Chip Off The (New Museum) Block

Need plans this weekend? Here’s some
(creative) food for thought. The New Museum will be hosting its annual Block Party on Saturday, July 23 from 12-5pm. Begin your FREE and artful afternoon at Sarah D. Roosevelt
Park with crafts and performances and then its just a short jaunt over to the Museum,
where families will be treated to free admission and complementary guided tours
of their current exhibitions (from 12:15-4:15pm). —  

Step Back In Time (And Place)

This
year’s block party explores the themes of memory and place, corresponding to
the museum’s summer exhibition “Ostalgia.” Go green and stretch your
imagination by re-purposing everyday materials like an ice cream scooper or a doorknob
to create something fresh (and useful!).

For
history buffs, walk through the Bowery and discover the secrets that only a
350-year-old neighborhood could deliver. Then, build model tenements—complete
with eco-minded features such as solar panels—as you learn how to protect and
preserve your own model ‘hood.

For the
wistful, head down memory lane by drawing, constructing and re-creating favorite
places—be it your childhood home, Wollman Rink, or your favorite pizza place—inspired
by the art of Andro Wekua.

Just Dance

From 1-5 pm, the Block Party will feature a variety of performances perfect
for the whole family.

• 1:15pm: Human
  beatboxer Lumberob will rev up the audience with tongue-tying percussion
  
• 2pm: Multi-instrumentalist
  Geo Wyeth will engage and emote with traditional storytelling (with some folk, opera and crooning mixed in!)
  
• 2:45pm:
  The Bowery Poetry Club presents BowWow, featuring talented young poets
  from New York and abroad
• 4pm: Cap of the day with Isle of Klezbos, think: where Yiddish meets swing, tango and Jewish folk
  

More Can’t-Miss Family Fun

• A cool LES
  scavenger hunt, courtesy of The Bowery Artist Tribute
  
• Face painting
  and a fortune-telling monkey (thanks, LES Girls Club!)
• Make your own
  pop-up New Museum
• Reconstruct
  the changing landscape of the Lower
  East Side through a
  collage
• Plant seeds and decorate a biodegradable pot with the Chinatown YMCA

  Photo credit: Zack Sultan