El Anatsui, “Ozone Layer,” aluminum and copper wire, 2010 (photograph by Andrew McAllister, courtesy of the Akron Art Museum)
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway at Washington St.
Saturday, March 2, free, 5:00 – 11:00 (some events require free tickets distributed in advance at the Visitor Center)
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org
The Brooklyn Museum celebrates the recent opening of “Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui,” the first solo museum show by the West African artist who uses recycled material to create dazzling wall pieces, at its March free First Saturday program. (Anatsui’s “Pot of Wisdom” was recently on view at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea, and his “Broken Bridge II” can be seen along the High Line through next summer.) There will be African-influenced live performances by the Sway Machinery, Ria Boss, and Zozo Afrobeat; a curator talk on El Anatsui led by Kevin Dumouchelle; a screening of Jareth Merz’s An African Election, which is set in El Anatsui’s native Ghana; pop-up gallery talks honoring the sixth anniversary of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; an artist talk with Fernando Mastrangelo, whose work is featured in “Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn”; and interactive collaborative projects including a group photo mosaic and a Brooklyn Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy workshop.