Coronavirus (COVID-19) Closures and Update

MoMA Temporarily Closes Museums and Stores in New York

MoMA announced today that it will close The Museum of Modern Art on 53rd Street, MoMA PS1 in Queens, and the MoMA Design Stores on 53rd Street and in Soho, effective immediately and through March 30. MoMA will continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and regularly reassess this temporary closure.

Glenn D. Lowry, The David Rockefeller Director of The Museum of Modern Art, said: “Nothing is more important to MoMA than the health and safety of our community. We take seriously our responsibility as a civic institution to serve the public good. With that in mind, as it is more and more challenging to predict the impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have decided to temporarily close MoMA.”

MoMA has been prepared for this possibility for several weeks and made the decision in ongoing consultation with public health experts, city and state officials, peer institutions, and the Boards of The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among MoMA employees. Plans are in place to continue to support employees and MoMA’s better than best practice cleaning and sanitization protocols.

MoMA plans to re-open at the first opportunity that ensures the health and safety of all visitors and employees.

All Events at Carnegie Hall from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020 are Cancelled

All March events cancelled in effort to reduce spread of COVID-19

With the health and safety of its public, artists, and staff as its foremost priority, Carnegie Hall today announced that it will be closed for all public events and programming through the end of March, effective midnight tonight, in an effort to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

All events and programming at Carnegie Hall from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020 have been cancelled. For a list of performances at Carnegie Hall that are affected, please see the attached list or click here. Carnegie Hall events on Thursday evening, March 12 will take place as scheduled.

Upcoming education programming presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute—whether taking place at Carnegie Hall or in off-site locations—is suspended through March 31. All free Carnegie Hall Citywide performances in venues throughout New York City are cancelled through March 31.

All other scheduled concerts and programming starting on April 1, 2020 and beyond remain on the schedule pending the reopening of Carnegie Hall. The general public is encouraged to check carnegiehall.org/events for the most up-to-date programming information.

Patrons who purchased tickets by credit card from Carnegie Hall for a performance that has been canceled will receive automatic refunds; those who purchased by cash at the Box Office may email a scan or photo of the tickets to feedback@carnegiehall.org, along with complete contact details (name, mailing address, and phone number), through June 30, 2020, for a refund. Those who purchased tickets directly from other concert presenters should contact that presenter for refund information.

Patrons who have any further questions should contact CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or email feedback@carnegiehall.org. Please note that email and call volume may be high with limited in-house staff, and tickets may be refunded on a delayed schedule. We thank you for your patience as we navigate this evolving situation together.

Asian Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Announce Temporary Closure Effective March 14, 2020

The Asian Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) collaboratively announce a temporary closure to the public effective at 5 pm PST on Friday, March 13. With their united focus on the health and safety of their visitors and staff members, the museums made this decision to align with local and federal guidelines and social distancing recommendations for the containment of the coronavirus.

The Asian Art Museum and SFMOMA will tentatively reopen to the public on Saturday, March 28, 2020, and the FAMSF museums will reopen on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The museums will individually evaluate whether the closure timeframe needs to be extended.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The closure of the Asian Art Museum includes the museum, its café (Sunday at the Museum) and its store. More information can be found at asianart.org.

FINE ARTS MUSEUMS (FAMSF)

Both the de Young and the Legion of Honor, including museum cafes and stores, will be closed. Please find the most up-to-date information at deyoungmuseum.org/coronavirus-response.

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (SFMOMA)

SFMOMA’s closure includes the museum, its restaurants (In Situ, Cafe 5 and Sightglass coffee bars), stores (museum and SFO store) and the Artists Gallery at Fort Mason. For the most up-to-date information including information on rescheduling a visit, go to sfmoma.org/coronavirus-update.

Nine Singers Advance To The Final Round Of The 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

The final phase of competition is the public Grand Finals concert on the Met stage, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by Bertrand de Billy, on Sunday, March 1

Winners will receive individual cash prizes of $20,000 and invaluable exposure in the opera world

Finals concert to be broadcast live on the Met’s website and SiriusXM

Following February 24th’s semi-final competition, nine young singers have advanced to the final round of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2020 National Council Auditions. In the public concert, finalists perform on the Met stage Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m., for an audience of judges, agents, industry leaders, and the general public (in the auditorium and live on the radio). The finalists, chosen by a panel of opera administrators from the Met and other companies, each perform two arias with the Met Orchestra conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Prize money will increase for the first time in 20 years, with the winners receiving individual cash prizes of $20,000 (previously $15,000), and the prestigious and potentially career-launching title of National Council Auditions Winner. The remaining finalists receive $10,000 (previously $7,500).

The concert will be hosted by soprano Lisette Oropesa, a 2005 National Council Auditions winner, and will also feature a performance by tenor Javier Camarena, while the judges deliberate.

The concert will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM Channel 75, and streamed live on the Met’s web site, www.metopera.org.

The 2020 finalists, the regions they represent in the competition, and their hometowns are:

Carnegie Hall Presents The Crossing in Zankel Hall on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 PM

Grammy Award-Winning Choir Performs New York Premiere of Michael Gordon’s Travel Guide to Nicaragua Featuring Cellist Maya Beiser

On Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall. Grammy Award-winning new music choir The Crossing, led by Donald Nally, performs the New York premiere of Michael Gordon’s Travel Guide to Nicaragua with cutting-edge cellist Maya Beiser, a work co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall as part of its 125 Commissions Project.

Photo of The Crossing by Kevin Vondrak and photo of Maya Beiser by ioulex.

Travel Guide to Nicaragua is inspired by Gordon’s hazy memory of his first eight years of life living on the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua with his Eastern European parents who had emigrated to the country. In writing this third substantial work for The Crossing, Gordon—one of the founding members of Bang on a Can—also reaches beyond his childhood memories, pondering the world of the Maya and Aztecs and drawing on the words of poet Rube´n Dari´o and Mark Twain, who visited the country in the mid-1860s.

There’s a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.: Conductor Donald Nally and composer Michael Gordon in conversation with John Schaefer, host of WNYC’s New Sounds and Soundcheck. Support for the 125 Commissions Project is provided by members of Carnegie Hall’s Composer Club.

Hailed as “America’s most astonishing choir” (The New York Times) and “ardently angelic,” (The Los Angeles Times), The Crossing is a Grammy-winning professional chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally and dedicated to new music. It is committed to working with creative teams to make and record new, substantial works for choir that explore and expand ways of writing for choir, singing in choir, and listening to music for choir. Many of its nearly 90 commissioned premieres address social, environmental, and political issues. With a commitment to recording its commissions, The Crossing has issued 19 releases, receiving two Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance (2018, 2019), and five Grammy nominations in three years. They have presented nearly 90 commissioned world premieres.

