernized cafeteria is a totally
different experience. Modernized not only in style but in its menu,
this very casual setting offers an impressively large selection of hot
and cold salad bars as well. For a very full and inexpensive lunch
while at the "Met" this is, perhaps, your best bet. Casual,
inexpensive and totally family friendly.
Petrie Court Café (reservations required) This European
style, waited table cafe is located on the ground floor in the rear of
the European sculpture garden. The Petrie Café offers a hot and cold
menu and a great view of Central Park.
The American Wing Café (no reservations required)
This self-service alternative to the Petrie Café also located at the
rear of the European sculpture court offers a quick lift, a relaxing
view of Central Park and reasonable prices. The menu is limited to
salads, sandwiches, a few hot items and deserts.
The Great Hall Balcony Bar
 On Friday and Saturday nights
(4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) enjoy
live
classical music while sipping cocktails in this balcony bar
that
overlooks the museum's main entrance hall. Here, the
people watching
alone is raised to an art form. This is a very
popular spot
in the
museum and can get very crowded. Have an alternate plan just in case.
Sarabeth's Restaurant at the Whitney Museum
945 Madison Avenue (at 75th Street)
(212) 570-3670
Tuesday 11 a.m.3:30 p.m. (the café is closed)
Wednesday - Thursday 11 a.m.4:30 p.m. (the café opens at 11a.m.).
Friday 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (the café opens at 12:30 p.m.)
Saturday - Sunday 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. (the café opens at 10:30 a.m.)
 Sarabeth & Bill Levine opened a tiny shop in 1981 to sell her
preserves. The addition of
a table or two where patrons could sit and
enjoy breakfast turned the mini establishment into an instant success.
Popularity caused them to open their first restaurant on East 83rd
Street in 1983 and a second location on West 86th Street just three
years later. In 1993 Sarabeth's was chosen to become the first private
restaurant at the Whitney Museum of Art.
Café Opaline at the Dahesh Museum
580 Madison Avenue (at 55th Street)
212-521-8155
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
 Popular both with museum goers and locals just stopping in for a quiet
lunch, Café Opaline offers a wide selection of entrées, salads, soups,
sandwiches, and desserts. This recently relocated museum also boasts a
multi-course afternoon tea ($28 per person). How appropriate for the
nation's only museum dedicated to European academic art of the 19th
and early 20th centuries. Teddy Bear Tea for Children is served daily
from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call for reservations.
Starry Nights at The American Museum Of Natural History
Central Park West (between 79th & 81st Streets)
212-769-5100
Starry Nights at the American Museum of Natural History's Rose
Center
for Earth and Space provides live jazz in one of the most
spectacular
settings in New York. Visitors to Starry Nights, which
is presented
the first Friday of every month, can also enjoy tapas,
wine and other
beverages.  The Rose Center is open until 8:45 p.m.
on Friday evenings. The Museum's suggested admission
of $13.00 for adults, $10.00 for
students and seniors, and
$7.50 for children covers entry to both the
Museum and to Starry Nights.
Performances are 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
Cafe Sabarsky at Neue Galerie
1048 5th Ave (just off 5th Avenue)
(212) 628-6200
Mon & Wed 9-6
Thurs - Sun 9-9
Closed Tuesday
Named for the co-founder of this relatively new gallery (Serge Sabarsky) this intimate cafe focuses on typical Viennese dishes including, scrumptious deserts. The grand piano that flanks the corner
of the cafe is the source of classical music on Wednesday and Thursday
afternoons as well as on Friday evenings. The cafe is small and
popular - expect a wait.
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ART UNDER A NEW
LIGHT |
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Many of New York City's Major museums
offer more than static art which, although immensely appealing, by
themselves can limit our understanding of their intrinsic value,
period style and social message. Movies lectures and other activities
are available to increase our knowledge and heighten our appreciation
of various artists, genres and periods of art. Here is a small
sampling that you may find of interest: |
Lectures and Films available at The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museums: Why Should We Care April 26, 2005 This lecture given by
Philippe de Montebello the museum's director, addresses the role and
purpose or art in today's world, its role in defining previous
civilizations and the effect on art of today's political and economic
turmoil. Reservations required and Lecture fee applies. Call
212-570-3949
Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí: They Dared to Be Different April
20, 2005 In this lecture, art historian Marlene Barasch Strauss delves
into the daring and unconventional styles of Germany's Max Ernst and
Salvador Dalí.
