Sure, it felt like summer a week ago, but colder, wetter (perhaps even snowy?) weather is on its way. When seeking shelter from the storms, consider one of these spots for a kid-friendly diversion that doesn’t involve a screen (at least in the traditional sense).
photo: Canstruction/Brookfield Place
Canstruction 2016 at Brookfield Place
The amazing, unconventional canned-food-sculptural-competition-for-good that is Canstruction returns to Brookfield Place on November 3. Teams of architects, engineers, and contractors and the students they mentor spend weeks planning elaborate, large-scale structures made entirely out of unopened cans of food — and then have one night to build them.
The sculptures are on display for two weeks, and then all food is donated to City Harvest. (You can bring along some cans to donate, too; last year, the event yielded 80,000 pounds of food!) The Society for Design Administration competition is juried by a panel of professional designers, architects and culinary professionals, giving top honors in categories such as Most Cans, Best Structural Integrity and Best Use of Labels. (You can vote too, for Audience Favorite.)
Canstruction
Nov. 3-Nov. 16
10 a.m. – 8 p.m., daily
Tickets: Free
Brookfield Place, Street and Lobby Level
230 Vesey St.
Battery Park City
Online: artsbrookfield.com
photo: Jonathan Dorado
Philippe Parreno: My Room Is Another Fish Bowl at The Brooklyn Museum
French artist Philippe Parreno’s “My Room Is Another Fish Bowl” is described as “a delightful, participatory work of art that encourages audiences to contemplate the passage of time and shifting patterns of light and atmospheric conditions.” (It’s also really cool.)
Currently installed in the glass-fronted pavilion of the Brooklyn Museum, the work comprises approximately 150 colorful, fish-shaped Mylar balloons that float a various heights. The fish gently move through the enclosed space in response to both human interaction and climatic changes. Technically, you don’t even have to enter the museum to see the work, but for sporty types especially, we recommend heading inside to take in “Who Shot Sports: A Photographic History 1843 to the Present, which runs through Jan. 8 2017. Note: To keep the Parreno work safe during certain programs and events, this exhibition may not be on view at all times, so call ahead to be sure it’s up and floating!
Through Nov. 20
Tickets: $16/adults; free/ages 19 and under
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Fl.
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Pkwy.
Crown Heights
718-638-8500
Online: brooklynmuseum.org
photo: New Museum
Pipilotti Rist: Pixel Forest at The New Museum
The New Museum just opened the first New York survey of the work of Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist. A pioneer of video art and multimedia installations, Rist’s mesmerizing works envelop viewers in sensual, vibrantly-colored kaleidoscopic projections that mix nature and technology. The immersive exhibit occupies the three main floors of the museum, and invites visitors to sit (and lie) back and take in the truly stunning views.
Through Jan. 15, 2017
Tickets: $16/adults; free/ages 15-18, free with adult/ages 14 and under
235 Bowery
877-500-1932
Online: newmuseum.org
photo: The Jewish Museum/Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Take Me (I’m Yours) at The Jewish Museum
When visiting a museum with the kids, you may spend a fair amount of time saying, “Don’t touch!” “Take Me (I’m Yours)” at The Jewish Museum not only invites visitors to touch the art on display, it’s OK to take a bit of the show home.
Based on an exhibition mounted in London in 1995, this show features works by more than 40 artists from different generations and from all over the world, working in media ranging from clothes to metal to candy. (The red, white and blue “carpet” in that photo above? Individually-wrapped piece of candy, of which there is an “endless supply.”)
A meditation on art world convention, consumerism, the role of museums and act of sharing in Jewish life, Take Me I’m Yours includes work from Yoko Ono, Uri Aran, Christian Boltanski, Rachel Rose, Tino Sehgal and many more.
Take Me (I’m Yours)
Through Feb. 5, 2017
Tickets: $15/adults, free/visitors 18 and under
The Jewish Museum
Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street
Upper West Side
212-423-3337
Online: thejewishmuseum.org
What’s your next rainy day destination? Share it in the comments!
— Mimi O’Connor
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