The Crossing collaborates with some of the world’s most accomplished ensembles and artists, including the New York Philharmonic, LA Phil, the American Composers Orchestra, Network for New Music, Lyric Fest, Piffaro, Tempesta di Mare Baroque Chamber Orchestra, the Annenberg Center, Beth Morrison Projects, The Rolling Stones, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and more. The Crossing holds an annual residency at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in Big Sky, Montana where they are working on an extensive, multi-year project with composer Michael Gordon and filmmaker Bill Morrison. Their concerts are broadcast regularly on WRTI 90.1FM, Philadelphia’s Classical and Jazz Public Radio.

The Crossing’s recordings of Robert Convery and Benjamin Boyle’s Voyages (August 2019, Innova) and Kile Smith’s The Arc in the Sky (July 2019, Navona) were both nominated for 2020 Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance. Lansing McLoskey‘s Zealot Canticles won the 2019 Grammy; The Crossing’s collaboration with PRISM, Gavin Bryars’ The Fifth Century (ECM, October 2016), won the 2018 Grammy Award; and Thomas Lloyd’s Bonhoeffer (Albany 2016) was nominated for the 2017 Grammy, all for Best Choral Performance. The Crossing, with Donald Nally, was the American Composers Forums’ 2017 Champion of New Music. The Crossing’s 2014 commission Sound from The Bench by Ted Hearne was named a 2018 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music. Learn more at www.crossingchoir.org.

Hailed for her “stirring emotional power” by The New York Times, Maya Beiser has been called a “cello rock star” by Rolling Stone, praised as “a force of nature” by The Boston Globe, and dubbed “the queen of Avant-garde cello” by The Washington Post.

Raised on a Kibbutz in the Galilee Mountains in Israel, by her Argentinean father and French mother, Beiser was discovered at the age of twelve by the late violinist Isaac Stern. Upon graduating from Yale University, she embarked on a rebellious career, passionately forging her artistic path through uncharted territories, expanding her art form and bringing a bold and unorthodox presence to contemporary classical music.

Beiser is a featured performer on the world’s most prestigious stages including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, BAM, The Kennedy Center, BBC Proms, London’s Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican, Sydney Opera House, Barcelona’s L’auditori, Paris’ Theatre de La Ville, Stockholm’s Concert Hall, and in major venues and festivals across five continents.

Among the wide range of artists she has collaborated with are Philip Glass, Louis Andriessen, Erin Cressida-Wilson, Brian Eno, Shirin Neshat, Steve Reich, Lucinda Childs, Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, Mark Anthony Turnage, David Lang, Bill Morrison, and Wendy Whelan.

Beiser’s discography includes twelve solo albums, many of them topping the classical music charts. In the summer of 2019, she launched her own record label – Islandia Music records – and released delugEON, a concept album that deconstructs the classical canon. On January 10 2020, she released “Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar” – a reimagination of David Bowie’s last album – topping the Classical Crossover charts and receiving rave reviews. Beiser is the featured soloist on many film soundtracks, including an extensive collaboration with James Newton Howard.

Maya Beiser is a United States Artists Distinguished Fellow in Music and was a Mellon Distinguished Visiting Artist at MIT. Her mainstage TED Talk has been watched by over one million people. (www.mayabeiser.com)

Over the past 30 years, Michael Gordon has produced a strikingly diverse body of work, ranging from large-scale pieces for high-energy ensembles and major orchestral commissions to works conceived specifically for the recording studio and kaleidoscopic works for groups of identical instruments. Transcending categorization, his music represents the collision of mysterious introspection and brutal directness.

This season, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players with Roomful of Teeth and Splinter Reeds premiere the concert-length In a Strange Land, the Strings of Autumn festival in Prague feature Gordon as composer-in-residence and perform Timber plus all of Gordon’s string quartets; and the percussion/piano/bass trio Bearthoven premieres a new work.

REI launches multiday active vacations in Shenandoah National Park and first international backpacking trip in Patagonia

Travel leader also introduces Norway and Slovenia adventures, expands cycling and Grand Canyon collections

REI Co-op‘s adventure travel company has introduced its first active trips in Shenandoah National Park, along with new trips in Norway and Slovenia. The global leader in small group active travel also announced its first international backpacking trip in Patagonia and continued expansion of its Grand Canyon and cycling collections.

REI Co-op Logo (PRNewsFoto/REI) (PRNewsfoto/REI Co-op)

“We intentionally design every active adventure to connect with local communities in a meaningful way that only REI can offer,” said Mark Seidl, REI divisional vice president of Experiences. “By doing so, we want our guests to gain a broader perspective of the world and be transformed through the experience.”

National Park Expansion: Shenandoah and Grand Canyon
Created in 1925, Shenandoah National Park was one of the first national parks in the eastern United States. Three REI itineraries are now available – a multi-sport Shenandoah National Park Adventure, Shenandoah Lodge-to-Lodge Hiking and Shenandoah National Park Weekend Cycling. All trips are four days in length with departures during spring blossoms through fall’s vibrant colors. Next month, REI will add a four-day Shenandoah backpacking trip to the collection.

Building on REI’s widely popular North America backpacking trips, the travel leader is introducing its first international itinerary to explore the undiscovered heart of Patagonia’s remote and rugged beauty. Pictured: Backpacking Patagonia – Fitz Roy and Los Glaciares National Park. https://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/latin/patagonia-argentina-backpacking.html

On REI’s multisport trip, guests hike to Shenandoah’s highest point and through deep caverns with streams and anthodite formations, zipline through the treetops, and float down the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Star-filled evenings at camp are complete with hearty meals to refuel guests. The company’s lodge-to-lodge itinerary hikes a section of the Appalachian Trail from the doorsteps of iconic lodges that boast unique histories. The company’s cycling weekend stays at charming inns and lodges, providing a welcome reward from vigorous daily rides of 40 to 60 miles along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Adding to REI’s postcard-perfect national parks adventures is its expansion in the Grand Canyon. The company recently added six itineraries for a total of 14 adventures Grand Canyon National Park that range from three to eight days of hiking, backpacking and cycling. With so many options, adventurers can confidently select a trip based on his/her available time, interests and ability.

Backpacking Patagonia – Where Nature Reigns Supreme
Building on REI’s widely popular North America backpacking trips, the company is introducing its first international itinerary to explore the undiscovered heart of Patagonia’s remote and rugged beauty. On Backpacking Patagonia – Fitz Roy and Los Glaciares National Park, the eight-day adventure starts in the small outpost of El Chalten known as the region’s trekking capital. Guests hike through meadows and lenga forests, across moraines and glaciers, and up to breathtaking vistas. A trip highlight is a trek past iceberg-laden bays and over high passes to reach the unparalleled views of the second-largest non-polar ice mass in the world.

The co-op now offers seven itineraries in Patagonia ranging in length from seven to 13 days for hiking, cycling, kayaking and volunteer trail maintenance to protect the famous “W” trail.

