The August Calendar: Events for Each Day of the Month
By Troy Segal
Who says there’s nothing doing during the dog days of summer? Complement your calendar with this guide to the top talks, tastings, tours, and screenings in NYC this August.
August 1. Travel back into the past to see how middle-class New Yorkers played in the 1830s, at this symposium set in a 19th-century mansion. Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden.
August 2. Swing your partner at a Contradance, a sort of square dance, complete with caller. Sylvester Manor.
August 3. Attend the tale of Greta Elbogen, a Jewish two-year-old toddler when World War II broke out, who survived the Holocaust with her two brothers. Museum of Jewish Heritage.
August 4. Listen up as Bryan Lee O’Malley—whose not-so-secret-identity is that of the creator of graphic novel hero Scott Pilgrim—reads aloud from his new opus, Seconds. Barnes & Noble – Upper East Side.
August 5. Indulge vicariously in some “Sex, Drugs, and Rock N’ Roll”—the title, and subject of, the final episode of CNN’s series, The Sixties. Paley Center for Media.
August 6. Follow the links to learn how the fall of Richard M. Nixon led to the rise of Ronald Reagan, as explained by The Invisible Bridge author Rick Perlstein. Hunter College – Roosevelt House.
August 7. Witness a meeting of two aeronautical generations meet, when students from the Cooper Union’s pre-college engineering program share their projects with members of the Tuskegee Airmen, those renowned pilots from World War II. The Cooper Union – The Great Hall.
Photo: Susana Millman; courtesy Mark Morris Dance Company
August 8. Choreographer Mark Morris discusses his new ballet, Acis and Galatea (music by Handel, costumes by Isaac Mizrahi), at this pre-performance talk. David Rubenstein Atrium.
August 9. Get weirded out (in a good way) with some experimental movies from Africa and other lands, part of MAD Museum’s The Future Weird film series. Museum of Arts and Design.
August 10. Explore the haunts of Burroughs, Kerouac, Ginsberg (above in Washington Square Park, 1960), and other members of the Beat Generation in this walking tour of Greenwich Village, from Sheridan to Tompkins Squares.
August 11. Decode Chinese calligraphy—how it was done and what it means—with this gallery talk and tour of works dating back to the 13th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
August 12. Delve into the world of self-taught artist Thornton Dial, Sr. at a screening of an hour-long biopic, followed by a discussion of Southern black artists. American Folk Art Museum.
Greg Capullo
August 13. Celebrate a popular caped crusader, Batman, in this conversation between John Cunningham, vice-president of marketing of DC Entertainment, and Scott Snyder, author of the first five volumes of Batman: The New 52. Bryant Park Reading Room.
August 14. Embark on an artistic journey with multimedia artist Wei Jia, who explains his tradition-meets-modern style and process in this gallery tour. Museum of Chinese in America.
August 15. Partake in a puppet-making session, using found objects, courtesy of Puppet Phactory. FringeCENTRAL (HQ of the New York International Fringe Festival).
August 16. Listen in on a Mostly Mozart Festival-sponsored panel discussion about the Salzburg-born wunderkind composer’s operas. Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse.
August 17. Take an artistic hike through the Himalayas, exploring the scrolls, statues, and other art works characteristic of this Asian area, on a special family-oriented tour. Rubin Museum of Art.
August 18. Experience the serenity of a medieval European garden, with a guided tour of green spaces that’s also full of fascinating historical and horticultural facts. The Cloisters.
August 19. Marvel at the courage of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who fought, and nearly died, for the right to be educated, as she talks with a New York Times correspondent. French Institute Alliance Française.
August 20. Parse the text of the Declaration of Independence—that 1,337-word statement that was heard ’round the world at this al fresco lecture. Bryant Park Reading Room.
August 22. Ponder along with three artists, as they how contemporary art reflects current environmental movements and eco-activism. Museum of Biblical Art.
August 22. Flex your muscles, both physical and creative, constructing models with a new, flexible wonder toy that teaches geometric lessons. Museum of Mathematics.
August 23 & 24. Commemorate the Battle of Brooklyn of 1776, with reenactments, revolutionary-style edibles and a scavenger hunt at this weekend celebration throughout the borough.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for USTA
August 25. Don your tennis whites and head out for opening day of the U.S. Open. Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
August 26. Voyage to galaxies far, far away, as two astronomical experts explore the possibility of populated planets beyond our own. American Museum of Natural History.
August 27. Lift your voice in song—scores will be provided—along with the New York Choral Society in their interactive performance of Carmina Burana. Symphony Space.
August 28. See how the sparks flew when cities began building substations to power mass transit, at this talk by a retired superintendent of the New York City Transit System. Mid-Manhattan Library.
August 29. Introduce the kids to composting worms, fragrant flowers and special plantings on the final day of this verdant site for play dates. Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
August 30. Catch a flick about the Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride, a documentary touching on some of the changes facing the Brooklyn venue. Coney Island.
August 31. Get ready to ride or, if you prefer, just watch folks perform, race, play basketball and do everything humanly possible there is to do on one-wheeled bikes, at the weekend-long NYC Unicycle Festival. Governors Island.