In addition, the Museum offers a full program of lectures throughout
the year that are free with Museum admission; no tickets or
reservations are required. Generally offered Fridays at 6:00 p.m. in
the Uris Center Auditorium and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. in the Grace
Rainey Rogers Auditorium. Subject matter ranges from special
exhibitions to recent acquisitions to the permanent collection.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
The Gardens of The Cloisters
Deirdre Larkin, lecturer,
The Cloisters and MMA
Free with Museum admission
4:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
Saturday May 14, 2005
Terrors of the Encyclopedia: Max Ernst and Contemporary Art Pepé
Karmel, associate professor of fine arts, New York University Free
with Museum admission 6:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
Sunday, May 22, 2005
"An Unheard of Sense of Decoration": Exploring Marquesan Art
(Eric Kjellgren, Evelyn A. J. Hall and John A.) Friede Associate Curator
for Oceanic Art, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, MMA.
Free with Museum admission
4:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Faces of the Ancestors: Art in the Marquesas Islands
Carol Ivory, professor and chair, Department of Fine Arts, Washington
State University.
Free with Museum admission.
3:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
April 23, 2005
Going Where I've Never Been: Photography of Diane Arbus (28
min.) Camera Three Productions, 1989. Explores Arbus's work and ideas
through her own words and the reflections of her daughter, Doon Arbus,
and close friends.
Free with Museum admission.
2:30 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
April 23, 2005
Going Where I've Never Been: Photography of Diane Arbus (28
min.) Camera Three Productions, 1989. Explores Arbus's work and ideas
through her own words and the reflections of her daughter, Doon Arbus,
and close friends.
Free with Museum admission.
4:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
May 14, 2005
Saturday at the Met Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu) (106
min.) Directed by Jean Renoir, with Marcel Dalio and Nora Gregor,
featuring costumes by Chanel, 1939. An extravagant house party at a
French château has unexpected consequences. English subtitles.
Introduced by a curator of the Metropolitan Museum's current
exhibition "Chanel."
Free with Museum admission
2:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
May 15, 2005
Sunday at the Met China 1421: The Year China Discovered America?
Produced by William Cran, 2004. Examines the sailing exploits of
Admiral Zheng He, commander of a Ming fleet that explored Indian Ocean
ports. The film will be shown following the lecture.
Free with Museum admission.
Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
May 21, 2005
Going Where I've Never Been: Photography of Diane Arbus (28
min.) Camera Three Productions, 1989. Explores Arbus's work and ideas
through her own words and the reflections of her daughter, Doon Arbus,
and close friends.
Free with Museum admission.
4:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
June 4, 2005
Sunday at the Met Sol LeWitt: Four Decades (58 min.)
Directed by Michael Blackwood, 2000. LeWitt walks through his
retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago,
with curator Gary Garrels and provides insight into his art. The film
will be shown following the lecture.
Free with Museum admission.
Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
June 11, 2005
Kindness Week or the Seven Capital Elements (19 min.); Dreams
That Money Can Buy (80 min.) The first film, directed by Jean
Desvilles in 1961, uses collage engravings by Max Ernst from his
irrational novel Kindness Week to illustrate the climate of Dadaism.
The second film, directed by Hans Richter in 1947, with Max Ernst, is
an avant-garde classic in which seven dreams are for sale, each
customized to a different person's subconscious.
Free with Museum admission.
1:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
June 11, 2005
Max Ernst: My Vagabond Life Unruhe)
Directed by Peter Schamoni, 1991. Explores the work of German painter,
collagist, and author Max Ernst through the use of archival footage
and recordings of the artist (100 min.).
Free with Museum admission.
3:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium.
June 18, 2005
Paul Gauguin: The Savage Dream (45 min.)
Directed by Michael Gill, 1988. Profiles French artist Paul Gauguin,
with a focus on his final years in the South Pacific.
Free with Museum admission.
2:00 p.m., Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium |
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The Museum of Arts and Design
40 West 53rd Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
Daily 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Thursday until 8:00p.m.
For additional information on the following programs or for a complete
list of events please call the museum at (212) 956-3535
www.madmuseum.org
Lectures
A special collaborative program with the Central Park Conservancy and
the Horticultural Society begins this spring, offering classes,
lectures, tours, and workshops of interest to all, organized around a
different theme each month. April is "Green Month" with a focus on
programs dealing with "re-cycling, re-using, and re-ducing". For more
information and to register for a program, please call the Conservancy
at (212) 360-1443.
Thursday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m. - Transformative Nature
presented by Michelle Brody, an artist who creates site specific
installations and public works of art that comment on the passage of
time through the relationship of nature and architecture history to
the urban environment. The range of her materials and techniques vary
from the creation of copper pipe structures to the transportation of
water for hydroponic growing systems within fabric and hand made
paper. In this slide-illustrated lecture, she will speak about her
mixed-media installation work that brings to light the tenuous
relationship between nature and the urban environment. There is a fee
of $5.00 per person.
