May Days! Events for Each Day This Month
By Troy Segal
Round out your calendar with this guide to the best talks, tours and screenings in May.
May 8. Ponder what computer-mediated communication is doing to our species at “Is the Internet Bad for Us?”, a panel discussion moderated by author Liel Leibovitz. Jewish Museum, 6:30 p.m.
May 9. Accompany Senior Curator Bruce Weber on a gallery tour as he offers insight into “Anders Zorn: Sweden’s Master Painter.” National Academy School & Museum, 1:30 p.m. Image: nationalacademy.org
May 10. Discover Victoria Woodhull, Muriel Siebert and other high-powered femmes of finance in a guided walking tour of “Women of Wall Street.” Museum of American Finance, 1 p.m.
May 11. Treat mom to something dark and delicious at the chocolate tasting “How Sweet It Is”, while author Deborah R. Prinz feeds you fascinating historical tidbits about cacao. Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2:30 p.m.
May 12. Work your way into the brilliant, troubled mind of Virginia Woolf, as Ohio Wesleyan University professor Martin Hinkle and psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz discuss how the modernist novelist’s psyche affected her works. 92nd Street Y, 12 p.m.
May 13. Listen in on a conversation between conceptual artist William Wegman and Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. A reception and viewing of Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe exhibit follows. Guggenheim Museum, 6:30 p.m. Photo: Kris McKay © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
May 14. Trace the development of an influential immigrant group, as historian Simone Cinotto leads a group of scholars in a discussion of the fashion, film, food, popular music and sports that have gone into “Making Italian America.” Tenement Museum, 6:30 p.m.
May 15. Get the scoop on everything from Sex and the City to shoes from actress/designer/fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker, in a chat with Jonathan Tisch, Chairman of Loews Hotels. 92nd Street Y, 8:00 p.m.
May 16. Embark on an Expedition to the End of the World, an epic Danish documentary about a crew of scientists and artists journeying to northeastern Greenland—and the discoveries they make, both on the fjords and inside themselves. Scandinavia House, 6:30 p.m.
May 17. Teach the kids about getting along at an interactive class filled with plays and stories, “Is the World Our Big, Surprising Partner?” Aesthetic Realism Foundation, 11 a.m.
May 18. Hum along to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical classic Carousel, in a special 1967 TV version starring Robert Goulet. A discussion with a dancer from the original Broadway production follows. Paley Center for Media, 3 p.m.
May 19. Stroll through a recreation of a medieval garden on a guided tour full of horticultural, architectural, and historical information. The Cloisters, 1 p.m.
May 20. Listen closely as classical pianist Yefim Bronfman discusses Beethoven’s piano concertos, including the Triple Concerto, with which he made his New York Philharmonic debut 35 years ago. David Rubenstein Atrium, 7:30 p.m.
May 21. Whet your appetite as master udon maker Osamu Miyoshi describes everything you always wanted to know about the Japanese wheat noodle, from its origins to its proper preparation. A special tasting follows his demonstration-lecture. Japan Society, 6:30 p.m.
May 22. Understand the ins and outs of the Affordable Health Care Act as Ezekiel J. Emanuel, doctor, medical school professor and author of the new book Reinventing American Health Care, is interviewed by journalist James Traub. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, 6 p.m.
May 23. Render your verdict as author Kati Marton and constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar discuss the legal drama 12 Angry Men, followed by a screening of the classic movie. New-York Historical Society, 7 p.m.
May 24. Experience the shock of the new with a tour of the Lower East Side’s edgiest, most avant-garde art galleries, led by a guide with a doctorate in arts education. Meet at 196 Bowery near Spring St., 1 p.m.
May 25. Let the kids play dress up—in costumes from the past—as well as piece together artifact fragments and interpret symbols at this interactive archaeology exhibit. Jewish Museum, 12 p.m.
May 26. Relax amid the green fields, art installations and historic fortifications of Governors Island, a 172-acre isle in New York Harbor. Open at 10 a.m.
May 27. Join satiric novelist Tom Robbins as he introduces his latest work, Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life. Barnes & Noble — Union Square, 7 p.m.
May 28. Get the backstage gossip from Broadway stars as they chat with journalist Eddie Shapiro, author of the book Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater. Bryant Park Reading Room, 12:30 p.m.
May 29. Laugh and cry along with The New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, whose new memoir Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? captures the plight of children dealing with aging parents. 92nd Street Y, 8:15 p.m.
May 30. Cast your mind back centuries, as an archaeologist and a conservator describe the significance and symbolism of different colors in art and artifacts from the ancient Near East. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 11 a.m.
May 31. Let your child’s imagination soar as Kate DiCamillo, the Library of Congress’ newly-announced Ambassador of Young People’s Literature, presents her new book, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, about the friendship between a superhero squirrel and the girl who saves him. 92nd Street Y, 12:30 p.m.