Wednesday, September 9, 6-8pm: Michael Wilkinson | fluorochiaroscuro at P·P·O·W 

Combining the optical illusionism of trompe l’oeil with non-representational interventions associated with the readymade, UK-based artist Michael Wilkinson transforms ordinary subject matter into enigmatic visualizations that hover between the seen and the imagined. Updating the still life genre for our contemporary age, Wilkinson explores its innate ties to ephemerality with a self-awareness that is a once playfully ambivalent and earnestly serious. Above: Delphinium ii, 2026 (detail)

His fascination with still life painting first emerged during the 2020-2021 pandemic and lockdown, during which time he experienced a prolonged sense of a suspended, decelerated reality. Wilkinson found himself becoming more attuned to domestic objects, which gave way to a concentrated perception of the shifts that come with the passing of time. He demonstrates this acute awareness by depicting the subtle changes that take place across a central subject over the course of a day, with shadows becoming more abstract as the relationship between light and object prevaricate .

P·P·O·W , 392 Broadway, New York, NY Info

 Thursday, September 10, 6-8pm: Instructors Salon at  Art Students League 

A tradition that’s more than a century old, the Art Students League of New York’s annual Instructor Salon is an exhibition of work by current League instructors. This year’s salon, which features nearly 100 accomplished artists, reflects the broad range of styles and subjects taught at the League in an exemplary display of this community’s creative powers.

The Art Students League of New York was founded in 1875 by a small group of tenacious artists who broke off from the National Academy of Design. That independent spirit remains at the League today, where students pursue their work unconstrained by dogma, politics, or burdensome tuition. The League educates students in the language and process of making art in an environment where anyone who wishes to pursue arts education can realize their full potential. Artists who have studied at the League include Georgia O'Keeffe, Norman Lewis, Robert Rauschenberg, Emilio Sanchez, Yayoi Kusama, and Ai-Weiwei, among others.

Above: Stöðvarfjörður, 2025, watercolor on paper, 60" x 60" (Iceland) by Frank Webster. Webster teaches Watercolor Techniques, and is offering a three-day workshop on Expedition Painting—right here in Central Park this weekend!

Saturday, September 12, 11am-1pm: Field Guide X Noguchi at Socrates

Field Guide invites visitors to explore Socrates Sculpture Park with @juliapnorton an educator from The Noguchi Museum. Join in to work with clay and collect found objects in the Park to create mixed-media sculptures. Participants will consider how Isamu Noguchi combined materials in his abstract sculptures to express the forces of nature. 

Pre-registration is highly recommended and groups are limited to 25 participants. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. And all participants will be given a free pass to visit The Noguchi Museum after the program. Click for more info

Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, NY Directions

Sunday, September 13: 4^th Annual Repair Café El Barrio at Artspace 109

I’ve noticed an upsurge of interest in all things analog—from drawing and painting to crafting and beyond. But things fall apart! With that in mind, here is an answer for analog lifecycles that resonates with resourcefulness and looks like fun! 

Repair Cafés are free, community-led events where volunteer experts help visitors diagnose and fix broken household items. They started in The Netherlands in 2009 and have now spread to cities and communities all around the world. At Repair Café El Barrio, the most common repair items include vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, lamps, clocks, clothing, and audiovisual equipment (including computers and cameras). The goal is to empower visitors with hands-on repair skills: they don’t just fix things for you—these folks work with you, side by side

This 4^th year celebration includes a free symposium from 11am to 2pm [Register] followed by the repair café  from 2 to 5pm, with snacks, a sustainable fashion workshop with a dozen orgs and every other repair café in the city including Big Reuse, Repurposeful Ancestry Lab, Trees New York, and the LES Ecology Center, among others. 

El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, 215 East 99^th Street, New York, NY Info

Planing ahead

September 17-19: Pictoplasma NYC

With the Pictoplasma NYC Conference 10 days out, it's a good time to find out more about this year's presenting artist line-up, and their unique point of access to character-driven creativity. See what speakers on the lineup—Gemma Correll, Frank Ape, and Sawako Kabuki—have to say about the thinking, instincts, doubts, and decisions that lie behind their work.

But Pictoplasma NYC is not only about celebrating top-tier creators as they take the center stage to share their inspiration, stories, and journey. It also brings together the big industry players (who usually work behind the scenes) with the attending talent in the audience: At Picto you have the opportunity to meet the industry's sharpest agencies, production companies, and talent scouts—all hoping to connect, provide feedback, and recruit during exclusive networking and portfolio review sessions.

This year welcomes agents from B&A, Jacky Winter, SNYDER, and Walter Schupfer Management, and creative directors from studios BUCK, Google Search, Hornet, Jelly, Scholar, and Titmouse. Registration for the portfolio reviews is done on the spot, first come, first served. Only a few tickets are left, so don't hesitate to unlock your annual dose of inspiration and secure your seat at the table!  All details on the program and last tickets:  nyc.pictoplasma.com