By Walter Rutledge
Journalist and author Cheryl Wills joins the cast as both actor and playwright for the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Company in tonight’s production of Remembering at the BAM Fisher Fishman Space, 321 Ashland Place, in downtown Brooklyn. Wills shared the story of her great, great, great grandfather Private Sandy Wills with young audiences on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday evening’s performance playwright Wills will be performed by Thera Ward. Continue reading
Meet Deven Crawford a 19-year-old Las Vegas Nevada native who is living his dream. The former dance major at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts happened to meet Jamel Gaines at the 2024 IABD (International Association of Black in Dance) conference. Today Crawford is a sophomore studying dance at Marymount College in Manhattan and one of the newest members of the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Company (JGCO). Continue reading
By Walter Rutledge
For over 31 years Jamel Gaines, and his Brooklyn based company, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Company, has understood the power of education through the arts. His much-anticipated annual arts in education production Remembering, reflects Gaines continued commitment to educate and enlighten the next generation through the dance theatre genre. Gaines and his company will offer six young audience daytime performances on February 11,12 and 13 at 10am and 12 noon in the BAM Fisher (Fishman Space) 321 Ashland Pl, Downtown Brooklyn,. There will also be one evening performance open to the public on February 13th at 7:30pm. His staunch commitment to protected, preserving and perpetuate the legacy of Americans of African descent has earned Gaines the moniker of the “Godfather of Black History Month”.
Remembering is a multimedia history lesson with dance as the primary medium. The work is an effective amalgam of contemporary western and traditional West African dance styles, spoken word, music, West African drumming and stunning video and photographic imagery. This diasporic sojourn chronicles the journey from the blissful land nourished by the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to the struggles and triumphs on this other side of the Atlantic.
Gaines credits his commitment to the philosophy of empowerment and self-determination offered by Bishop Reverend Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, the spiritual leader of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. Gaines’ recent participation in the church’s Black History Month declaration, The MAAFA Suite is an example the power of storytelling as communication and education. In other words: Unity through community.
What better way to share the richness of American history than through the visual and kinetic power of the arts. It will spark conversations and open curiosities important for this new 21st century visual learning environment. This sensory historical experience explores the struggles, triumphs and continued fight for a place at America’s banquet table.
For more information about Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet school and company visit https://www.creativeoutlet.org for tickets for Remembering at BAM Fisher performances of February 13 visit https://www.bam.org/dance/2026/remembering
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Gangsters Of The Groove is a classic post-disco and funk track by the multinational band Heatwave, released in late 1980. Continue reading
“My roots are also in the Gospel church, the Gospel churches of the south where I grew up…holy blues—paeans to joy, anthems to the human spirit.” These words written by Alvin Ailey were the impetus for The Holy Blues, a collaborative choreographic endeavor by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and emerging dancemakers Samantha Figgins and Chalvar Monteiro. Continue reading
In 1971, Alvin Ailey created Cry, one of his signature dance works, as a birthday present for his mother Lula Elizabeth Ailey. Ailey dedicated the ballet to “all black women everywhere — especially our mothers.” The three-part ballet, set to contemporary music by Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro and Chuck Griffin, depicts a woman’s journey through toil to an ecstatic state of grace. Cry premiered at New York City Center on May 4, 1971. Continue reading
By Walter Rutledge
Nineteen seventy began the golden age of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey in his creative apex choreographed Streams (1970) (his first plotless work), Cry (1971) (iconic female solo and Judith Jamison’s breakout role), The Lark Ascending (1972) his historic collaborations with Duke Ellington (Ailey Does Ellington -1974 season in Lincoln Center) and Memoria (1979). In 1972 Dudley Williams premiered Love Songs, a solo choreographed in three sections by Ailey.
The choreography received lukewarm reviews and was categorized as the male counter part of Cry, which had premiered a year earlier. New York Times dance critic Anna Kisslegoff called the work a “technical and dramatic tour-de-force for Mr. Williams”. The literati may not have been initially enthusiastic, but the audience had a different reaction. They showered Williams’ performance with thunderous applause, establishing him as Ailey’s lyric crown prince and Love Songs as his signature role.
Dudley Williams -A Song for You (1986)
Dudley shared with me in a 2010 interview that Judith Jamison introduced him to the Donny Hathaway music and he then shared it with Ailey. One day Ailey called him into the studio and said, “This is for you Chicken”, (Ailey’s pet name for Williams) and began to choreographer the opening movement A Song For You. The work provided Williams, at the peak of his artistic prowess, a vehicle to showcase his impeccable musical phrasing and stage presence.
The opening section, A Song For You, is often presented as a stand-alone solo. Its lyricism, musicality, and soul stirring dramatic commitment continues to inspire audiences. On December 7th Renaldo Maurice performed A Song For You with great sensitivity and a masterful yet quiet command. The program note read: “This performance is dedicated in loving memory to long-time Ailey Company member Dudley Williams (1938–2015)”. It’s hard to believe Dudley has been dancing with the ancestors for over ten years.
