September 14, 6-8pm: Drawing as Practice at the National Academy

After four years of virtual  invisibility, following the historic National Academy of Design’s decision to close its museum and school of art, on the Upper East Side, the institution has put its finest foot forward with an historic move. Tomorrow, the Academy opens a gallery space in Chelsea, presenting an exhibition that is likely to become a must-see for practicing artists and students. 

Drawing as Practice was organized in response to the National Academy of Design’s significant collection of more than 8,000 works of American art and architecture. This group exhibition centers on drawing as both the medium and practice connecting the many divergent points of interest that have contributed to the founding and history of the National Academy. The exhibition spans nearly two hundred years of drawing, anchored by early examples of life studies from classes held in the first decades of the Academy’s activities. Themes and aesthetic tendencies in the exhibition range from academic drawings that were the result of instructional sessions—which in the 19th and early 20th century centered on the figure and portraits—to non-traditional drawing practices, structures and architecture, abstraction, motion studies, and social commentary. Above: Cecily Brown, Lady and the Swan, 2021-23, pastel on paper.

National Academy of Design, 519 West 26^th Street, FL2, New York, NY Info  

Thursday, September 14, 6-8pm: Ugo Rondino at Gladstone

Ugo Rondino presents new, large-scale sculptures along with interconnected bodies of work, each of which acts as building blocks of the perfect storm. In the center of the exhibition are three massive lightning strikes that forcefully punctuate the space. 

Painted in bright, dayglo yellow, the bronze ‘light’ sculptures depict the crooked and rhythmic lines the form strikes of lightning, creating tangible and static representations of these miraculous experiences and awe-inspiring phenomena.

Gladstone Gallery, 530 West 31^st Street, New York, NY Info

Thursday, September 14, 6-8pm: Informal reception for Max Schumann at Printed Matter

This week Printed Matter says farewell to Max Schumann, who steps down as Printed Matter's Executive Director after 8 years in the role, and 33 years working with the organization. Join PM for refreshments, light snacks, and the opportunity to wish Max the best as he moves on to his next chapter.

The gathering will coincide with a reception held for a new display by British artist, archivist, and ex-punk Toby Mott publications from 1996 to the present. Above, graphics by Toby Mott from the recent I Love Summer Exhibition in Notting Hill

Printed Matter, 231 11th Avenue, New York, NY Info

Thursday, September 14, 6-8pm: Sewn Together: The Converging Worlds of Southern American Quilted and Boro Textiles at Ricco Maresca

Southern, African American quilts, and their distant cousins, Japanese Boro textiles, have distinct origins, histories, and cultural contexts—but they share some commonalities in terms of their historical significance and artistic expression. Together, they offer fascinating insights into the power of textile art and storytelling in this new exhibition.

Quilting became an important means of creative expression and storytelling within African American communities, often serving to document history and preserve cultural heritage. The same holds true for the broader quilting tradition in the American South. Boro textiles, the patched and mended textiles that were born out of necessity due to limited resources, originated in Japan, specifically in rural farming communities during the Edo period (1603-1868) and continued into the early 20th century. They reflect the practicality and resourcefulness of the Japanese rural population during challenging times.

Ricco Maresca Gallery, 529 West 20^th Street, New York, NY Info 

Saturday, September 16: Ruth Asawa Through Line at the Whitney

For Ruth Asawa (1926–2013), drawing served as a center of gravity—the activity she described as her "greatest pleasure and the most difficult." Although now widely recognized for her wire sculptures, Asawa drew daily. Her exlporatory approach to materials, line, surface, and space yielded an impressive range of drawings that speaks to her playful curiosity and technical dexterity as well as her interest in the aesthetic possibilities of the everyday.

This exhibition highlights drawing as the through line in Asawa's work. Organized thematically and inspired by her inquisitive approach to making art, the presentation comprises more than one hundred works, many of which have never been exhibited. Together, they capture the boundless energy and generous spirit of Asawa, who believed that "art is not a series of techniques, but an approach to learning, to questioning, and to sharing." 

Whitney Museum of America art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY Info

Saturday, September 16, 2-7:30pm: Anti-Venom and more at Governors Island

Join LMCC for a full day of artist talks, performances, readings, and a special DJ set to celebrate ANTI•VENOM, an exhibition that brings together seven multidisciplinary artists to ask: How do we affirm our humanity in the face of complex harm? In this luminous exhibition of videos the artists face a troubled reality and transform it, directing our gaze towards radiant visions of the future. Each of the programs featured offer a microdose towards collective healing. More Above: Artist studio at Building 110

Featuring Joaquin Trujillo, Sofía Shaula Resser-del Rio, Le’Andra LeSeur, Ksenia M. Soboleva, sadé powell, Reed Rushes, LaWhore Vagistan and MUSE(O)FIRE.  

The Art Center at Governors Island, Building 10 Info/Map

Thursday, September 28, 6pm: Walter Isaacson | Lessons about Living with Geniuses at The Graduate Center

Upon publication of his anticipated biography of Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson gives this year’s Leon Levy Lecture on the craft of writing and researching biography. He reveals lessons learned while writing biographies of creative people and the challenges of “untangling their light and dark strands.”

Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. Presented with the Leon Levy Center for Biography

CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 395 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY RSVP required

Continuing: Scherezade García | Under the Lace at Praxis

In Under the Lace: Stories of Floating Cathedrals, Resilience and Encounters, Scherezade García presents a series of ethereal figures suspended within an aquatic expanse. Elegant and unyielding, these women float amid the blue seas, engulfed in tropical flora and ornate textiles whose opacities at once veil and reveal the figures beneath. In many of these works, the artist conjures up seemingly infinite expanse of foliage, feathers, textiles, jewels, and water. Her focus on what she calls “the liquid highway”, can be viewed as a metaphor for the gravitas of diasporic embodiment in this watery world..

While García has hinged much of her work on the liquid highway, she continues to challenge precisely how we define and perceive liquidity, especially within the contexts of imperialism, colonialism, and diasporic migration. In Under the Lace, García asks us to consider how fluidity might be understood through other forms and objects. 

Praxis Art, 500 West 21^st Street, New York, NY Info