New Europe trips: Norway and Slovenia
Known as the “land of the midnight sun” because one-third of the country is in the Arctic Circle, REI is expanding its classic Norway offering with the launch of two more itineraries – Norway Lofoten Islands Hiking and Norway Fjords Cycling. The nine-day archipelago hiking trip offers unparalleled beauty as guests hike up glacier-carved mountains to the reward of epic views, kayak “little Hawaii,” and experience life in remote fishing communities. Highlights also include a cruise through one of the country’s steepest and narrowest fjords in search of Europe’s largest eagle, a visit to the outermost and wildest islands of Værøy, and plenty of opportunities for traditional cold-water swims.

On REI’s Slovenia Hiking – The Alps to the Adriatic trip guests venture into the quiet solitude of the Julian Alps and more. The rugged Julian Alps are just as awe-inspiring as their Swiss and French cousins, with a big difference: far fewer hikers. Over eight days, marvel at high limestone peaks and dense spruce forests; raft the Soča River and swim in its pools and waterfalls; take a private tour of the subterranean chambers of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Škocjan Caves; and discover the region’s wine, olive oil and local cuisine with visits to a prosciutto producer and local beekeeper farm. For such a small country, its beekeepers produce up to 2,500 tons of honey a year.

Four Seasons Hotel Montreal Presents The City-Meets-Mountain Snow Experience: The Perfect 3-Day Montreal Getaway

• Enjoy the best of both worlds with the ultimate city and mountain getaway filled with winter fun, including skiing, snowmobiling, ice-skating, snowshoeing, a spa retreat and the finest gastronomy the city has to offer
• Guests can take advantage of a Third Night Free offer when booking two consecutive nights to extend the fun

Montreal is the seductive Paris of North America sitting at the edge of the Canadian wilderness. So, as such, the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal has crafted the quintessential winter experience to treat travellers and locals to the perfect Montreal winter escape. The luxurious package features a two-night stay with a complimentary third night to enjoy seasonal activities from intense to utterly relaxing.

MARCUS Lounge + Bar

On arrival, guests will settle in at MARCUS Lounge + Bar inside the Hotel’s bustling Social Square, where the city’s who’s who and global travellers mingle. They will challenge the resident mixologist to craft a bespoke cocktail just for them and follow their libation with dinner at MARCUS Restaurant, the first Canadian outpost by internationally-acclaimed Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Their senses will be awakened with an innovative feast of seafood and farm-to-table vegetables at this lively contemporary brasserie.

Four Seasons Spa

On the second day, guests will head for a rugged snow adventure at Mont-Tremblant, North America’s #1 ski resort in the East. They will ride a chauffeured SUV or private helicopter to exhilarating mountain slopes and sharpen their skiing and snowboarding skills with elite instructors. Alternatively, they may explore invigorating forest trails on a snowmobile, snowshoe or skate on a majestic frozen lake, and warm up with a hot chocolate at a luxurious mountain chalet. At nightfall, they will stroll under the twinkling lights of Mont-Tremblant’s European-style pedestrian village and enjoy dinner before returning downtown to the enveloping comfort of their Four Seasons room.

On the last day, their winter adventure will continue on Mount Royal Park, a mountain in the heart of the city, minutes away from the Hotel. They will venture through its winding paths on snowshoes or cross-country skis, skate on Beaver Lake, or snow-tube down the hills with their whole family. As the sun sets, they will relax and restore their body and mind at Four Seasons Spa, where they may explore the sensations of Kneipp hydrotherapy, solo or couple massages, steam sauna, and a glass of champagne poolside before drifting to dreamland on a Spa daybed.

This package is available by calling +1 514 843 2500, or emailing reservations.montreal@fourseasons.com

Advance booking is required with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice. Inclusions cannot be modified or substituted. This experience is not valid in conjunction with any other offer or contract, and does not apply to groups. Rates are per room, per night, may vary by arrival date, and do not include taxes, service charges, gratuities or surcharges, unless otherwise noted. Early departure fees may apply, and rates and availability are subject to change, with some blackout dates in place.

All Images provided by the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal.

“A Collector’s Vision” at The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Through June 7, 2020, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a selection of rare and noteworthy examples of American fine and decorative arts drawn from the collection of the late H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. (1938-2007). A Collector’s Vision: Highlights from the Dietrich American Foundation tells the story of a collector whose foundation has long shared Americana and rare books and manuscripts through an extensive loan program to institutions around the county.

Long-term loans to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including many objects in the exhibition, began in 1966 and continue to this day. “This partnership has certainly supported our museum– but, more importantly, we hope it has helped foster an appreciation for American art and its history even more widely,” says Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

“Portrait of George Washington,” 1788, by James Peale (American, 1749 – 1831). Watercolor on ivory; gold case, 3 1/4 × 2 1/4 × 1/2 inches. On loan from The Dietrich American Foundation. 444-2008-2.

“Punch Bowl with Hongs of Canton,” c. 1790, Artist/maker unknown (Chinese, for the American market). Hard-paste porcelain with overglaze enamel decoration, Diameter: 14 3/8 inches. On loan from The Dietrich American Foundation. 68-1997-1.

Among the 55 objects on view in A Collector’s Vision are a delicate watercolor miniature of George Washington painted by James Peale and enshrined in a small gold case with a lock of Washington’s hair in the back; a signed Daniel Goddard bureau table from Newport; a quilt with squares depicting the life of President James Buchanan; Pennsylvania German frakturs and furniture; Chinese Export porcelain; and prints and watercolors.

“Coffeepot,” 1765-1770, by William Hollingshead (American (Philadelphia), c. 1723 –1808, active 1754 – 1785). Silver; wood handle. Including handle: 13 × 8 1/2 inches; Diameter (foot): 4 9/16 inches. On permanent deposit from The Dietrich American Foundation Collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. D-2007-37.

“Teapot,” 1765-1770, by Paul Revere, Jr. (American (active Boston), 1735 – 1818). Silver; wood handle, 5 3/4 x 9 1/2 x 5 inches. On permanent deposit from The Dietrich American Foundation Collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. D-2007-59.

A centerpiece is the re-creation of part of the Dietrich family’s living room in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, which includes a Paul Revere teapot, a John Singleton Copley portrait of John Bee Holmes; and a bombe desk attributed to Nathaniel Gould.

Travel in Love: Celebrate This Valentine’s Day The Four Seasons Way At Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens

Love is in the air at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, as the Hotel embraces the art of romance and prepares to host a 2020 Valentine’s Day celebration like no other. Guests can treat their significant others to exquisite dining or a romantic getaway with an overnight stay at the most iconic hideaway of the Athenian Riviera.

