All Things Brooklyn - Brooklyn Sting: Getting Cultured at the Brooklyn Museum of Art
It’s getting to be that time of year when we want to spend our weekends indoors, somewhere warm and dry. Since we can’t spend the entire winter in our apartments, museums in Brooklyn are a perfect antidote to cabin fever.
The Brooklyn Museum is a world-class museum that is literally in our backyard. While it may be the obvious choice for a post about museums in Brooklyn, I ask you this question: when was the last time you visited? For those of you who live outside of Brooklyn, it’s completely worth the short trip on the 2/3 train. (The subway stop is literally just outside the museum’s door.) To the Brooklynites among us, with an extensive permanent collection and special exhibits opening every month, the BMA begs another look.
Like many attractions in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Museum of Art has a fraction of the cost and the crowds at its Manhattan counterpart. Since the BMA is completely off tourists’ radar, crowds were light during my Sunday afternoon visit. Compare the BMA’s suggested $8 donation to the hefty $20 admission at MoMA or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seniors and students are only $4, and kids are free. There is also a combination ticket which entitles you to discounted admission at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, conveniently located next to the museum. (The Botanic Garden’s warm greenhouse is a dose of summer on even the coldest winter day.)
With five floors of exhibits, the BMA could easily keep you busy for a solid week. My advice is to choose one of the special exhibits or one floor of the permanent collection, and go from there. Since the museum is close by, there is no pressure to see it all in one visit. There are more than seven special exhibits going on now, covering everything from avant garde films by Jesper Just to feminist art, modern jewelry, and ancient Egypt. Until January 11, the museum is the last stop for a traveling retrospective by international artists Gilbert & George. I am looking forward to returning to the museum for The Black List Project, which opens on November 21.
For the partiers or the truly frugal, the Brooklyn Museum is free during Target First Saturdays. On the first Saturday of every month, the museum is completely free from 5pm-11pm. The line-up for December 6 includes music from The Welfare Poets, an artist’s talk with the photographer of The Black List Project, a panel discussion of socially conscious NYC entrepreneurs, a screening of Born Into Brothels and a Q&A with the film’s director, and a dance party with a DJ and a live percussionist. Sounds like a good Saturday night to me.
The Brooklyn Museum of Art // 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 11238 // 2 or 3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum // P: 718-638-5000
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