No Spring Break for NY Museums

The Chelsea Art Museum
If you’ve ever wanted to get an idea of what pre- and post-Soviet art looks like, then you’re in luck! Head downtown to the Chelsea Art Museum where the exhibition “Moscow-New York=Parallel Play: Selections from the Kolodzei Art Foundation Collection of Russian and Eastern European Art” has found a home where it can be less polemic. The exhibit offers a rare glimpse at a provocative and influential Russian museum dedicated to the art of contemporary Russia and the Soviet state. The works essay the past four decades of nonconformist art from the Stalinist period to the present. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the exhibit is the juxtaposition between the subdued subject matter of these works and the entirely urbane setting of the Chelsea Museum. Despite the distance between Moscow and New York, the exhibit intends to bridge the gap, and it indeed exemplifies the international art community. —Mariela Quintana
The Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St. Exhibition closes May 17. $4

The Museum of Art and Design
Ever wondered what that museum across the street from MoMA was all about and if anyone ever bothered to go there? It is the Museum of Arts and Design, and their current exhibit “Pricked: Extreme Embroidery” is an excellent reason to check out this often-overlooked museum. Don’t worry—this is not your Granny’s crochet. As its title suggests, this exhibition presents an entirely radical take on the traditionally docile craft. The exhibit collects a wide range of embroidered works from across the globe and demonstrates both the ubiquity and diversity that this artistic medium offers. Both male and female artists display works of art that transcend both geographical and gender boundaries and expand viewers’ interpretation of contemporary art.
—Mariela Quintana
Museum of Arts and Design, 40 W. 53rd St. Exhibition closes April 27. $7

WACK! Feminist Art at P.S.1
The works on display at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center’s new exhibit “WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution” promise to be as memorable as the exhibit’s title. This exhibit offers the first comprehensive look at the lives and work of the women who led the feminist revolution that began in the 1960s. Synthesizing historical and aesthetic analyses, the exhibit provides an informative and stimulating view of the rise of feminist art in the 1960s and its continuing effect today. The artists hail from a diverse range of locations including Asia, Latin America, Australia and Eastern Europe. They choose to express themselves in a variety of media—from painting and photography to performance art—and succeed in presenting a variety of interpretations of the feminist art movement.
—Mariela Quintana
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, NY. Exhibition closes May 12. Admission free with CUID.

(H)errata Documentary at P.S.1
P.S.1’s “WACK!” exhibition is not just a feast for the eyes. Visitors will gain multidisciplinary insight into the exhibition with P.S.1’s WACK-related public programs, held every weekend through March 16. It will be all feminism all the time at MoMA’s Long Island City outpost, which will host dance and musical performances, film screenings, poetry readings, and panel discussions all focused on connecting feminist artists with younger generations. On Sunday, P.S.1 will screen a clip from the film (H)errata: Women, Art, and Revolution, a chronicle—begun 40 years ago—of the history of the feminist art movement. While the film is not yet complete, P.S.1 touts this screening as an opportunity to “see film in the making.” While the results may be less than perfect, you can have a chance to air your complaints and share your reactions with the film’s director, Lynn Hershman (whose artwork is also in the exhibition) and several other artists featured in the film and the show.
—Julia Halperin
(H)errata: Women, Art, and Revolution and Panel Discussion, 2 p.m., Third Floor Main Gallery, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, NY. Admission free with CUID.