(Image courtesy of The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts)

Mercato sparks the romance with a fabulous four-course dinner carefully crafted by Chef Bertrand Valegeas, served throughout the weekend from Friday, February 14 until Sunday, February 16, 2020.

(Image courtesy of The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts)

A glass of Taittinger Rosé Champagne introduces patrons to the romantic dining experience before the first course of red carabineros shrimps with marinated foie gras and passion fruit coulis arrives to the table. Savour the second course, the signature homemade lobster ravioli with black winter truffle and lime zest. Then, the third course is a choice between US prime beef fillet with chanterelle mushrooms, pomme Maxim’s, caramelised onions and guanciale, or roasted fillet of sole with oscietra caviar beurre blanc, basil and beetroot gnocchi. The exquisite night ends on a sweet note with a dessert created for this special occasion: a red berries heart with lime cream, vanilla and tonka bean ice cream, and then guests can take with them an assorted chocolates box as a souvenir of the time they spent in Four Seasons in Athens. The dinner is priced at EUR 75 per person.

(Image courtesy of The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts)

The romantics will wish to celebrate love all weekend long with an overnight stay. The Hotel’s Valentine’s Weekend Package offers the special room rate of EUR 250 per night for stays between February 13 and 16, 2020 along with themed in-room amenities, a bottle of sparkling wine, a celebration cake and late checkout. Impressing a loved one has never been easier with the help of the concierge team, who can help create the most memorable touches: stage a guest room with red roses, champagne for two, a path of rose petals, chocolate truffles and more.

(Image courtesy of The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts)

To book the Valentine’s Weekend Package, call +30 210 890 1000 or email reservations.athens@fourseasons.com.

New-York Historical Society Leaps Into Election Year With Exhibitions Foregrounding Pillars Of American Democracy

Free Admission to Civics Exhibitions for College Students Through 2020

As election year 2020 begins, the New-York Historical Society is launching a series of special exhibitions that address the cornerstones of citizenship and American democracy. Starting on Presidents’ Day Weekend, visitors to Meet the Presidents will discover how the role of the president has evolved since George Washington with a re-creation of the White House Oval Office and a new gallery devoted to the powers of the presidency. Opening on the eve of Women’s History Month, Women March marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment with an immersive celebration of 200 years of women’s political and social activism. Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic explores the important roles state constitutions have played in the history of our country, while The People Count: The Census in the Making of America documents the critical role played by the U.S. Census in the 19th century—just in time for the 2020 Census.

To encourage first-time voters to learn about our nation’s history and civic as they get ready to vote in the presidential election, New-York Historical Society offers free admission to the exhibitions above to college students with ID through 2020, an initiative supported, in part, by The History Channel. This special program allows college students to access New-York Historical’s roster of upcoming exhibitions that explore the pillars of American democracy as they prepare to vote, most of them for the first time.

“The year 2020 is a momentous time for both the past and future of American politics, as the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, coincides with both a presidential election and a census year,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “This suite of complementary exhibitions showcases the ideas and infrastructure behind our American institutions that establish and protect our fundamental rights to make our voices heard and opinions count. We hope that all visitors will come away with a wider understanding of the important role each citizen plays in our democracy.”

Rembrandt Peale, George Washington (1732–1799), 1853 Oil on canvas New-York Historical Society, Bequest of Caroline Phelps Stokes
The Constitution defines the president’s power and duties in broad strokes. George Washington was the first to put them into practice and was keenly aware of his singular place in history. Willing to assert his authority, he was just as willing to acknowledge the office’s constitutional limits. He was a president, not a king.

Meet the Presidents, February 14 – ongoing

President John F. Kennedy addresses the nation during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 22, 1962. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
As commander-in-chief, President John F. Kennedy could have tried to destroy the missiles with a military strike. Concerned about the risk of nuclear war, he instead asked national security advisers to develop other options. He ordered a naval quarantine to prevent Soviet ships from reaching Cuba and communicated directly with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. After 13 tense days, the Soviets removed the weapons.

Opening on Presidents’ Day Weekend, a special permanent gallery on New-York Historical’s fourth floor features a detailed re-creation of the White House Oval Office, where presidents have exercised their powers, duties, and responsibilities since 1909. Visitors to New-York Historical can explore the Oval Office, hear audio recordings of presidential musings, and even sit behind a version of the President’s Resolute Desk for a photo op.

President Lyndon B. Johnson talks with Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young, and James Farmer, December 3, 1963 LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto
Presidents are also the leaders of their party. However, serving both nation and party can be challenging, and leaders must sometimes choose between the two. President Lyndon Johnson put national needs first when he supported civil rights legislation that Southern Democrats had condemned.

President Harry Truman reads the Japanese surrender message surrounded by members of his Cabinet and others, August 14, 1945 Harry S. Truman Library & Museum
President Harry Truman’s Oval Office announcement that the Japanese had surrendered effectively ended World War II.

Presidents can furnish the Oval Office to suit their own tastes, and this re-creation evokes the decor of President Ronald Reagan’s second term, widely considered a classic interpretation of Oval Office design. The Resolute Desk, which has been used by almost every president, was presented by Queen Victoria of England in friendship to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. The original was made from timbers from the British Arctic explorer ship H.M.S. Resolute, which was trapped in the ice, recovered by an American whaling ship, and returned to England. Other elements reminiscent of the Reagan-era on view include a famous jar of jelly beans, an inspirational plaque reading “It can be done,” and artist Frederic Remington’s Bronco Buster bronze sculpture of a rugged cowboy fighting to stay on a rearing horse.

Enit Zerner Kaufman, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945), ca. 1940–45 New-York Historical Society, Gift of Enit Kaufman
No president has faced a greater economic crisis than Franklin D. Roosevelt. Elected early in the Great Depression, he took immediate steps to create the economic relief and recovery programs known as the New Deal. He worked so effectively with Congress in his first 100 days in office that this period has since become a measure of a president’s early success

President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev have their first meeting at the White House, December 8, 1987 Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
Presidents can furnish the Oval Office to suit their own tastes. This re-creation of the room evokes key elements of its appearance during Ronald Reagan’s second term. First Lady Nancy Reagan oversaw the office’s redecoration. She brought in Hollywood decorator Ted Graber and opted for a formal design that conveyed grandeur, power, and authority.

The Suzanne Peck and Brian Friedman Meet the Presidents Gallery traces, through artwork and objects, the evolution of the presidency and executive branch and how presidents have interpreted and fulfilled their leadership role. Highlights include the actual Bible used during George Washington’s inauguration in 1789 and a student scrapbook from 1962 chronicling JFK’s leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Meet the Presidents is curated by Marci Reaven, vice president of history exhibits, and Lily Wong, assistant curator.

