twi-ny recommended events

KILLING AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE: JOHN KEVIN JONES RETURNS TO MERCHANT’S HOUSE WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

John Kevin Jones pays tribute to Edgar Allan Poe at historic Merchant’s House Museum (photo by Joey Stocks)

KILLING AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE
Merchant’s House Museum
29 East Fourth St. between Lafayette St. and the Bowery
March 25 – April 5, $65-$75
merchantshouse.org
summonersensemble.org

John Kevin Jones is back for his annual residency at the historic Merchant’s House Museum on East Fourth St. with Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe: Murder at the Merchant’s House. Jones has gained a kind of cult fan club for his unique one-man shows, which also include his unique version of A Christmas Carol at the historic museum, a home built in 1831-32 that was occupied continuously by the Tredwell family from 1835 to 1933. The nineteenth century feels very present in the house, which was one of the first twenty buildings to gain landmark status under the city’s 1965 law and functions as a museum, preserving the Tredwell family’s furnishings as they would have appeared when Poe, coincidentally, lived nearby for a time at 85 West Third St. and later in a cottage in the Bronx. Dressed in nineteenth-century-style jacket, vest, top hat, and ascot, Jones celebrates Edgar Allan Poe with three of his most popular writings, preceded by short introductions about each work and Poe’s career.

Forty people are squeezed into the Tredwells’ candlelit double parlor — with a coffin at one end and a dining table at the other — and Jones walks up and down the narrow space between, where the audience is seated on three sides, boldly delivering several classic Poe tales of treachery and murder, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Angel of the Odd,” and “The Cask of Amontillado,” from memory. His deep, theatrical voice resonates through the room as he catches the eye of audience members, adding yet more chills and thrills to the mystery in the air. He then sits down with a book for the long poem “The Raven,” evoking the great Poe actor Vincent Price. Jones, director Dr. Rhonda Dodd, and stage manager Dan Renkin, the leaders of Summoners Ensemble Theatre, keep the focus on Poe’s remarkable narrative technique; you might be watching one man, but you’ll feel like you’re seeing each of Poe’s characters in vivid detail.

Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe runs March 25 through April 5, and for select performances there will be a “Raise a Glass to Edgar” preshow reception option ($30) in which Jones will recite “Annabel Lee” and “Alone,” Natalia “Saw Lady” Paruz will perform, and the kitchen, family room, and garden will be open. In addition, medium Heather Carlucci will give psychic readings after both Sunday shows.

There is also a concerted public effort to save the Merchant’s House from construction next door that could negatively impact its structural future; find out how you can help here.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]

FEMINIST ART ROCK-STAR ROUNDTABLE: JUDITH BERNSTEIN, JOYCE KOZLOFF, AND JOAN SEMMEL AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM

Judith Bernstein, Joan Semmel, and Joyce Kozloff will take part in a Feminist Art Roundtable at the Jewish Museum

Who: Joan Semmel, Joyce Kozloff, Judith Bernstein, Rachel Corbett
What: Feminist Art Roundtable
Where: The Jewish Museum, Scheuer Auditorium, 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.
When: Thursday, March 26, $14-$24, 6:30
Why: On New Year’s Eve, I attended a small dinner party in the West Village, where among the other invitees was painter extraordinaire Joan Semmel, whose brilliant exhibition “In the Flesh” is on view at the Jewish Museum through May 31, and the marvelous Joyce Kozloff, whose stunning cartographic works have been on display in such gallery shows as “Collateral Damage,” “Uncivil Wars,” and “Girlhood.” At the last minute, artist Judith Bernstein, whose provocative solo exhibitions include “Truth and Chaos,” “We Don’t Owe You a Tomorrow,” and “Money Shot,” was unable to make the gathering. But now everyone is invited to be in the presence of all three remarkable women — and longtime friends — when they convene at the Jewish Museum on March 26 for a “Feminist Art Roundtable” moderated by Rachel Corbett, author of You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin and The Monsters We Make.

Semmel’s “In the Flesh” comprises sixteen lush, tender, and potent depictions of naked contorted figures and bodies in motion, dating from 1971 to 2023. “Their reflections are hidden, as is my face in most of my paintings,” Semmel has noted of her subjects. “For women who are always a sight to be seen, not being seen can be an act of defiance.” The show also features “Eye on the Collection,” consisting of forty-two museum works selected by Semmel, among them Bernstein’s 1966 Invest Your Sons (War Is Good Business) and Kozloff’s 2004 American History: 21st Century Crusades.

