Today’s TOP 10 – THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

> Word for Word:  Jackie Collins
Bryant Park, Avenue of the Americas, at 40th St. / 12:30PM, FREE
“legendary mega-seller Jackie Collins chronicles passion and power in one of America’s most glamorous families in her latest release, “The Santangelos.” in conversation with television personality Bobby Rivers.”

Elsewhere, but these look worth the detours:
> Future Telescopes
The Way Station, 683 Washington Ave. / 7PM, FREE
“ learn about the future of telescopes on Earth and in space from NYU and CUNY professors during “Astronomy on Tap” at The Way Station. The event will explore over four hundred years of telescopes begnning with the simple spyglass telescopes and ending with what astronomers have in store for us in the future.”

> Celebration! Diverse Works, Collective Communities:
Honoring Arnold Lehman
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway (Washington Ave.) / 6:30PM, $16
“ after 18 years as Director of the Brooklyn Museum, Arnold Lehman is stepping down. An all-star array of artists takes over the museum for a series of pop-up talks in his honor, with big names like Kiki Smith, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Guerilla Girls among the speakers.” (ThoughtGalley.org)

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North’ (through Sept. 7)
“In the early 20th century, tens of thousands of African Americans left the rural South for the industrial North in search of jobs, homes and respect. Officially, this MoMA show is meant to mark the centennial of that immense population shift, though it also marks another anniversary: the first time in two decades that all 60 paintings in Jacob Lawrence’s great “Migration Series,” now divided between New York and Washington, D.C., have been shown together at the museum. Here they are surrounded by period photographs, books and fabulous music in a display as stimulating to the mind and the ear as it is to the eye. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Cotter)

American Folk Art Museum:
‘When the Curtain Never Comes Down’ (through July 5)
“A sprawling, cacophony of objects, audiotapes, photographs and films is here orchestrated into a curatorial marvel. Strange and wonderful in numerous ways, the show sheds new light on the performance aspects of much outsider art while reminding us how eccentricity is not only basic to creativity but to personal liberty and democracy itself. 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street, 212-595-9533, folkartmuseum.org.” (Roberta Smith)

Museum of Arts and Design:
‘Richard Estes: Painting New York City’ (through Sept. 20)
“The core of this show is a selection of vivid, Photorealist paintings of urban subjects like glass and chrome storefronts, movie theater marquees, cars and trucks, subways, the Brooklyn Bridge, views from the Staten Island Ferry and idyllic images of Central Park made between 1965 and 2015. The exhibition also includes didactic sections about the craft and technique that go into Mr. Estes painting and prints, but that aspect doesn’t fully deliver what it promises. 2 Columbus Circle, Manhattan, 212-299-7777,madmuseum.org.”(Johnson).
I LOVE THIS ONE.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 06/16 and 06/14.