Women March, February 28 – August 30

Lori Steinberg
Pussyhat worn at Women’s March on Washington, 2017 Wool New-York Historical Society, Gift of Lori Steinberg, 2019.67.1
Clothing is frequently used by demonstrators to create a sense of unity or send a particular message. Many participants in the 2017 Women’s Marches wore home-made “pussy” hats. The original knitting pattern, created by the Pussyhat Project, was downloaded 100,000 times, and craft stores ran low on pink yarn.

State Presidents and Officers of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, 1892 Bryn Mawr College Special Collections
Although several Western states gave women the right to vote starting in 1869, the 1878 “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” proposing women’s suffrage gathered dust in Congress. New activism in the early 20th century reinvigorated the cause. While groups and individuals agreed on the end goal, they often disagreed philosophically. The National American Woman Suffrage Association, for example, initially pursued gradual change state by state, before focusing on a federal amendment.

For as long as there has been a United States, women have organized to shape the nation’s politics and secure their rights as citizens. Their collective action has taken many forms, from abolitionist petitions to industry-wide garment strikes to massive marches for an Equal Rights Amendment. Women March celebrates the centennial of the 19th Amendment—which granted women the right to vote in 1920—as it explores the efforts of a diverse array of women to expand American democracy in the centuries before and after the suffrage victory. On view in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, Women March is curated by Valerie Paley, the director of the Center for Women’s History and New-York Historical senior vice president and chief historian, with the Center for Women’s History curatorial team. The immersive exhibition features imagery and video footage of women’s collective action over time, drawing visitors into a visceral engagement with the struggles that have endured into the 21st century.

Women activists with signs for registration, 1956 Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Frances Albrier Collection. © Cox Studio
Wartime civil rights organizing shaped later civil rights efforts, from the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama to voter registration drives in San Francisco and school desegregation protests in New York City. These proved to be formative trials for a generation of women, who witnessed the power of direct action. Many also confronted the ways such campaigns privileged male leadership. Activists eventually would draw on these experiences to launch new movements energized by collective action.

Walker Art Center Presents Native-Directed Film Series INDIgenesis: Gen 3, Guest Curated by Missy Whiteman

INDIgenesis: GEN 3, A Showcase of Indigenous Filmmakers and Storytellers, March 19–28

Presented over two weeks, the series INDIgenesis: GEN 3, guest curated by Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho and Kickapoo Nations), opens with an evening of expanded cinema and includes several shorts programs in the Walker Cinema and Bentson Mediatheque, an afternoon of virtual reality, and a closing-night feature film.

The ongoing showcase of works by Native filmmakers and artists is rooted in Indigenous principles that consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. GEN 3 connects perspectives and stories from the past, present, and future to convey Indigenous truths, teachings, and values.

“Indigenous artists use the creative process of filmmaking for revitalization and narrative sovereignty,” says Whiteman. “Our stories tell us where we came from, re-create our truths, affirm our languages and culture, and inspire us to imagine our Indigenous future. We come from the stars. How far will we take this medium?”

Throughout the program, join conversations with artists and community members centered on themes of Indigenous Futurism, revitalization, and artistic creation.

Opening Night: Remembering the Future
Expanded Cinema Screening/Performance
Thursday, March 19, 7:30 pm Free, Walker Cinema

Missy Whiteman’s The Coyote Way: Going Back Home, 2016. Photo courtesy the filmmaker.

Combining film, a live score, hoop dancing, hip-hop, and spoken word, a collective of Indigenous artists led by curator Missy Whiteman creates an immersive environment that transcends time and place. Guided by ancestral knowledge systems, traditional stories, and contemporary forms of expression, the expanded cinema program features performances by DJ AO (Hopi/Mdewakatonwan Dakota), Sacramento Knoxx (Ojibwe/Chicano), Lumhe “Micco” Sampson (Mvskoke Creek/Seneca), and Michael Wilson (Ojibwe). Archival found footage and Whiteman’s sci-fi docu-narrative The Coyote Way: Going Back Home (2016), filmed in the community of Little Earth in South Minneapolis, illuminate the space.

Missy Whiteman’s The Coyote Way: Going Back Home, 2016. Photo courtesy the filmmaker.

View The Coyote Way: Going Back Home trailer

Indigenous Lens: Our RealityShort films by multiple directors
Friday, March 20, 7 pm, $10 ($8 Walker members, students, and seniors), Walker Cinema

This evening of short films showcases a collection of contemporary stories about what it means to be Indigenous today, portraying identity and adaptability in a colonialist system. The program spans a spectrum of themes, including two-spirit transgender love, coming of age, reflections on friends and fathers, “indigenizing” pop art, and creative investigations into acts of repatriation. Digital video, 85 mins

Copresented with Hud Oberly (Comanche/Osage/Caddo), Indigenous Program at Sundance Institute (in attendance).

Lore
Directed by Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians)

Images of friends and landscapes are fragmented and reassembled as a voice tells stories, composing elements of nostalgia in terms of lore. 2019, 10 min. View excerpt.

Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Jackson Polys, and Bailey Sweitzer’s Culture Capture: Terminal Adddition, 2019. Photo courtesy the filmmakers.

Culture Capture: Terminal Adddition
Directed by New Red Order: Adam Khalil (Ojibway), Zack Khalil (Ojibway), Jackson Polys (Tlingit), Bayley Sweitzer

The latest video by the public secret society known as the New Red Order is an incendiary indictment of the norms of European settler colonialism. Examining institutionalized racism through a mix of 3D photographic scans and vivid dramatizations, this work questions the contemporary act of disposing historical artifacts as quick fixes, proposing the political potential of adding rather than removing. 2019, 7 min. View excerpt.

Shane McSauby’s Mino Bimaadiziwin, 2017. Photo courtesy the filmmaker.

Mino Bimaadiziwin
Directed by Shane McSauby (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians)

A trans Anishinaabe man meets a young Anishinaabe woman who pushes him to reconnect with their culture. 2017, 10 min. View excerpt.

The Moon and the Night
Directed by Erin Lau (Kanaka Maoli)

Erin Lau’s The Moon and the Night, 2017. Photo courtesy the filmmaker.

Set in rural Hawaii, a Native Hawaiian teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dogfight. 2018, 19 min. View excerpt.

Erin Lau’s The Moon and the Night, 2017. Photo courtesy the filmmaker.

Erin Lau. Photo courtesy the filmmaker. Photo By: Antonio Agosto

Shinaab II
Directed by Lyle Michell Corbine, Jr. (Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians)

A young man seeks to honor the memory of his late father in a film that looks at Ojibwe ideas surrounding death and mourning. 2019, 6 min.

Daniel Flores’ Viva Diva, 2019. Image courtesy the artist.

Viva Diva
Directed by Daniel Flores (Yaqui)

This road trip movie follows Rozene and Diva as they make their way down to Guadalajara for their gender affirmation surgeries. 2017, 15 min. View excerpt.