Don’t miss this rock-star lineup of extraordinary artists who have helped define and expand the concept of feminist art for six decades, demanding to be seen and heard.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]

ALL IN THE TELLING: SAUL RUBINEK AT THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE

Saul Rubinek will be at the Museum of Jewish Heritage for two very special, deeply personal evenings

Who: Saul Rubinek, Annette Insdorf, Caroline Aaron
What: “All in the Telling — a somewhat true story”
Where: Museum of Jewish Heritage, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Pl.
When: Wednesday, March 25, and Thursday, March 26, $18, 7:30
Why: Last fall, Genie Award winner Saul Rubinek brought his one-man show, Playing Shylock, a melding of the Bard’s Merchant of Venice and Rubinek’s own life, to the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Fort Greene. The Jewish Canadian Rubinek, who was born in a German refugee camp in 1948 and later raised in Canada — and whose parents were Holocaust survivors — is now coming to Manhattan to present two special evenings at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. On March 25 and 26, he will perform excerpts from and sign copies of his new novel, All in the Telling: a somewhat true story (Redwood, $24.99), described as “a true story of miraculous survival, a murder mystery, an operatic family drama, and undying romance,” inspired by his parents’ real-life experiences.

The reading will be accompanied by clips from his 1987 documentary, So Many Miracles, in which Rubinek takes his mother and father back to Poland to reunite with the farmers who hid them during the Holocaust. The first night will be followed by a conversation with Columbia University School of the Arts film professor Annette Insdorf (Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust), while the second night will conclude with a discussion with actress Caroline Aaron (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Between the Temples). Rubinek, who has starred in such films as Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, Tony Scott’s True Romance, and Ralph L. Thomas’s Ticket to Heaven, is a master storyteller who knows how to command an audience, so these programs promise to be memorable events.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]

TAKING ACTION TO SAVE DEMOCRACY: ART AT A TIME LIKE THIS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Who: Janet Biggs, Mary Lucier, Shaun Leonardo, Marka27, Pablo Helguera
What: Public art campaign benefit for Art at a Time Like This
Where: Cristin Tierney Gallery, 49 Walker St.
When: Thursday, March 27, minimum donation $150 ($75 for artists), 6:00 – 9:00
Why: Only a few days into the pandemic lockdown in March 2020, independent curator and author Barbara Pollack and artist agent Anne Verhallen took action, starting the nonprofit Art at a Time Like This (ATLT), dedicated to the idea that “art can make a difference and that artists and curators can be thought-leaders, envisioning alternative futures for humanity.” Art at a Time Like This has presented two dozen online and in-person exhibitions and programs since then, including “Dangerous Art, Endangered Artists,” “Rupture: Interventions of Possibility,” and “Don’t Look Now: A Defense of Free Expression.”

On March 27, ATLT will be celebrating its sixth anniversary, at the Cristin Tierney Gallery on Walker St., with a three-hour evening of cocktails, conversation, and a call to action, featuring four impressive speakers: artists Janet Biggs, Mary Lucier, Shaun Leonardo, and Marka27, with Pablo Helguera serving as moderator. The event is hosted by Leonardo Bravo, Andy Cushman, Helina Metaferia, Marilyn Minter, Gina Nanni, Megan Noh, Eric Shiner, and Cristin Tierney.

“At the very beginning of a worldwide pandemic, we asked a simple question: How can you think of art at a time like this?” Pollack tells twi-ny. “The question is now more relevant than ever, which presents both a tragedy and an opportunity for creative solutions.”

The next creative solution for ATLT is the exhibition “Take One Action,” which the organization considers “an antidote” for what is happening around the globe today. All artists are invited to submit one artwork, along with a suggested action to help protect and preserve our democracy — with an eye toward the midterm elections. Select contributions will be printed and wheatpasted across the city and/or appear in an ever-growing digital exhibit.

“Barbara and Anne responded to the pandemic with amazing speed, care, and inclusiveness by asking a question: ‘How can you think of art at a time like this?’ The overwhelming response was: ‘How can you not?’” explains Biggs, a research-based interdisciplinary artist known for her immersive work in video, film, and performance. “They have continued to ask that question in the face of ongoing trauma, injustice, and upheaval, and artists have continued to answer with work that is engaged, compassionate, and necessary. That is why Art at a Time Like This — and its programming — is so essential.”

