Weekend Planner: The Best Weekend Events for Families (January 18-20)

New York’s rich visual vernacular is a colorful setting for illustrated stories, so it comes as no surprise that our iconic transportation system plays a starring role in comics and graphic novels. Drawing on satirical cartoons, comic strips and comic books from the 19th through the 21st centuries, Underground Heroes: New York Transit in Comics is a raucous ride through New York’s transit system from a range of visual storytellers. The exhibit includes such luminaries as Winsor McCay, Will Eisner, Bill Griffith, Roz Chast, Ronald Wimberly and Julia Wertz whose work demonstrates the influence that mass transit has on the stories that are irrevocably woven into the cultural fabric of New York City. Through 3/17. $10/adults, $5/children. New York Transit Museum 99 Schermerhorn Street. nytransitmuseum.org

Come dance, sing and hug at the all-new interactive DreamWorks Trolls The Experience coming to New York City this Fall 2018!

Visit the M.C. Escher exhibition and explore 200 original works that define the intersection between art, mathematics, science, and poetry. As one of the most successful graphic artists, Escher has fascinated and astounded generations of artists, architects, mathematicians, musicians and designers alike. Visit their website for times and ticket prices!

On Essex Street and East Broadway in Seward Park, kids can check out this art installation that features photos of mom-and-pop shops, many of which have closed due to rising rents and gentrification.

In The Otolith Group’s transtemporal consideration of modernity in urban India, the narrator questions, “Why do Indian artists produce so little science fiction?” The reply: “Satyajit Ray’s film The Alien would have rendered this question void. It is this emptiness that allows a nostalgia for a lost future.”

Stanley always has trouble falling asleep – even counting sheep doesn’t help! When he receives an invitation to visit the Kingdom of Pillowland, he sets off on an exciting adventure with his friends Finn, Quinn and you! From the company that brought you Please Bring Balloons comes a new interactive play for your youngest theatergoers based on the hit song by Laurie Berkner.

Head over to the park for an immersive exhibition by New York-based artist Tauba Auerbach, which features a “dazzle ship.” The geometric patterns were once designed to make it more difficult for enemies to spot but was later adopted by artists.

Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) is pleased to announce A Way With Words: The Power and Art of the Book, an exhibition that presents artworks which draw attention to the long and remarkable history of the book, on view from November 29, 2018 to April 29, 2019. The invention of the printing press in the 1440s launched the book into the industrial age, increasing the production and distribution of the written word, and with it, knowledge and literacy. Today, our libraries are filled with millions of books, and the digital age allows us to access literature instantly in the palm of our hand. Because the book has been produced around the globe, it has become a versatile and creative source of artistic inspiration.

Including works by Cara Barer, Doug Beube, Long-Bin Chen, Casey Curran, Brian Dettmer, Ann Hamilton, Andrew Hayes, Lisa Kokin, Guy Laramée, Mike Stilkey, and Robert The, A Way With Words will show the transformation of everyday books into expressions of identity, community, environmentalism, memory, and reconstructed narratives. Families will see unconventional treatments such as cutting, weaving, tearing, burning, and shredding, as artists transform books into sculptures, animation, drawings, and paintings that capture the book’s significant history and power to inform the public. Children and their families will also create their own artworks inspired by the exhibition.

An original story and production from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Yeti, Set, Snow! is the story of a young girl named Widget, and her friend, Twig, who encounter a yeti named Pascetti on the first snow day of the winter season. Pascetti, who lives on a mountain top nearby, dislikes the snow. Through songs and snow day activities, Pascetti discovers not only that snow can be fun but also the value of friendship. cityparksfoundation.org

Join Sugar Hill Children’s Museum for their next PLAYDATE inspired by the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This PLAYDATE will feature art-making, storytelling, music and more celebrating and honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! There will be art-making activities for children in the spirit of Dr. King will be focused on “creating a just world,” portions of visual artist icon and author Faith Ringgold’s book My Dream of Martin Luther King will be featured throughout the day, and the day will conclude  with the inter-generational community conversation, Neighborhood Narratives, led by Rev Malika Lee Whitney. Rev. Whitney and special guests will use the inspiring words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s book “Where Do We Go From Here”  as the basis to share oral histories, storytelling, poetry, music and hands on activity that demonstrate the human rights vision of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.