Daniel Flores. Image courtesy the artist.

Dig It If You Can
Directed by Kyle Bell (Creek-Thlopthlocco Tribal Town)

An insightful portrait of the self-taught artist and designer Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa), whose satirical manipulations of pop culture for an Indigenous audience are gaining a passionate, mass following as he realizes his youthful dreams. 2016, 18 min. View excerpt.

Experience Black History Month at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Open 365 days a year, the VMFA shares its growing collection of African American art all year long. During Black History Month 2020, it’s great time to visit the collection and join the ongoing celebration of African American art, history, and culture.

Boy and H, Harlem, 1961, Louis Draper (American, 1935–2002), gelatin silver print, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Endowment. Courtesy of the Louis H. Draper Preservation Trust, Nell D. Winston, trustee.

TALK
Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop
Dr. Sarah Eckhardt, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, VMFA, in conversation with Nell Draper-Winston
Thu, Jan 30 | 6:30–7:30 pm, $8 (VMFA members $5), Leslie Cheek Theater

VMFA’s Dr. Sarah Eckhardt, curator of Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop, will provide an overview of the exhibition, which features photography by members of the Kamoinge Workshop, an artist collective founded in New York City in 1963. Nell Draper-Winston, sister of photographer Louis Draper, will join Dr. Eckhardt in conversation to discuss her brother’s photographs and his roots in Richmond.

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Celebrate African and African American Family Day: Mali

OPEN STUDIO PLUS PERFORMANCE
Grandma’s Hands
Sun, Feb 2 | 1–4 pm, Free, no tickets required. Art Education Center. Performances in the Atrium 2 pm & 3 pm

Join others as they encounter generational lessons from two sisters with remarkable stories to share from the perspective of the African American South. Through song, stories, and signed poetry, we will learn how women have made an impact on culture through practices passed down from family matriarchs.

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RVA Community Makers Art Activity
Sun, Feb 2 | 1–4 pm, Free, no tickets required. Art Education Center

During Open Studio Plus Performance, celebrate family with Richmond artist Hamilton Glass and local African American photographers.

Take your digital family portraits onsite at VMFA to become part of a mixed-media public art collaboration. Glass will guide attendees in hands-on participation. You can also capture fun memories in the Family Portrait Photo Booth.

Extending the meaning of family to community, the project also brings together six local photographers—Regina Boone, Courtney Jones, Brian Palmer, Sandra Sellars, Ayasha Sledge, and James Wallace— who will create portraits of six selected community leaders.

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FIRST FRIDAY
Spirituals, Fri, Feb 7 | 6–8 pm, Free, no tickets required. Atrium

Welcome sopranos Lisa Edwards Burrs and Olletta Cheatham to the First Friday series with an evening of Spirituals. Lisa and Olletta will sing many powerful songs of the genre and explore their resonating impact on history.

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DANCE PARTY
VMFA After Hours: VMFA Is for Lovers
Sat, Feb 15 | 7–11:30 pm, $45/person ($35 VMFA members). Museum wide

Join host Kelli Lemon for a night of art, music, dancing, and love after dark. Catch DJ Lonnie B on the spin in the Marble Hall. Enjoy Legacy Band performing live music in the Atrium. Experience the exhibitions Edward Hopper and the American Hotel and Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop.

All galleries will be open during this event to give you access to our diverse collections of art from around the world.

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LIVE JAZZ, Dominion Energy Jazz Café: Jazz Around the Museum. Thu, Feb 13 | 6–9 pm, Free, no tickets required. Marble Hall

Back by popular demand! Who says a Jazz band can’t party, get down, and get funky? Led by saxophonist Robert “Bo” Bohannon, Klaxton Brown combines the old with the new, and will rock you steady all night long. Prepare to get Klaxtonized!

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Denver Art Museum Presents Untitled: Creative Fusions

Evening programming features collaborations with local artists, pop-up art installations, performances and more

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) will kick off its new season of Untitled: Creative Fusions on January 31, 2020, with an unprecedented night of pop-up art installations, performances, interactive elements and more created by local artists Eileen Roscina Richardson and Joshua Ware in collaboration with 17 local creatives.

Untitled: Creative Fusions is a newly reimagined version of Untitled, presenting a bigger, bolder program at the Denver Art Museum in 2020. Taking place four times a year, Untitled: Creative Fusions will bring local creatives together to merge their artistic practices with the DAM’s exhibitions and artworks.

(Untitled is included in general museum admission, however, a special exhibition ticket is required for Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature.)

Creatives Eileen Roscina Richardson & Joshua Ware. Image courtesy of Denver Art Museum.

Inspired by Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature and The Light Show, Richardson and Ware join forces to investigate the wild and the constructed through the theme Entanglements. Visitors are invited to explore the space between the man-made and the natural, where humans and nature are irrevocably intertwined.

With can’t-miss moments including live ice sculpting by Jess Parris, pop-up installations by the lead creators, wheat pasting with We Were Wild, a complimentary liquid nitrogen popcorn station courtesy of The Inventing Room, beats by Dance the NightShift and more, visitors can expect a once-in-a-lifetime night at the DAM during Untitled.

Walker Art Center Announces Extensive 2020–2021 Exhibition Schedule Highlights

The Walker Arts Center continues to flesh out what is considerably a very dynamic exhibition schedule for the next two years. Additions to the Walker Art Center’s 2020–2021 exhibition schedule include two new solo exhibitions by female artists, Faye Driscoll: Thank You for Coming (February 27–June 14, 2020) and Candice Lin (April 17–August 29, 2021) as well as a Walker collection show of women artists, Don’t let this be easy (July 16–March 14, 2021). For her first solo museum exhibition, Faye Driscoll incorporates a guided audio soundtrack, moving image works, and props to look back across the entirety of her trilogy of performances Thank You For Coming—Attendance (2014), Play (2016), and Space (2019)—works that were presented and co-commissioned by the Walker and subsequently toured around the world over the past six years. Another newly added exhibition, Candice Lin, is the first US museum solo show by the artist, co-organized by the Walker Art Center and the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts (CCVA). Lin is creating a site-specific installation that responds to the space of the gallery at each institution, allowing the shape of the work to evolve over the course of its presentation.

The Walker-organized exhibition Don’t let this be easy highlights the diverse and experimental practices of women artists spanning some 50 years through a selection of paintings, sculptures, moving image works, artists’ books, and materials from the archives.

The initiative is presented in conjunction with the Feminist Art Coalition (FAC), a nationwide effort involving more than 60 museums committed to social justice and structural change.

Other upcoming exhibitions include An Art Of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018 (February 16–September 20, 2020), a survey of six decades of Johns’ work in printmaking drawn from the Walker’s complete collection of the artists’ prints including intaglio, lithography, woodcut, linoleum cut, screenprinting, lead relief, and blind embossing; The Paradox of Stillness: Art, Object, and Performance (formerly titiled Still and Yet) (April 18–July 26, 2020), is an exhibition that rethinks the history of performance featuring artists whose works include performative elements but also embrace acts, objects, and gestures that refer more to the inert qualities of traditional painting or sculpture than to true staged action.