Tonight’s performance is a tribute to choreographer and company founder Alvin Ailey and his muse Judith Jamison. Jamison’s A Case of You will be presented along with two of Ailey’s golden age gems, Memoria and Cry along with his signature masterwork Revelations.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit: https://ailey.org/performances
In Photo: 1. Ailey and Company (1978 twentieth anniversary season) 2. Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison
Jack Mitchell Photographer
By Walter Rutledge
When Robert Battle discussed Under the Rhythm prior to the Paul Taylor Dance Company New York season the poignant story of his upbringing was inspiring. Dessie Williams, his mother by choice, introduced him to the arts and encouraged his terpsichorean journey. The nonagenarian still plays the piano at the same church little Robert attended. Continue reading
Its Taylor Time! The Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to Lincoln Center’s State Theater November 4 through 23. The company will present a total of eighteen works including the New York premiere of choreographer Hope Boykin and world premieres by resident choreographers Lauren Lovett and Robert Battle. Out and About NYC Magazine Editor- in Chief Walter Rutledge and Battle sat down for a long overdue conversation about his new work Under the Rhythm, his second work for the Taylor Company. Continue reading
The Dance of the Village Elders returned to their Harlem home at St. Philips Church, 204 west 134th street, after a five-year CONVID 19 induced hiatus. The return was really a reunion of a very special dance family. You may ask how did you all maintain this relationship for so long? The answer is we have a long and rich history.
The Dance of the Village Elders was the brainchild of Monique Headman who produced the concept of a health and wellness program designed for seniors in 2013 for Harlem Hospital. I was one of three teaching artists hired from a world-renowned dance organization to teach for 12 weeks (one third of the 36-week program). This first year I was the last instructor to teach, and the classes attracted more than forty participants far surpassing the other two instructors.
The next year (2014) I went first and attracted a larger following. For the 2015 dance season I asked Monique could we write the grant together with me teaching the entire 36 weeks. She agreed and 2015 I became the primary instructor.
In 2016 the funding was cut, and Harlem Hospital wanted the dance organization to add some funds to offset the loss. The organization was unable (or unwilling), so we proposed to raise the money, approximately $5,000 ourselves. In the spirit of a Judy Garland/Micky Rooney musical we used a performance as our fundraiser.
At first Harlem Hospital was leery of giving us the 450-seat auditorium because to make it cost effective we would need at least 150 guests. By show time we had sold over 500 tickets. The Village Elders saved their program.
The following fall Harlem Hospital did not want to continue the program unless the dance organization contributed financially. The organization refused – why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? The program was not renewed.
I pleaded with the organization and in writing offered to teach for free. Our request fell on deaf ears. Then the executive director remined me, “I worked for them, and they would tell me if and when the program would return.” My response in writing was “In the words of Billie Holiday I’ll do nothing till I hear from you.” And we waited and waited.
When the fall granting/funding season was over and we had not heard back we realized what it meant we had become a former program. A program is a funded entity that enhances peoples’ lives and when it becomes financially inconvenient it just disappears. Giving the participants the big corporate middle finger.
This could not happen! We were all invested in the Dance of the Village Elders and had developed a kinship that went beyond the instruction. We had become a dance family and refused to disband. We acquired the permission to use the name from Monique; I designed a logo
We moved the program to St. Philips Church two blocks away at 204 west 134th street and decided to create what we call a dance cooperative. We would raise the money ourselves and control our own dance/wellness cooperative. At St. Philips the Dance of the Village Elders flourished.
We partnered with Dancers of a Variable Population as guest performers for their Riverside Park performances. Dance of the Village Elders created our own opportunities and increased our visibility during Harlem Week, at the Richard Rogers Theater in Marcus Garvey Park and our biannual performances at St. Philips Church. We were on a roll! Then the world closed.
COVID 19 forced us to suspend in person sessions, so we went online. This was not as successful as we hoped because not all our participants were not computer savvy. The classes were eventually suspended.
Despite our hiatus we stayed in touch on facebook, by phone, text and email. It was truly gratifying the steadfast love and support we maintained for each other as we continued to share our lives apart. In the words of gospel icon Dottie Peoples “He’s an on time God” we have returned to our Harlem home. And last week we had our first class in five years.
Ww Are Back Dance of the Village Elders
The enthusiasm was palpable, and the love is real. We thank Canon Rector, Reverend Canon Charles Simmons; The Reverend Deacon Fitzroy Edwards, Curate Kevin Booker Kidd and our guardian angel Parish Administrator Gail Silver for making us feel so welcome again.
We are back at our Harlem home. Come join us. We meet every Thursday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm at St. Philips Church 204 west 134th street. For more information contact Walter Rutledge at walterutledge@gmail.com.
The show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth Avenue
Seward Park Lower East Side East Broadway and Essex Street
Ballet Tech Kids Dance lighting up The Joyce stage! Celebrating five years as Artistic Director, Dionne Figgins premieres a full-length ballet, "Echoes of the Studio," featuring students dancing alongside BT alumni. This new work highlights the journey of Ballet Tech students from studio to stage, showcasing the inspiration, technique, determination, and heart it takes to bring a trainee’s dancing to life.