Thursday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. - Drawn to the Edge presented by
Norma Minkowitz who for the past 30 years has transformed the
traditional process of crochet into a sculptural medium. Her work,
Body to Soul , was one of the highlights of the exhibition, Corporal
Identity Body Language, which was on view at the Museum in 2003-2004
season. In this program, Norma Minkowitz will discuss her
psychologically complex sculptures and how they evolved from her solid
forms of the 1970's. She will illustrate how her sculptures can easily
be seen as projections of a three-dimensional line drawing with web
like walls conveying a sense of Inside/Outside. Many of the visuals
she will be showing are part of a newly published monograph, Portfolio
Collection Norma Minkowitz. Book signing and reception following the
lecture which is free with museum admission. |
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
Daily 10:00 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.
For additional information on the following programs or for a complete
list of their events please call the museum at (212) 769-5100
www.amnh.org
Lectures
April 21 at 7:00 p.m. - Brad Matsen discusses his latest book,
Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss. The book recounts the
1930s ocean explorations of Otis Barton and William Beebe. Their first
dive a mile deep that laid the foundation for today's understanding of
the ocean's complexities. Matsen is the author of numerous books and
articles about the sea and its inhabitants. A $15.00 fee applies for
this lecture.
April 28 at 7:00 p.m. - Katy Payne, biologist and founder of the Elephant Listening Project at Cornell University, observes forest
elephants in the Central African Republic and records their
low-frequency sounds to better understand their behavior and family
dynamics. Their protection depends on this understanding. A book
signing will follow. A $15.00 fee applies for this lecture.
May 5 at 7:00 p.m. - An Evening with the best selling author of The
Orchid Thief, Susan Orlean. The lecture is an account of the
adventures as he tours the world via its subcultures, from the heart
of the African music scene in Paris to the World Taxidermy
Championships in Springfield, Illinois, and more. A book signing will
follow. A $15.00 fee applies for this lecture.
May 19 at 7:00 p.m. - Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological
Invasion examines how exotic animals and plants are ending up in
places nature never intended them to be. Alan Burdick, Senior Editor
at Discover magazine, tours the front lines of ecological invasion
underground lava tubes, on the deck of an Alaska-bound oil tankeras
he searches for ecological "authenticity." A book signing will follow.
A $15.00 fee applies for this lecture. |
The Americas Society
680 Park Avenue at 68th Street
Wednesday Saturday 12:00 6:00 p.m.
For additional information on the following programs or for a complete
list of their events please call the museum at (212) 2498950
www.americas-society.org.
Lecture
May 5 p.m. - 7:0 p.m. - Tradition and Transformation: Jewish Culture in
Latin America features work by writers and artists such as Isaac
Artenstein, Lisa Block de Behar, Luisa Futoransky, Gego, Isaac
Goldemberg, José Gurvich, and Guillermo Kuitca. A dialogue between
Ilan Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst College, Massachusetts,
and Gabriel Sanders, writer for The Forward will focus on Ilan Stavans
most recent publications, The Schocken Book of Modern Sephardic
Literature and Dictionary Days. A reception follows.
Music and Film
May 12 - 7:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening of music with the Continuum
Ensemble performing works of the Puerto Rico-born Roberto Sierra,
considered one of the most brilliant American composers of his
generation. When the ensemble crosses the musical traditions of the
Caribbean with the techniques of Nancarrow and Ligeti in Sierra's
vivid imagination, you get music of extraordinary energy and beauty.
May 18 - 6:00 p.m. The Jewish-Latin American Cinema screening
of Los gauchos judíos (1974; Spanish with English subtitles), based on
Alberto Gerchunoff's 1910 book. A discussion follows between Jewish
cinema expert Eric Goldman (moderator), author Edna Aizenberg, and
Latin American film specialist Jerry Carlson. |
The Frick Museum
1 East 70th Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
Thursday Saturday 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. 6:00
p.m. For additional information on the following programs or for a
complete list of their events please call the museum at (212) 288-0700
www.frick.org
Friday Afternoon Gallery Talks
The Frick Collection is pleased to offer gallery talks at 4:30 p.m. on
the first and third Friday of every month. Each presentation will
highlight a single work from the Frick's permanent collection. There
is no additional charge after the initial Frick admission fee and
reservations are not required. The presentation given on the third
Friday of each month will be sign language interpreted.
