Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16, 2013

Wall Street Coin, Currency and Collectibles Show (through Oct. 19)
No currency is required to attend this annual event featuring displays, sales and an auction of historical documents. Also on view at the museum are exhibits devoted to the stock market and the banking and financial industries, including a display in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Federal Reserve System (the actual date is Dec. 23).
Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall Street, at William St.
Hours for the show are Thursday from noon to 7 p.m.; next Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Oct 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m./ FREE
(212) 908-4110, moaf.org

SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE
Yo-Yo Ma’s travelling ensemble of classical and world-music players is a constant presence in the musical landscape, even if its New York concerts are infrequent. They come to Carnegie with a vibrant mix of works, including the local premières of pieces by John Zorn (a suite from “Book of Angels”), David Bruce, and the recently minted MacArthur fellow Vijay Iyer (“Playlist for an Extreme Occasion”).” (NewYorker mag)
Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium,
At 8 p.m./ $20.50 to $125
247-7800, carnegiehall.org

Bridget Jones Is MAD ABOUT THE BOY: Helen Fielding and Vogue’s Valerie Steiker
Join best-selling author Helen Fielding to celebrate her iconic heroine’s return after fourteen years of silence in the new book, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, as she discusses life, love, and the inimitable Bridget Jones with Vogue culture editor Valerie Steiker.
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, (btw Houston/Prince)
AT 7:00PM / $15
subway: 1-2-3 to TimesSq; transfer to N/R to Prince St; walk 1 block E, 1 block N
212-334-3324, housingworks.org/events

Lucy Wainwright Roche
“The former schoolteacher just couldn’t ignore genetics. Born into one of the most talented families of folk (her parents are Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche, and her half-siblings are Martha and Rufus Wainwright), Ms. Wainwright Roche was inspired to trade her lesson plan for a guitar. She released her debut solo record, the gently raw “Lucy,” in 2010; now she celebrates the release of her follow-up, “There’s a Last Time for Everything.” (Anderson-NYT)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring St.
At 8 p.m./ $18 to $25
(212) 608-0555, citywinery.com

TOM HARRELL (through Oct. 20)
“Jazz has had its share of triumph-over-adversity tales, but few have been as inspirational as that of Harrell.

Harrell is widely regarded as being among the most creative and uncompromising jazz instrumentalists and composers of our time. He is a past winner of both the Down Beat Readers and Critics Polls in the trumpet category. His roots go back to an early-seventies run with Horace Silver. Harrell is also a diagnosed schizophrenic.

Yet his condition hasn’t kept him from establishing himself as an active bandleader. While his communication with audiences is minimal, his forthright skills as a player are not affected. Last week, the hard-blowing trumpeter led his customary quintet, and the second week of this prestigious engagement finds him fronting his leaner Trip ensemble. It includes the influential tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, whose smartly conceived improvisations deftly balance lyricism and rigor. Trip’s Ugonna Okegwo, on bass, and Adam Cruz, on drums, will set the horn players off in kinetic splendor.” (NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St.
at 8:30 & 10:30PM / $25 cover with a one drink minimum
(212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater, and The Kitchen performance spaces,   there is no place like it anywhere in the world.

Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues.

Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are a few Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Matthew Day Jackson, “Something Ancient, Something New, Something Stolen, Something Blue” (until Sat Oct.19)
“Space missions, military hardware and anatomy are some of the points of departure for the artist’s latest works, which, as usual, plumb the darker reaches of American history, life and popular culture.” (TONY Mag)
Hauser & Wirth New York 511 W 18th St. (btw 10th/111th Ave)
Tue–Sat, 10am–6pm / FREE
212-794-4970 / hauserwirth.com

Taner Ceylan, “The Lost Paintings Series” (until Oct.26)
This Turkish painter employs photorealist techniques to deconstruct Orientalism, a 19th-century genre in Europe and the United States that featured exotic scenes of the mysterious Levant. Some artists relied on pure fantasy; others traveled to North Africa and elsewhere to base their visions on some observable reality. Either way, Orientalism went hand in glove with colonialism, as the stereotypes it helped foster were essential to the psychology of Western empire building. Ceylan plays with and against these same stereotypes, portraying dusky, alluring women as well as men in fezzes and kaffiyehs, though with notable twists (the inclusion of evidently gay subjects, for instance). More to the point, he juxtaposes one sort of illusion (paintings that look like photographs) with another—the myths and misconceptions that have emerged about the Middle East.
Paul Kasmin Gallery, 515 W 27th St. (btw Tenth/Eleventh Aves)
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm / FREE
212-563-4474 / paulkasmingallery.com

Josh Smith (until Oct.19)
Smith’s painterly spin on bad-boy aesthetics is given ample room in this two-space show, taking up Luhring Augustine’s Chelsea and Brooklyn locations.
Luhring Augustine, 531 W 24th St. (btw Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-206-9100 / luhringaugustine.com

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) ==========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (10/14) and (10/12).