Weekend Art Events: April 21-23 (Celebrate Ella, Prince & More)
Now that your taxes are done, use that refund on some fun weekend events. Celebrate a couple of musical legends, take an outdoor drawing class, or have an artist immortalize you, or a loved one, in a silhouette portrait.
Even if you didn’t get a refund, there are lots of cool free events too.
Golden Gloves 90th Anniversary Boxing Finals (Sponsored)
When: Saturday, April 22 from 2pm–5pm
Where: Aviator Sports & Events Center, 3159 Flatbush Ave
What: The Daily News Golden Gloves 90th Anniversary Boxing Finals will be a knockout fight at Aviator Sports and Events Center, as the tournament celebrates its 90th anniversary of bringing the sport’s future stars into the spotlight.
How much: $35 general admission.
Massivemuse
When: Friday, April 21, 7pm
Where: Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook
What: A unique classical music experience in which audience members are given instructions on how to employ different methods of listening and investigate the “generative cultural space that emerges between bodies that engage in creative acts together.” The goal is to use classical music to engage the senses, expanding perception and improving listening skills.
How Much: Tickets $25
Botanical Drawing Outdoors at Old Stone House
When: Saturday, April 22, 11am to 1pm
Where: Old Stone House & Washington Park, 336 Third Street, Park Slope
What: Artist Katherine Keltner will teach attendees how to observe and capture botanical details in plants. Bring your own supplies/materials.
How Much: Tickets $40
Patti Austin: Ella Now and Then | A Centennial Celebration of the First Lady of Song
When: Saturday, April 22, 8pm
Where: Brooklyn College, Walt Whitman Theatre, 2900 Avenue H, Midwood
What: Celebrate the great Ella Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday with Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Patti Austin who will perform selections from her upcoming album Ella: Now & Then.
How Much: Tickets $36 – $55
Byron Westbrook: Interval/Habitat
When: Saturday, April 22, 8pm
Where: ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Boerum Hill
What: Artist-in-residence Byron Westbrook presents an iteration of Interval/Habitat, a piece featuring a looping sequence of light and sound “scenes” that impose a time-based narrative over all within the environment.
How Much: $10 suggested donation
The skint Presents: Sometimes it’s Prince in April – A Celebration of Prince
When: Saturday, April 22, 10:30pm
Where: littlefield, 622 Degraw Street, Gowanus
What: Wear purple or paisley to this dance party celebrating Prince—who passed away a year ago on April 21, 2016.
How Much: $7 advance, $10 at door
Public Art Party
When: Saturday, April 22, 12pm until late
Where: Shoestring Studio, 640 Classon Avenue, and Shoestring Press, 663 Classon Avenue, Crown Heights
What: A dual benefit for Lady Parts Justice League and ProPublica to support social activism and independent investigative journalism. Shoestring Studio will host a silent auction from 12pm to 9pm with original drawings, paintings, prints, and textiles to bid on.
At 5pm Shoestring Press will host an evening show featuring performance art, stand up, burlesque, and music.
How Much: Entry to Shoestring Studio event is free; $10 – $15 suggested donation for the Shoestring Press event
Brooklyn is Africa: A Borough of Inclusion; A Continent of Invention
When: On view through Friday, April 28
Where: Skylight Gallery, 1368 Fulton Street, 3rd Floor, Crown Heights
What: An exhibition featuring 50 rare African art pieces and artifacts from the collection of co-curator and founder of the Cultural Museum of African Arts, Eric Edwards.
How Much: Free
Spring Silhouette Portrait Event
When: Friday, April 21 through Sunday April 23 (11am to 5pm)
Where: Brooklyn Women’s Exchange, 55 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn Heights
What: Book an appointment to have your silhouette portrait cut freehand and mounted by artist Deborah O’Connor. To schedule an appointment, call 718-624-3435, or email bwe.silhouettes@gmail.com
How Much: $35, $15 for each additional copy
Point of View – Group Exhibition
When: On view from April 20 through May 21 (Opening reception, Saturday, April 22, 5pm to 8pm)
Where: 440 Gallery (in the Project Space), 440 6th Avenue, Park Slope
What: A group exhibition demonstrating different points of view by artists Jo-Ann Acey, Nancy Lunsford, and Amy Weil.
How Much: Free
KAJAHL: Obscure Origins
When: On view from April 22 through June 18
Where: Tillou Fine Art, 59 Cambridge Place, Clinton Hill
What: Brooklyn-based artist KAJAHL’s solo exhibition featuring enigmatic paintings and studies that combine iconography from African, Asian, European, and Pre-Columbian traditions.
How Much: Free
Francesco Simeti – Swell
When: On view from April 22 through May 27
Where: Open Source Gallery, 306 17th Street, Park Slope
What: Simeti transforms images of Brooklyn waterways, ie: the Gowanus Canal, into a motorized installation. The artist combines this with workshops, collaborative projects, and partnerships with local organizations.
How Much: Free
And don’t forget about these 10 ways to celebrate Earth Day this weekend!
Planning ahead…
Prospect Park Soiree at the Peninsula
When: Saturday, June 24, 5pm
Where: The Peninsula in Prospect Park
What: Get your tickets now for this picnic under the stars celebrating the Brooklyn community and Prospect Park’s 150th anniversary. Smartly dressed guests bring their own food, drink (beer and wine only), and table decor while the park provides tables and chairs, music, and lawn games.
How Much: $40, tickets go on sale to the public Monday, April 24