Additional exhibitions include Michaela Eichwald’s (June 13–November 8, 2020) first US solo museum presentation, bringing together painting, sculpture, and collage from across the past 10 years of her practice; Designs for Different Futures (September 12, 2020 – January 3, 2021)—a collaborative group show co-organized by the Walker Art Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago—brings together about 80 dynamic works that address the challenges and opportunities that humans may encounter in the years, decades, and centuries to come; Rayyane Tabet (December 10, 2020– April 18, 2021), a solo show by the Beirut-based multidisciplinary artist featuring a new installation for the Walker that begins with a time capsule discovered on the site of what was once an IBM manufacturing facility in Rochester, Minnesota.

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

• AN ART OF CHANGES: JASPER JOHNS PRINTS, 1960–2018, February 16–September 20, 2020
• FAYE DRISCOLL: THANK YOU FOR COMING, February 27–June 14, 2020
• THE PARADOX OF STILLNESS: ART, OBJECT, AND PERFORMANCE, April 18–July 26, 2020
• MICHAELA EICHWALD, June 4–November 8. 2020
• DON’T LET THIS BE EASY, July 16–March 14, 2021
• DESIGNS FOR DIFFERENT FUTURES, September 12–January 3, 2021
• RAYYANE TABET, December 10–April 18, 2021
• JULIE MEHRETU, March 14, 2021–July 11, 2021
• CANDICE LIN, April 17, 2021–August 29, 2021

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

• THE EXPRESSIONIST FIGURE: 100 YEARS OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY DRAWING, November 17, 2019–April 19, 2020
• CARISSA RODRIGUEZ: THE MAID, October 3, 2019–February 2, 2020
• FIVE WAYS IN: THEMES FROM THE COLLECTION, February 14, 2019–October 3, 2021
• ELIZABETH PRICE, December 8, 2018–March 1, 2020
• I AM YOU, YOU ARE TOO, September 7, 2017–March 1, 2020

Photo Credit: Flags I, 1973. Screenprint on paper, 27 3/8 x 35 ½ in. ed. 3/65. Collection Walker Art Center, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988. © Jasper Johns/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

An Art Of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018, February 16–September 20, 2020. Gallery B/Target

When Jasper Johns’s paintings of flags and targets debuted in 1958, they brought him instant acclaim and established him as a critical link between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. In the ensuing 60 years, Johns (US, b. 1930) has continued to astonish viewers with the beauty and complexity of his paintings, drawings, sculpture, and prints. Today, he is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest American artists.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Figure 7 from the Color Numeral Series Date: 1969 Medium: lithograph on paper Accession number: 1985.319 Credit Line: Gift of Kenneth Tyler, 1985. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Target Date: 1960 Medium: lithograph on paper Accession number: 1988.181 Credit Line: Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

In celebration of the artist’s 90th birthday, An Art of Changes surveys six decades of Johns’s work in printmaking, highlighting his experiments with familiar, abstract, and personal imagery that play with memory and visual perception in endlessly original ways. The exhibition features some 90 works in intaglio, lithography, woodcut, linoleum cut, screenprinting, and lead relief—all drawn from the Walker’s comprehensive collection of the artist’s prints.

Target, 1974
Screenprint on paper
35 1/8 x 27 3/8 inches
Collection Walker Art Center, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988
© Jasper Johns/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Untitled Date: 2000 Medium: linocut on paper Accession number: 2001.197 Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 2001. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Untitled Date: 2016 Medium: Linoleum-cut on paper Accession number: 2017.6 Credit Line: Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of the artist, 2017. Photo by Gene Pittman for Walker Art Center.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Fragment of a Letter Date: 2010 Medium: intaglio on paper Accession number: 2011.59.1-.2 Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 2011. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Between the Clock and the Bed Date: 1989 Medium: Lithograph on paper Accession number: 1991.155 Credit Line: Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stacy Roback, 1991. Repro Rights: VAGA, Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo by Gene Pittman for Walker Art Center.

Organized in four thematic sections, the show follows Johns through the years as he revises and recycles key motifs over time, including the American flag, numerals, and the English alphabet, which he describes as “things the mind already knows.” Some works explore artists’ tools, materials, and techniques. Others explore signature aspects of the artist’s distinctive mark-making, including flagstones and hatch marks, while later pieces teem with autobiographical imagery. To underscore Johns’s fascination with the changes that occur when an image is reworked in another medium, the prints will be augmented by a small selection of paintings and sculptures.

Artist Jasper Johns at work in his studio

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Savarin Date: 1977 Medium: Lithograph on paper Accession number: 1988.276 Credit Line: Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988. Repro Rights: VAGA, Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Curator: Joan Rothfuss, guest curator, Visual Arts.

• Exhibition Tour
  Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh: October 12, 2019–January 20, 2020
  Walker Art Center, Minneapolis: February 16–September 20, 2020
  Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan: October 24, 2020–January 24, 2021
  Tampa Art Museum, Florida: April 28–September 6, 2021

Sports Illustrated Brings “The Party” to Miami Beach to Celebrate the Biggest Weekend in Sports*

Event will Feature Musical Performances by Marshmello and The Black Eyed Peas

The Legendary Big-Game Celebration* will be held on February 1 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach

Sports Illustrated today announced that it will be heading to Miami Beach with The Party, its annual marquee event. The legendary sports enterprise is joining forces with The Undisputed Group for this year’s VIP big-game night on Saturday, February 1, 2020, at the world-famous Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida.

The merging of these industry titans will bring together some of the top names in entertainment and sports at one of the most luxurious oceanfront hotels in Miami Beach. Guests can expect a night of unforgettable musical performances by Marshmello and the Black Eyed Peas and dancing complemented by live video mixing by DJ Irie.

“We are thrilled to bring Sports Illustrated back to the big-game weekend and to join forces with The Undisputed Group, who has unrivaled expertise in spectacular event production,” said Corey Salter, Group President, Entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, owner of the Sports Illustrated brand. “SI is the source that connects audiences to athletes and teams across the sports world, and we are certain that not only will this be an unforgettable experience for fans, but our most memorable big-game event to date.”

Last year’s Sports Illustrated big-game event* was held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta and featured performances by Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, DJ Irie and Dallas Austin. Top musicians, celebrities, models and athletes were in attendance, including will.i.am, Lil Jon, Danielle Herrington, Jasmine Sanders, Aly Raisman, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield.

“Each year, we aim to make our big-game event with Sports Illustrated bigger and better than ever,” said David Spencer, Founder and Co-CEO of The Undisputed Group. “This year, we’re presenting an immersive, elite playground for partygoers with a curated mix of talent, sponsors, photo opportunities and more.”