Admission is a minimum donation of $150 ($75 for artists) for what should be a fascinating gathering of thought-leaders who will not just be honoring the success of ATLT but continuing the fight to use art to make a difference.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]

THE ART OF FILM: THE INAUGURAL CINEMA WEEK

Christian Petzold will discuss Miroirs No. 3 as part of Art House Cinema Week

ART HOUSE CINEMA WEEK NEW YORK
Multiple venues
March 20-26
www.arthouseny.org

Frustrated by how many Oscar-nominated films you never heard of? Well, that means you don’t frequent many of New York’s art houses, where you can find the best in foreign-language films, documentaries, indies, and more.

The city is trying to rectify that with the inaugural Cinema Week, sponsored by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and Art House New York (AHNY). Running March 20-26, the festival comprises special events and low-priced screenings at nearly thirty local institutions, including Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn, the Angelika, Anthology, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, Maysles Documentary Center, Metrograph, Nitehawk Cinemas, and the Paris Theater.

“Cinema Week is a chance to celebrate the local, curated, and community-oriented cinemas across our city that help New York feel like New York,” AHNY cofounder Allason Leitz said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming new and returning audiences and together making Cinema Week a reminder of why these spaces matter as a cultural cornerstone of New York City. Our cinemas’ unwavering commitment to gathering people in real life, around complex stories and collective discussion, is an essential element to the future of our city, democracy, and daily lives.”

A central initiative is offering five thousand free tickets to New Yorkers, which can be picked up at the box office. You can also buy tickets in advance.

“These tickets will make it easier for working New Yorkers to enjoy these incredible films, and they will provide a boost for our local theaters and small businesses supporting the festival. Access to arts, culture, and entertainment should be a right for every New Yorker, not a luxury for the few,” Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su added.

Below are only some of the highlights.

Friday, March 20
Sad Girl Cinema Club: Melancholia (Lars Von Trier, 2011), Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn, $19.18, 11:10 am

Tales of the Immigrant City: In America (Jim Sheridan, 2002), with guest speaker Colum McCann, Uptown Film Center at the New York Historical, free – $12, 6:30

Black and White (James Toback, 1999), followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and cast members, Cinema Village, $16.19, 7:00

Esta Isla (Cristian Carretero & Lorraine Jones, 2025), followed by a Q&A with the directors, Village East by Angelika, $21.19, 7:20

Saturday, March 21
The Murray Center at 10: Future of Documentary Secret Screening, followed by a panel discussion with Sergei Loznitsa, Stephen Maing, Meg Vatterott, Farihah Zaman, Chris Boeckmann, Jason Ishikawa, and Yance Ford, moderated by Robert Greene, Metrograph, $18, 1:00

Miroirs No. 3 (Christian Petzold, 2025), followed by a Q&A with Christian Petzold and discount concessions, Film at Lincoln Center, $21, 6:00

Stephanie Barber: Jhana and the Rats of James Olds or 31 Days / 31 Videos, with a talk and performance by Stephanie Barber, Anthology Film Archives, $14, 7:00

Sunday, March 22
Debra Granik: Unseen America — Conbody vs Everybody (Debra Granik, 2024), With Debra Granik in person, Cinema Arts Centre, $18, noon

Stink-O-Vision show: Dead Lover (Grace Glowicki, 2025), followed by a Q&A moderated by John Early, IFC Center, $19.95, 7:00

Monday, March 23
“Built to Move: NYC Subway on Film Series” — The Wreck of the New York Subway (1969 newsreel), Elevator Pitch (Martyna Starosta, 2020), and End of the Line (Emmett Adler, 2021), DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, $10, 7:00

Sneak Preview Screening: Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (Netflix, 2026), followed by a conversation with series creator Haley Z. Boston and cast members Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco, moderated by Josh Horowitz, Paris Theater, free tickets available in advance, 7:00

Tuesday, March 24
Will (Jessie Maple, 1981), followed by a Q&A with E. Daniel Butler and Audrey Maple Snipes, Maysles Documentary Center, free – $15, 7:00

