Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events  – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

“Word for Word Author” #1
Taste Talk with Spotted Pig Chef April Bloomfield

The Spotted Pig-founder, renowned chef and cookbook author (A Girl and Her Pig: Recipes and Stories) comes to the park for a special lunchtime edition of Taste Talks, a 2-day event in Brooklyn that showcases the culinary cutting edge for a food-obsessed generation through symposiums, workshops and discussions with top chefs and experts who come together to observe and discuss the latest trends in food and drink. Moderated by Daniel Stedman, Owner and Founder of Taste Talks and Brooklyn Magazine
The Bryant Park Reading Room, 1065 Avenue of the Americas,
located on the 42nd St. side of the park – under the trees – between the back of the NYPL on 5th Avenue & 6th Avenue. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas. In case of rain, events are held under a tent at the Reading Room. In case of severe weather, please check bryantpark.org for the indoor location.
12:30PM / FREE
212-768-4242 / bryantpark.org

“Word for Word Author” #2
Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality with Danielle Allen

In collaboration with the New-York Historical Society, the Bryant Park Reading Room presents a series of free lectures on popular topics. At only 1,337 words, the Declaration of Independence irrevocably transformed world history and governance. Written over 200 years ago, the words of our nation’s founding text continue to reverberate with their ideals of freedom, individualism, and community. Danielle Allen, a political philosopher renowned for her work on justice and citizenship, provides an in-depth look at America’s founding text and the architects behind its tenets.
The Bryant Park Reading Room, 1065 Avenue of the Americas,
located on the 42nd St. side of the park – under the trees – between the back of the NYPL on 5th Avenue & 6th Avenue. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas. In case of rain, events are held under a tent at the Reading Room. In case of severe weather, please check bryantpark.org for the indoor location.
7PM / FREE
212-768-4242 / bryantpark.org

Robyn + Royksopp
JBL Live at Pier 97

“Robyn has been active in the music business for two decades now, but it wasn’t until her 2010 dual album Body Talk that she truly broke through in the U.S. And it’s no wonder — both parts of the album were packed with instant dance classics that paired honest and often sad lyrics with fiery beats. Her songs have been part of iconic scenes and viral videos ever since, like the famous Girls bedroom dance to “Dancing on My Own” that all adventurous women do, as well as a full and faithful re-creation of the “Call Your Girlfriend” choreography by SNL’s Taran Killam. Body Talk featured a slithering, sexy collaboration with Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp called “None of Dem” and now, four years later, Robyn’s first collection of new material is a mini-album with the same pair called Do It Again. In celebration, all three are touring together, performing both their own songs as well as their collaborations. You won’t be dancing on your own in this audience. “(Brittany Spanos, Village Voice)
Pier 97, Hudson River Park, West Side Highway and 55th St.
At 6 p.m./ $55 / ticketmaster.com

Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance
Erasing Borders is the Indo-American Arts Council’s annual dance festival, bringing unique performers from across the Indian subcontinent to the USA.
Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, Battery Park City.
6-8pm / FREE

Elsewhere, but worth a detour:
Amina Figarova Sextet
“The Azerbaijan-born pianist-composer-bandleader can point to one achievement that, in contemporary composition, is increasingly unique: She writes original tunes that actually sound original. Her music sounds fresh and new while remaining firmly within the modern jazz tradition, thanks partly to the contributions of her husband, Bart Platteau, whose flute counterbalances tenor saxophonist Marc Mommaas and trumpeter Alex Pope Norris (as well as bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Jason Brown ). Her new CD, “Twelve” alternates between fast and rhythmically tricky material like the opener “NYCST” and memorably mellow balladry like “Another Side Of The Ocean,” and still other pieces that split the difference, like “Shut Eyes, Sea Waves,” a legato piece that resists categorization.” (WSJ)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
7:30 & 9:30 / $20
212-576-2232

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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 is a big town with many visitors, where 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: Special Exhibitions @ 3 MUSEUMS (Manhattan’s WestSide)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘Lygia Clark: The Abandonment of Art, 1948-1988’ (through Aug. 24)
‘Jasper Johns: Regrets’ (through Sept. 1)
‘Robert Heinecken: Object Matter’ (through Sept. 7)
‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’ (through Oct. 5)
‘Designing Modern Women 1890-1990’(through Oct. 5)
Here’s what the NYT said about ‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’
“This mostly lively if repetitive overview traces the history of photography as the Modern never has — with images taken in the studio rather than out in the world. Its roughly 180 works span 160 years and represent some 90 portraitists, commercial photographers, lovers of still life, darkroom experimenters, Conceptual artists and several generations of postmodernists. Including film and video, it offers much to look at but dwells too much in the past, becoming increasingly blinkered and cautious as it approaches the present. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St. (btw 5th /6th Ave.)
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.

Designing Modern Women 1890-1990:

International Center of Photography: ‘Urbes Mutantes: Latin American Photography 1944-2013’ and ‘Caio Reisewitz’ (through Sept. 7)
It’s a Latin American summer at New York City art museums, with a high number of shows of work from South America and the Caribbean. This institution, as usual one step ahead of the curve, has two. The larger, “Urbes Mutantes: Latin American Photography 1944-2013,” is a roomy survey of some 200 small, mostly black-and-white pictures that fit, with trimming and squeezing, into the genre of “street photography.” The second is a solo devoted to a single artist, the contemporary Brazilian photographer Caio Reisewitz, whose big color images of threatened tropical rain forests offer a lush antidote to urban grit — Manhattan’s included.
International Center of Photography, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, at 43rd Street, 212-857-0000, icp.org. (Cotter-NYT)

Museum of Arts and Design: ‘NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial’ (through Oct. 12) This plunge into the biennial format makes a big, messy splash sampling the visual culture across the city — whether opera set design, art or new technologies. An expansive, invigorating move, it still contains too much that is fun, cute, clutter-making or useless, aimed at those with plenty of disposable income and homes to decorate.
Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle,
212-299-7777, madmuseum.org. (Smith-NYT)

The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya (ongoing)
This exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of intriguing and inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world — LEGO® bricks. The Discovery Times Square exhibit is the world’s biggest and most elaborate display of LEGO® art ever and features brand-new, never-before-seen pieces by Sawaya. This show was named ‘One of CNN’s Ten Global Must-See Exhibitions.’
Discovery Times Square, 226 West 44th St. (btw 7th/8th ave)
866.987.9692 / http://www.discoverytsx.com

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (08/18) and (08/16).