Looking for a fun new cultural activity but not sure what to check out next? We’ve rounded up some of the highlights that you can experience this month with Culture Pass, from new exhibition openings to limited-run live performances. Check back each month for a new set of recommendations!
You can learn more about individual exhibitions and events by clicking the links in the blurbs below, but if you want to book a Culture Pass, click here to return to the homepage and log in with your library card to make your reservation.
September 2023
All offers listed below are subject to availability.
EXHIBITION: Check out Poster House's Summer Shows Before They Close
Date: Closing 9/10
Two exhibitions at Poster House examine the use of posters in two very different contexts. Made in Japan: 20th Century Poster Art (pictured), an overview of Japan's rich visual culture and printmaking tradition, and Black Power to Black People: Branding the Black Panther Party, which chronicles how the Panthers devised a specific graphic language to reaffirm Black humanity and decommodify Black life, are both set to end their succesful joint summer run on the 10th.
SCREENING: Indulge in a Dark Comedy at Scandinavia House
Date: 9/13, 9/27
A new film series kicking off this month at Scandinavia House will celebrate the dry, deadpan humor for which Nordic filmmakers are famous. Svart Humor: "Comedies" From the North starts with a screening of Kristoffer Borgli's satire (hailed as a "nihilist's delight") Sick of Myself on 9/13, and continues with Mika Kaurismäki's tragicomedy of errors The Grump: In Search of an Escort (pictured) on 9/27.
EXHIBITION: Discover the Drawings Behind Ruth Asawa's Modern Sculpture at the Whitney
Dates: Opening 9/16
Featuring drawings, collages, watercolors, stamped prints, copper foil works, and sketchbooks, the Whitney Museum of American Art's upcoming Ruth Asawa Through Line considers the importance of drawing in the famed modernist sculptor's practice. The exhibition, according to the museum, "will offer an unparalleled window into Asawa’s exploratory and resourceful approach to materials, line, surface, and space."
EXHIBITION: See Artist Barkley L. Hendricks' Portraits Alongside Iconic Works that Inspired Them at the Frick
Date: Opening 9/21
Drawing on portraits by the likes of Rembrandt and Bronzino at The Frick Collection (one of his favorite museums), pioneering American artist Barkley L. Hendricks produced paintings that celebrate the dignity and humanity of his subjects. In Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick, visitors can see Hendricks' work alongside the work of the old masters that inspired him.
EXHIBITION: Experience the Work of Two Giants of Modern Painting in Conversation at The Met
Dates: Opening 9/24
Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas are both virtually synonymous with the Parisian golden age of artistic innovation in the latter half of the 19th century. Through more than 150 paintings and works on paper, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new exhibition Manet/Degas, opening this month, delves into how these two giants influenced each other throughout their storied careers—both as friends and rivals.
EXHIBITION: Explore the History and Contemporary Interpretations of African Metal Arts at the BGCG
Date: Opening 9/29
The Bard Graduate Center Gallery's fall exhibition SIGHTLINES on Peace, Power & Prestige: Metal Arts in Africa is set to open at the end of this month. With exhibition design by architecture firm AD-WO, the show will create sightlines between pieces by contemporary artists and historic metalworks from across the African continent, including works from Mali, Nigeria, Tunisia, and the Congo.
FESTIVAL: Head toward the Hudson for West Side Fest
Date: 9/30
You don't even need a Culture Pass to participate in this year's West Side Fest, a new cultural celebration organized by a diverse group of 20 cultural institutions on Manhattan's west side, including Culture Pass partner sites like Poster House, the Rubin Museum of Art, The Shed, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Enjoy free museum admission, concerts, workshops, dancing, and more!
EXHIBITION: Reconsider Cinema as a Multi-sensory Experience at MoMI
Date: Closing 10/1
Cinema of Sensations: The Never-Ending Screen of Val del Omar, a landmark survey of the work of visionary Spanish artist, filmmaker, and inventor José Val del Omar, is heading into its final month at the Museum of the Moving Image in Long Island City. Don't miss your chance to experience Val del Omar's immersive cinematic installations in person!