Music
The Sunday concert series is open to the public without charge if you
arrive a half-hour before the event. If those planning to attend
arrive earlier, they are expected to pay the regular Frick Museum
admissions charge. Tickets, limited to two per applicant, are issued
in response to written requests received on the third Monday before
the concert. Please direct requests to the Concert Department,
enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Each request should be
for only one concert. No hand-delivered, faxed, e-mail, or telephone
applications can be accepted.
May 1 Sarasa, consisting of two violins, two violas, cello,
and
harpsichord with countertenor Michael Chance presents highlights of
German and Italian Baroque. The performance includes works by Bach,
Biber, Buxtehude, Scarlatti, Vivaldi and Gabrieli.
The Guggenheim Museum
1072 Fifth Avenue (at 89th St)
Saturday Wednesday 10:00a.m. 5:45 p.m.
and Friday 10:00 a.m.
8:00 p.m. For additional information on the following programs or for
a complete schedule of events please call the museum (212) 423-4500
www.guggenheim.org
April 26 6:30 p.m. - Daniel Buren: In Retrospect.
Distinguished critic and art historian Douglas Crimp speaks about his
earliest encounters with Daniel Buren's work. As a curatorial
assistant at the Guggenheim Museum in 1971, Crimp experienced
firsthand the Guggenheim International Exhibition, 1971 from which
Buren's contribution was removed. Crimp discusses this historic event
and the critical significance of the artist's work in the late 1960s
and '70s.
May 10 6:30 p.m. - Daniel Buren: In Response. Over thirty
years ago, Daniel Buren began a dialogue with the powerful
architecture of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed rotunda with his
creation of a 65-foot banner. The artist speaks about his current
project for the Guggenheim and responds to the reactions the
exhibition has garnered from both critics and museum visitors.
May 17, 6:30 p.m. - Daniel Buren: In Situ: Examining Institutional
Critique. Museums and galleries, as well as numerous non-art
venues, have been both subject and site for Daniel Buren since the
1960s, when he first began investigating an art work's inextricable
relationship to the context in which it is seen. An international
panel of contemporary artists discusses Buren's influence, as well as
the role of institutional critique in their own work and in the
current cultural landscape.
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THE ART OF SHOPPING |
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After a while it seems as though your
friends and family members are all shopping in the same trendy places.
If this makes it hard for you to find a gift that's different and
unique, it's time to get creative about where we shop. Many of New
York City's museums have gift shops that offer unique items that make
attractive and relatively inexpensive gifts. |
The Dahesh
580 Madison Avenue (at 55th Street)
212-521-8155
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
The Dahesh Museum of Art Shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This
boutique_like shop offers unusual books, personal accessories, home
décor, designer jewelry, prints, sculptures, and more. Many of
its items are inspired by 19th-century traditions and images drawn
from the Museum's collection and exhibitions. Many of these unique
items are imported exclusively for the Dahesh Museum Shop. An
afternoon of shopping in this particular museum shop combined with
either lunch or afternoon tea at Café Opaline (also featured in this
newsletter) is a great New York City in and of itself. The art found
in this museum is an added bonus and well worth seeing.
Neue Galerie Shops
1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th St.)
212 -628-6200
Sat, Sun, Mon, Wed, Thurs 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
& Friday 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
The Design Shop at the Neue Galerie offers quality objects based on
the designs of Josef Hoffman, Adolf Loos and others including jewelry,
textiles, and tableware produced in porcelain, chrystal, silver and other
fine materials. Some of the items are produced exclusively for the
design shop and cannot be purchased elsewhere. The Bookstore at the Neue Galerie is a great source for that special book on the art of
Austria and Germany encompassing visual art, architecture, decorative
arts and literature.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 81st Street)
 The shops at The Metropolitan museum of art are located throughout the
museums various levels. The shops on the upper floors carry limited
inventory and feature items related to current exhibits. The two
largest shops are located on the main floor and can be accessed
without having to pay museum admission.
 The shops remain open during
museum hours. From books to china, art supplies to prints, fine
jewelry to sculpture and more these shops should
be added to your list
of favorite shopping places
for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and
all other
gift giving occasions.
MoMA Design and Book Store
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY
(212) 708-9700. Open daily
Saturday Thursday 9:30 a.m.6:30 p.m.
Friday 9:30 a.m.9:00 p.m.
MoMA Design Store, Soho
81 Spring Street, New York, NY
(646) 613-1367
Monday Saturday 11:00 a.m.8:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.
MoMA's new flagship store is located in the newly expanded Museum
building. It features a broad selection of art reproductions, design
objects, and more than 2,000 book titles, developed and produced by
the Museum. The SOHO store features designs by 20th century designers
as well as some of today's greatest talents. In the lower level you'll
find a broad selection of books on architecture and design.
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