January Events at Brooklyn Museum

Need some culture in your family's life this year?

The Brooklyn Museum will present an array of public programs for adults, teens and kids during January and February.

Get ready for a cultural menagerie in Brooklyn, including performances by the Grammy Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, pianist Joe Alterman, the Fat Afro Latin Jazz Cats and Balmir Studio's salsa team; conversations with artists El Anatsui and Duron Jackson and a panel discussion about the Black female body in art.

You can also look forward to the premiere of the season finale of The Outs and a discussion with the team behind the acclaimed web show; screenings of the films La Playa D.C., Hilde Holger: Her Legacy (pictured), La Pirogue, Ethel and Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story; a tour of the new installation Life, Death, and Transformation in the Americas with curators Nancy Rosoff and Susan Zeller; and a variety of art-making classes and workshops.

THURSDAY EVENINGS AT THE MUSEUM

The Museum remains open every Thursday evening until 10 p.m., allowing visitors to linger later in the galleries and enjoy exciting evening programs. The series includes interviews, performance, film and eclectic, eye-opening tours.

January and February Highlights:

• In Conversation, January 10 at 7 p.m.: Artists and activists discuss creative tactics to address the needs of communities where they live and work. Participants include Sarah Schulman, author of The Gentrification of The Mind; Mitty Owens, Deputy Director of FUREE; Paula Z. Segal, Founding Director of 596 Acres; Risë Wilson, Founder of The Laundromat Project and Todd Lester, Executive Director of the Global Arts Corps and creator of Lanchonete.org. 
• Gallery Tour en Español, January 17 at 6 p.m.
• Salsa Class, Jan. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.: An evening of salsa music and dancing featuring a lesson and performance by Balmir Studio's professional salsa team. At 7:30 p.m. New Ways of Seeing: A Drop-in Drawing Workshop: Explore artists' processes, develop professional drawing techniques and meet others who share your interest. All ages are welcome, and no experience is necessary. There is an $8 fee to cover the cost of materials. 
• Sensory Tour, January 24 at 6 p.m.: "Twenty-First-Century Art." Designed for individuals who are blind or have low vision, but open to all. Verbal descriptions, tastings, and tactile experiences included. RSVP requested to access@brooklynmuseum.org or (718) 501-6487. 
• BrooklyNites Jazz, January 24 at 7 p.m.: Grammy Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by pianist, composer, and educator Arturo O'Farrill, combines Latin rhythms and African-based percussion instruments with modern jazz and swing. Plus special performance by the Fat Afro Latin Jazz Cats, an all-star youth big band. 
• Film, January 24 at 7 p.m.: The team behind the acclaimed web show The Outs premieres the season finale and discusses the series' creation.
• Performance, also on January 31 at 7 p.m.: Artist Eleanor Antin reads from her memoir Conversations with Stalin, a dark comedy about growing up in Cold War-era New York in an idiosyncratic family of first-generation Jewish immigrants. This performance reading is part of a four-part series taking place at three other museums across the city.

PERFORMING ARTS & FILM

• Film: Hilde Holger: Her Legacy, January 27, 2 p.m. A documentary on the expressionist dancer and choreographer Hilde Holger made by her daughter, Primavera Boman. A discussion with Boman follows the film.

TALKS & TOURS

• Panel Discussion: "The Black Female Body in Art," January 12 at 2 p.m. In connection with the Mickalene Thomas exhibition, noted scholars and authors Deb Willis, Imani Perry, Carla Williams, Isolade Brielmaier and Tisa Bryant discuss how the black female body has been idealized and misread in art history and visual culture. Tours of Mickalene Thomas: Origin of the Universe will precede and follow the discussion at 1 and 4 p.m. 
• Artist Talk: Duron Jackson, January 18, 2 p.m. The Raw/Cooked artist discusses his work. 
• Curator Tour: Life, Death, and Transformation in the Americas, January 19 and 20 at 2 p.m. Curators Nancy Rosoff and Susan Zeller lead tours of the Museum's newly reinstalled collection of the Art of the Americas. 
• Holiday Celebration: Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, January 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. WNYC's annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day celebration examines current events as they might be seen by three slain civil rights icons: King, Malcolm X and Medger Evers. Passages from the play Malcolm, Martin, and Medger, by A. Peter Bailey, set the tone for an afternoon of discussion, music and personal reminiscence hosted by WNYC's Brian Lehrer.

YOUTH & FAMILY PROGRAMS

• Artist Encounters: GO, January 20 from 12 to 2 p.m. Get to know local Brooklyn artists through encountering artwork in GO. In this program for children seven and older with an adult companion, participants engage in an interactive exploration of the work of a single artist and create a piece of art using some of the same materials or concepts. Space is limited to twenty-five. To register, e-mail youth.family@brooklynmuseum.org. 
• Arty Facts, On Sundays, at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Children ages four to seven and their adult friends explore the galleries, enjoy a family activity, and make their own art in each ninety-minute Arty Facts class. This January go beyond canvas and paint and discover fun, funky, and unusual materials. In February, learn how today's artists create and then make your own creative art. Please do not bring siblings older than seven or younger than four. Materials fee (Museum admission not included): $10 per family (up to four participants), $5 for Gallery/Studio families and Members at the Family level, and free to Members at the Contributor level and above. 
• Meet the Museum, Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m.: In Meet the Museum, toddlers two and three years old explore art and culture through song, gallery activities, and art making. Adult companions work closely with their children and discover fun, creative ways to interact with them. Classes are held Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m. Registration for the spring session, March 7 to May 16, opens February 15. For more information and to register, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org/education/youth-and-families/meet_museum.php. Early registration is encouraged; classes fill up quickly.