7 picks a week: Enjoy vibrant contemporary art, party with a jazz trio and gaze upon royal riches

Steve Smith

Published Nov 11, 2022

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A collection of colorful paintings on a wall

Nina Chanel Abney/Pace Prints

Steve Smith

Published Nov 11, 2022

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Seven Picks a Week is our guide to what’s worth catching in arts and culture during the week ahead, with contributors from reporters throughout the WNYC newsroom, as well as colleagues from WQXR and All of It.— Steve Smith, Culture & Arts Editor, WNYC/Gothamist

Catch Nina Chanel Abney's latest show while you still can

In 2007, a Parsons senior thesis piece by Nina Chanel Abney caught the eye of a gallery, where she went on to have a sold-out show. Fifteen years later, her work is in the Whitney, MoMA, and the Brooklyn Museum, and she is in demand — from fine art exhibitions to designing Air Jordan sneakers. You can find Abney’s work all over NYC right now. There’s the enormous 35-panel piece on the 65th street side of Lincoln Center,. a reimagined entryway of a pediatric wing of a hospital in Queens, and a gallery show at Pace Prints in Chelsea — but act fast, because that show, "Framily Ties — You Win Some, You Lose Some," closes tomorrow. Pace Prints, through Saturday, Nov. 12; paceprints.com (Alison Stewart, All of It)

Marvel at a dance company’s grace and eclecticism

The athletic grace of the Paul Taylor Dance Company combined with the versatile virtuosity of the Orchestra of St. Luke's compel you to catch the end of their fall run this weekend, in performances tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday. The Saturday matinee features an usually eclectic musical menu — I wish concerts could feature both the Andrews Sisters and Ernest Bloch, like dance programs do — plus Taylor’s classic choreography and a newly commissioned work by Lauren Lovette, the company's first resident choreographer. David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, Friday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12 at 2 and 8 p.m, Sunday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m.; davidhkochtheater.com (Ed Yim, WQXR)

Tomas Fujiwara, Michael Formanek, and Mary Halvorson celebrate 10 years of collaboration as Thumbscrew.

Brian Cohen

Celebrate a hard-working jazz trio's 10th anniversary

Serendipity had a hand in the formation of Thumbscrew, when bassist Michael Formanek filled in as a substitute player in a band that featured guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. A decade later, the well-traveled working trio celebrates 10 years of uncommon chemistry and sly, nimble music, as heard on "Multicolored Midnight," its recently released seventh album. The Jazz Gallery, Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; jazzgallery.org (Steve Smith)

See a MacArthur Fellow's funny, feminist response to "The Crucible"

The newest play by MacArthur Award winner Sarah Ruhl, "Becky Nurse of Salem," features a modern-day descendant of Rebecca Nurse, who was accused of being a witch in Salem. Becky, a middle-aged woman who works at the local witch museum, is played by 2022 Tony-winner Deidre O’Connell. Ruhl grapples with misogyny and witchcraft – and provides an implicitly feminist response to Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” The play is running now in previews, and opens on Dec. 4. Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center, through Dec. 31; lct.org (Alexandra Starr)

"Can't Take Our Crowns" is among the works by Quiana Parks on view now in a show titled "The Emancipation of Qui Qui" at The Bishop Gallery in Brooklyn.

Quiana Parks/Instagram

Follow a multi-talented artist’s journey through life

“The Emancipation of Qui Qui,” a solo exhibition featuring work by the multi-talented NYC artist Quiana Parks, is set to close next week, so don’t miss your chance to witness the artist’s journey through life. The show explores the different figures who helped Parks on her road to success, while also taking viewers through a tale of overcoming various obstacles, including her battle with lymphoma. The Bishop Gallery, through Wednesday, Nov. 16; facebook.com/BishoponBedford (Precious Fondren)

Gawk at the real trappings of royalty between episodes of "The Crown"

If you plan to queue up for a blockbuster exhibition this fall, “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England” is the one to choose. The show covers a historic span from the ascent of Henry VII in 1485 to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, a time of creative fecundity and promiscuous patronage. The show includes more than 100 works – paintings, armor, manuscripts, and more – by gifted artists and craftsmen from throughout Europe, while also chronicling the emergence of a nascent British style. Metropolitan Museum of Art, through Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023; metmuseum.org (Steve Smith)

Cellist and composer Clarice Jensen plays dreamy music from her new album, "Esthesis," this week at Fotografiska.

Steph Larsen

Hear dreamy music in the building Anna Delvey couldn't buy

Known as an adventurous cellist and founder of the American Chamber Music Ensemble, Clarice Jensen increasingly has turned her hand lately to writing mesmerizing solo and chamber compositions. She'll be joined by ACME colleagues this week to play music from her vivid, varied new album, "Esthesis," in the elegant building at 281 Park Ave South, made famous by the Netflix film "Inventing Anna." Fotografiska New York, Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.; fotografiska.com (Steve Smith)

Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the photographer of the Thumbscrew image.

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