Today’s “Fab 5” / Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, DEC. 09, 2013

Holiday Markets
More than 150 vendors are selling their goods in Union Square Park, bordered by Park Avenue South, Broadway and 14th Streets, through Christmas Eve. Hours: weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; urbanspacenyc.com. (through Dec 24)

The Holiday Shops are just part of the seasonal events in Bryant Park, at Avenue of the Americas and 40th Street, through Jan. 5. Hours: weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (through Jan. 5)

In Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, the 14th annual Holiday Fair offers 76 stalls of goods through Christmas Eve. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. These shops have some nice stuff. Try to shop before noon and avoid the lunch time worker bee crowds. (through Dec 24)

While in GrandCentral check out the Holiday Train Show (through Feb. 23) which features a 34-foot-long Lionel model train layout. It’s on display at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store near the Station Master’s Office. To be honest, this year’s setup is not as good as previous years and not worth a special trip to GCT. But it is FREE and  can be viewed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. see mta.info/mta/museum.

TURTLE ISLAND QUARTET WITH SPECIAL GUEST TIERNEY SUTTON:
A SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
Vocalist Tierney Sutton joins up with the two-time Grammy®-winning Turtle Island Quartet for a special concert celebrating the music of the “Festival of Lights.” From the songs of Chanukah, to the music of India’s Diwali, and the old English carols of the 16th century, TIQ and Ms. Sutton explore timeless music that has been an integral part of winter holiday celebrations for centuries.
Brookfield Place, Winter Garden, 220 Vesey Street
At 1pm / FREE

Digital Publishing: eBooks, eMagazines, and Apps
“eBook sales continue to rise rapidly, and the trend is only going to continue, with magazines and other publications quickly moving to the iPad and other tablets. Digital publishing is hot-hot-hot, and print designers should be learning about it NOW.

With a lot of different formats and a host of different target devices, there’s naturally some confusion. What are the different formats and what is each capable of? What are the differences between eBooks and eMagazines? What is the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, and how can it help me? This seminar answers these questions, and more.

You’ll see examples of eBooks, eMagazines, and apps, with live examples demonstrated across various devices, so you can understand how they work on iPad, iPhone, Kindle, etc.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss, which are crucial to designers:
• What are the possibilities of eBooks, and how are they made?
• What are the possibilities of eMagazines, and how are they made?
• What is Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS), and what can I achieve with it?
• What apps do I use to create eBooks and eMagazines, and are they easy to learn?
• When should a native iPad/iPhone app be used?

You’ll come away with a clear understanding of what’s possible, knowledgeable about the various media types and devices. You’ll be inspired to get started!” (Flavorpill)
Noble Desktop, 594 Broadway, Suite 1202
At 6pm / FREE
nobledesktop.com/seminars

What Makes It Great? With Rob Kapilow – Britten: A Ceremony of Carols
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Dianne Berkun-Menaker, conductor
Bridget Kibbey, harp
The Grammy Award–winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus joins lively commentator Rob Kapilow in a demonstration of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, a Christmastime favorite featuring treble chorus and delicate harp solos. The Chorus will be accompanied by Bridget Kibbey, founding harpist of the International Contemporary Ensemble.

“Classical music’s greatest evangelist.” —Boston Globe
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St.
7:30pm. / Limited Availability
212-721-6500, LCGreatPerformers.org

Rod Stewart 
“Now that he’s been doubly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — as a solo artist in 1994 and as a member of the Faces in 2012 — Mr. Stewart has even more reason to don his flashy suits and swan around the Garden. He has dabbled in traditional fare lately, including a dip into the Great American Songbook on a 2010 release and the 2012 album “Merry Christmas Baby.” On “Time,” out this year, he purred through originals and a sweet bonus-edition cover of Bob Dylan’s “Corinna Corinna.” With Steve Winwood.” (Anderson-NYT)
Madison Square Garden, 7th Ave and 33rd St.
At 7:30 p.m., / $59.50 to $184.50.
(866) 858-0008, thegarden.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 3 Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Raqib Shaw, “Paradise Lost” (until Sat. Dec. 21)
East meets West in the work of this London artist, who originally hails from India, and whose sumptuous, jewel-and-enamel inlaid paintings and intricately detailed sculptures combine numerous traditions and canons—including Indian miniatures and textiles, Old Master painting, Orientalism and Surrealism. His works might be best described as visions of paradise being invaded by the forces of hell. It’s a strange mix that plays upon our notions of exoticism while sending them up. For his debut at Pace, the artist fills all three of the gallery’s Chelsea locations.
Pace Gallery 508 W 25th St. btw Tenth and Eleventh Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-255-4044 / thepacegallery.com

Richard Serra, “New Sculpture” (until Sat. Jan. 25, 2014)
Gagosian’s double dose of Richard Serra presents dueling sides of the sculptor: the popular artist name checked in a Vampire Weekend song, and the confrontational figure familiar from his earlier career.

The gallery’s West 21st Street location presents the former in fine form, with a single massive work. Curling ribbons of steel, set on edge and towering to ceiling height, nestle together to create Serra’s signature bowing and curving of space. They swallow viewers up in a phenomenological ecstasy one usually associates with, say, walking along a narrow canyon. The metal’s russet color only adds to the sensation of experiencing something more natural than man-made.

The tone, if not the scale, of the work shifts on West 24th Street, with a group of sculptures and nary a bend in sight. Hard-edged steel plates, patinated a carceral gray, get in your way like barricades around a government building. A set of enormous blocks serves as a memorial to the recently deceased sculptor Walter De Maria, a friend of Serra’s. Experiential warmth gives way to cold truths as Serra employs his legendary toughness to challenge not only gravity, but death itself.—(Howard Halle/TONY mag)
Gagosian Gallery, 522 W 21st St, btw 10th/11th Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-741-1717 / gagosian.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)

Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (11/19) and (11/17).