Wednesday, March 25
The Young Film Forum (YFF) Archive Dive: The Same River Twice (Robb Moss, 2003), introduced by Joel Coen and Frances McDormand, Film Forum, $17, 6:30

Reel Sisters & BAM present An Evening of Shorts Honoring Women’s History Month, BAM, $17, 7:00

Early Access: The Six Billion Dollar Man: Julian Assange and the Price of Truth (Eugene Jarecki, 2025), followed by a Q&A with Eugene Jarecki, Angelika, $21.99, 7:30

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival — Live Sound Cinema: Faust (F. W. Murnau, 1926), with live score by the Flushing Remonstrance, Nitehawk Williamsburg, $24, 9:30

Thursday, March 26
March Melodrama: All About My Mother (Pedro Almodóvar, 1999), introduced by filmmaker Tristan Scott-Behrends, Quad Cinema, $20.19, 6:10

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]

STOP THAT PIGEON: BIDDING A FOND ADIEU TO DINOSAUR ON THE HIGH LINE

Iván Argote’s Dinosaur will be flying off from the High Line soon (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

FAREWELL, DINOSAUR
High Line Plinth on the High Line Spur
Thirtieth St. at Tenth Ave.
Friday, March 21, free, noon – 4:00
www.thehighline.org

It promises to be the biggest send-off for a New York City pigeon ever.

On June 14, 2025, the High Line welcomed Iván Argote’s High Line Plinth commission, Dinosaur, with “Pigeon Fest,” a festival celebrating pigeons, urban ecology, and public art on National Pigeon Appreciation Day. The High Line is now saying goodbye to the seventeen-foot-tall, one-ton aluminum pigeon sculpture on March 21 with another party, “Farewell, Dinosaur,” consisting of games, photo ops, and more, with Argote, DJ Tommy Sparks, and Miriam Abrahams, the British multidisciplinary artist who won the Pigeon Impersonation Pageant at the opening. Visitors are encouraged to again come in feather-brained costumes as they play bingo and have Argote sign limited-edition posters.

“The name Dinosaur makes reference to the sculpture’s scale and to the pigeon’s ancestors who millions of years ago dominated the globe, as we humans do today,” the Colombia-born, Paris-based Argote said in a statement. “The name also serves as a reference to the dinosaur’s extinction. Like them, one day we won’t be around anymore, but perhaps a remnant of humanity will live on — as pigeons do — in the dark corners and gaps of future worlds. I feel this sculpture could generate an uncanny feeling of attraction, seduction, and fear among the inhabitants of New York.”

The attraction, seduction, and fear will continue through early April, when Dinosaur will go extinct on the High Line, replaced by Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s The Light That Shines Through the Universe.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]

CELEBRATING WIFREDO LAM AT MoMA WITH DANCE, MUSIC, AND POETRY

Wifredo Lam with the unfinished Bélial, empereur des mouches in his garden, Havana, 1947 (courtesy Archives SDO Wifredo Lam, Paris / photo by Ylla © Pryor Dodge)

Who: Ballet Hispánico New York, Aruán Ortiz, Yaissa Jimenez
What: A Special Evening Celebrating “Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream”
Where: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West Fifty-Third St. Between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
When: Thursday, March 19, free with advance RSVP, 6:30
Why: “I knew I was running the risk of not being understood either by the man in the street or by the others,” Cuban-born artist Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla said, “but a true picture has the power to set the imagination to work, even if it takes time.” The wide-ranging MoMA retrospective “Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” paints a fascinating portrait of Lam, the son of a Chinese immigrant and the grandson of a Congolese former slave mother. It’s a marvelous collection of paintings, drawings, archival photographs, sketches, books, and ephemera tracing Lam’s career, which took him from Cuba, Spain, and France to Martinique, Haiti, and New York as his imagination turned to Spanish modernism, Surrealism, and Afro-Cuban tradition. Among the highlights of the exhibition, which runs through April 11, are the 1943 gouache on paper masterpiece The Jungle, a trio of dazzling abstracts, and a collection of plates.

On March 19 at 6:30, MoMA will be hosting “A Celebration of ‘Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream,’” as Ballet Hispánico New York, Cuban-born, Brooklyn-based pianist, violist, and composer Aruán Ortiz, and Dominican writer and poet Yaissa Jimenez will perform specially commissioned new works in the exhibition galleries, paying tribute to Lam and his legacy. Admission is free with advance RSVP.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]