THE JOYCE THEATER
American Liberty Ballet presents Sylvia, a myth-inspired tale brought to life with vivid characters and dynamic choreography.
Theater at St. Jean’s150 E. 76th St.New York, NY 10021
Honor three decades of Brooklyn Pride with an evening spotlighting LGBTQ+ artists who are shaping the culture of the borough and beyond. Round out the night with films, talks, readings, art-making, dancing, and so much more.
200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Honor three decades of Brooklyn Pride with an evening spotlighting LGBTQ+ artists who are shaping the culture of the borough and beyond. Round out the night with films, talks, readings, art-making, dancing, and so much more.
Both a longstanding tradition and one of Brooklyn’s hottest events, First Saturdays has been putting the art in party for more than 25 years. Be here the first Saturday evening of select months—along with hundreds of your new closest friends—for free art, music, dancing, films, talks, readings, and creative outlets. Plus: signature cocktails.
200 Eastern ParkwayAmerican Liberty Ballet presents Sylvia, a myth-inspired tale brought to life with vivid characters and dynamic choreography.
Theater at St. Jean’s150 E. 76th St.New York, NY 10021
Ballet Tech Kids Dance lighting up The Joyce stage! Celebrating five years as Artistic Director, Dionne Figgins premieres a full-length ballet, "Echoes of the Studio," featuring students dancing alongside BT alumni. This new work highlights the journey of Ballet Tech students from studio to stage, showcasing the inspiration, technique, determination, and heart it takes to bring a trainee’s dancing to life.
THE JOYCE THEATER
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack and Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, the company’s fourth consecutive BAM season promises to be a celebration of joy, beauty, and the transformative power of dance.
Program
Hymn (1993, new production 2026) by Judith Jamison
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium
Yankee StadiumBoston Red Sox vs New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium
Yankee StadiumThe show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth Avenue
Join us on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 1:00 PM for the unveiling of the 5th iteration of the Harlem Renaissance 2.0 Banner Project, presented by The Gatekeepers Collective (TGC). This year’s powerful public art installation, "Where Art Meets Activism on 125," honors the lives, legacies, and cultural contributions of Same-Gender-Loving/LGBTQ+ African American trailblazers whose vision, courage, and creativity helped shape Harlem and American culture
The Forum at Columbia University
The Oxtail Off - NYC: This event will feature THE BEST Caribbean food trucks in all of New York City, along with top chefs competing for the Oxtail Off Championship crown! Based on your ticket level, you will be able to receive samplings of Oxtail from competing chefs, or enjoy full plates from our amazing onsite vendors. Vegan, pescatarian, and vegetarian options will be available.
99 Scott Studio Ballet Tech Kids Dance lighting up The Joyce stage! Celebrating five years as Artistic Director, Dionne Figgins premieres a full-length ballet, "Echoes of the Studio," featuring students dancing alongside BT alumni. This new work highlights the journey of Ballet Tech students from studio to stage, showcasing the inspiration, technique, determination, and heart it takes to bring a trainee’s dancing to life.
THE JOYCE THEATERAmerican Liberty Ballet presents Sylvia, a myth-inspired tale brought to life with vivid characters and dynamic choreography.
Theater at St. Jean’s150 E. 76th St.New York, NY 10021
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack and Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, the company’s fourth consecutive BAM season promises to be a celebration of joy, beauty, and the transformative power of dance.
Program
Hymn (1993, new production 2026) by Judith Jamison
New York hottest place to be for a fun Sunday evening house music party. JD Frankie Paradise will get you moving whether you dip, twist or just strike a pose.
District - 246 west 35th street
The show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth AvenueThe show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth AvenueThe show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth Avenue
A dance and wellness classes design for Older Adults taught by Walter Rutledge
204 W 134th St, New York, NY 10030
The show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth AvenueThe show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth AvenueA dance and wellness classes design for Older Adults taught by Walter Rutledge
720 Nereid Ave, Bronx, NY 10466
The show will present iconic works from the museum’s collection by more than 20 artists, including John Chamberlain, Chryssa, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Lucas Samaras, and Andy Warhol. Highlights will include Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Soft Shuttlecock (1995), on view in New York for the first time in 25 years. These works will be shown alongside Yayoi Kusama’s INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), a major loan to the exhibition, and recent acquisitions by contemporary artists such as Farah Al Qasimi, Alex Da Corte, Lucia Hierro, Martine Gutierrez, Lauren Halsey, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Yee I-Lann, Cara Romero, and Liu Shiyuan, whose practices expand the legacies of Pop.
1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128 (at 88th Street)
The new permanent installation foregrounds the creativity of artists across the subcontinent and enduring, dynamic historical traditions. The Met’s Arts of Africa galleries returned in May 2025, in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the reenvisioned installation reintroduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of sub-Saharan African art through a selection of some 500 works organized to survey major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations from the Middle Ages to the present, and one-fourth of the works are on display at the Museum for the first time.
The Met Fifth Avenue