Jessica Stockholder at MadSqPk

Multimedia artist Jessica Stockholder debuts her latest project - a public art piece - at Madison Square Park, located at the intersection of Broadway, 5th Ave., and 23rd Street. The piece is in conjunction with the Madison Square Park Conservancy, and from the looks of the installation I've seen happening all week, it's going to be B-EEEE-autiful. The work will be up from May 1 - August 15. So head over there, go get a burger from the Shake Shack, and soak in the colors and splendor that Stockholder has created for us.

Tribeca Film Festival Street Fair

If a.) you can't afford a ticket or b.) what you wanted to see sells out, then just head over to the Tribeca Film Festival's Family Street Fair.

From their website:

The Tribeca Family Festival once again invites you to the ultimate street fair and family celebration, in which a dazzling array of activities and performances unfold on Greenwich Street from Hubert to Chambers Street. Come meander through the heart of Tribeca as local schools, merchants, restaurants, and civic organizations join together for this all-day, family-friendly celebration.

Enjoy special performances on boulevard stages and throughout the neighborhood streets, along with surprise appearances by some of your favorite characters from movies, books, and television. The Festival Main Stage will feature professional acts of Broadway performers along with emerging talent from right here in Tribeca.

Greenwich Street will be transformed into a grand promenade of tents, where local restaurants and merchants will offer Tribeca's finest foods, refreshments, and merchandise. Local schools will sponsor a variety of fundraising activities, from hairspray painting to graffiti hats.

Fly a kite, create life-size bubbles in the Bubble Garden, get creative in the Arts & Crafts tent, dance to live music and put a smile on your face... It's a great time to take to the streets of the neighborhood, so join us for a special day of fun!

Saturday, May 2
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Greenwich Street between Hubert and Chambers Street

Affordable Art Fair

May 7 - 10th at 7 West New York

The Affordable Art Fair will be setting up shop here next week. While not free, more than 60 international galleries will be selling items prices from $100 - $10,000. It could end up being a great place for you to pick up some inexpensive prints or the like from some emerging artists.

Trip to Brooklyn

This weekend in New York is promising to be crazy beautiful. And although I must admit I'm a little peeved that it seems to have gone straight from Winter to Summer (in the 80s! already tomorrow), I'm going to suck it up and enjoy the sun and see some friends I've been neglecting.

While the items sold from their many vendors are not free, it costs nothing to walk around and look at all of the awesome stuff sold at the Brownstoner's Flea Marker in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. And as a little incentive, and for a fun game, they have some scavenger hunt items, that if you do find, you can take home without coughing up a single dime.


Brooklyn Flea Market
Saturdays from 10 am - 5 pm
On Lafayette, between Vanderbilt and Clermont
in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
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Also, whilst you're over there, you should check out some of the art galleries located in the area. You can visit SONYA (South Of the Navy Yard Artists) for some links, and come back for their Studio Stroll (open studios) May 16-17.

MoMA free Fridays

You would have to be crazy to live in "the city that never sleeps" and to not take advantage of some of the best museums IN THE WORLD! Now that being said, sometimes admission can be a little steep, especially if you just want to stop in to see one exhibition. So how about going on one of the free or discounted days most museums offer the public.

This week I'm going to suggest that you all go to the MoMA. The "Target Free Friday Nights" program offers free admission every Friday night from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Make sure to get there early, as lots and lots of budget-concerned date-nighters and students pack the floors during those few precious free hours.

While you're there, please please check out the breathtaking show entitled "Paper: Pressed, Stained, Slashed, Folded" that is on display through June 22nd. Also currently on view is a major retrospective of Martin Kippenberger's work (also until June 22), as well as an insanely comprehensive photography show almost hidden in the back called "Into the Sunset: Photography's Image of the American West" (through June 8).

Whew! Everyone knows the economy is seriously a downer right now, and that the artworld has seen it's fair share of misery in the last few weeks. But if you're a poor "starving artist" like me, an art enthusiast who likes to save some dough, or just cheap, there are some amazing opportunities to take advantage of here in New York - that will cost you very little or nothing at all.