Casamigos is the official partner of The Party. Sponsors of The Party will include StubHub, Reign Total Body Fuel, and Dewar’s Scotch Whisky.

“StubHub is all about connecting fans to the live experiences they love,” said Akshay Khanna, General Manager of Sports at StubHub. “We’re thrilled to partner with media powerhouse Sports Illustrated to offer VIP treatment to football fans at The Party in Miami, along with a secure and seamless ticket buying and selling experience.”

For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit www.sportsillustratedtheparty.com.

* Because one has to pay many, many, many sponsorship dollars to actually use the words “SuperBowl” in their marketing, the NFL highly discourages people from piggybacking on its yearly event. Ergo, the “Big Game”, the “Biggest Weekend in Sports”, etc. Now you know.

New to the Neighborhood: Hyatt Announces the Opening of Thompson Washington D.C.

Thompson Hotels Lifestyle Brand Expands To Nation’s Capital, In The Heart Of Bustling, Emerging Navy Yard Neighborhood

The Hyatt Hotels Corporation announces the opening of Thompson Washington D.C., the Thompson Hotels brand’s first property in the nation’s capital. Located in the emerging Navy Yard neighborhood, the new hotel features 225 sleek and modern guestrooms and suites, along with restaurant and bar concepts by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, positioning Thompson Washington D.C. to serve as a modern hub for locals and visitors against the backdrop of the city’s dynamic waterfront neighborhood, located less than one mile from Capitol Hill and other major D.C. monuments and museums.

Founded in 2001, Thompson Hotels is an award-winning boutique lifestyle hospitality brand with a collection of stunning, dynamic properties. Each of Thompson Hotels’ urban and resort location offers a carefully layered environment that molds into its surrounding community. Evoking thought through in-the-know perspectives, guests are provided tailored stays with connections to world-class culinary offerings, arts and entertainment, and groundbreaking design. The Thompson portfolio of lifestyle hotels includes The Beekman and Gild Hall in New York City; Thompson Nashville; Thompson Seattle; Thompson Chicago; The Cape in Los Cabos, Mexico; Thompson Playa del Carmen in Riviera Maya, Mexico; Thompson Zihuatanejo on Mexico’s Pacific Coast; and its newest property, Thompson Washington D.C. in the Navy Yard neighborhood.

Thompson Washington D.C. Junior Suite (Photo: Business Wire)

The newly built 11-story property is designed as a sophisticated lifestyle hotel, with architecture by New York-based Studios Architecture and interiors by award-winning firm Parts and Labor Design. The hotel’s deeply textured façade and large industrial-inspired windows are a visual standout that embody the historic industrial language of the neighborhood, The Yards, a 42-acre waterfront development at the center of Capitol Riverfront’s Navy Yard neighborhood. As the first lifestyle hotel in the growing mixed-used development, Thompson Washington D.C. is designed to be a social anchor in The Yards community, joining dozens of specialty retailers, restaurants, high-end residences, and cultural attractions. Situated on D.C.’s scenic riverfront, outdoor parks such as the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and The Yards Park are all mere steps from the hotel, inviting visitors to walk around and explore.

“We are proud to introduce the sophisticated and evocative Thompson Washington D.C. to the nation’s capital,” said General Manager Sherry Abedi. “Thompson Hotels is a brand that has always boldly pushed the norms of a traditional hotel experience, and we look forward to super-serving our global visitors, World of Hyatt members, and the Washington, D.C. community with a stylish destination to eat, drink, connect and relax. We have already felt a warm welcome from the neighborhood’s residents and local businesses.”

The hotel’s interiors were inspired by the Thompson brand’s signature mid-century modern aesthetic and the area’s notable Navy Yard, incorporating industrial patterns and textures found in the neighborhood’s historic naval structures. The hotel’s 225 guestrooms, including 17 suites, boast floor-to-ceiling windows and breathtaking views of the Anacostia River and Nationals Park. Two expansive Thompson Suites also feature stunning outdoor terraces with views of the Washington Navy Yard. Each guestroom features custom headboards upholstered in a mélange wool boucle from Holland complemented by sherry and plume-colored leather framed in a dark oak. Additional room elements include bathroom vanity tops made of green onyx and Brazilian white avalanche marble, 400-thread-count SFERRA linens, Tivoli radios, 55″ flat screen HD TVs, D.S. & Durga custom bath products, and kimono-style robes. The hotel’s mini bars are stocked with locally sourced items, including guilt-free snacks and candles from Frères Branchiaux Candle Co., where 10% of proceeds benefit Washington, D.C.’s homeless shelters.

Among Thompson Washington D.C.’s many standout features is its signature restaurant,Maialino Mare, from famed Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). The restaurant – a coastal sister to the original Maialino in New York City – focuses on seafood-forward pastas and other seasonally-inspired dishes sourced from local farmers and fishmongers, complemented by a robust Italian wine list and rustic desserts. Maialino Mare’s interior reflects a nod to Italian tradition but is rooted in the local metropolitan, modern setting and community. The Roman-style trattoria is led by executive chef Rose Noel who was most recently executive sous chef at USHG’s Manhatta restaurant. Parts and Labor Design crafted the restaurant, along with the adjacent Thompson Bar Room, which offers cozy bar and booth seating. Diners are invited to stay late and enjoy a menu of curated cocktails, wines, and beer. Maialino Mare will open with dinner beginning at 5:00 p.m. daily; breakfast and lunch will be introduced in the weeks to follow. The Thompson Bar Room will open at 3:00 p.m. daily.

Anchovy Social, the hotel’s rooftop bar, boasts an airy atmosphere accented with nautical elements and sweeping views of the city. Parts and Labor Design sought to create a contrasting but unified experience seen through the dark-to-light palette, allowing the space and its unprecedented 360-degree views of the city and waterfront to become a destination in itself. Inspired by the coastal spirit of sister restaurant Maialino Mare downstairs, Anchovy Social will debut with playful seasonal cocktails such as the Juice Box (vodka, cranberry shrub, Vermouth di Torino, rosemary) and Frozen “Hot” Chocolate (mezcal, fernet, cacao, coconut milk, mole bitters), and a robust wine and beer menu, alongside shareable bites such as Anchovy & Stracchino, Clams Casino, and Porchetta Melt Sliders, as well as Seafood Towers and larger plates. Anchovy Social will open in the weeks to come.

Featuring more than 7,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, Thompson Washington D.C. is equipped for meetings and events across many occasions. Modern meeting rooms include Eight Bells and All’s Well, and Maialino Mare’s private dining room and wine room can host intimate gatherings. In addition, Anchovy Social’s rooftop bar can be fully commissioned to accommodate 200 people, and it also offers a private events area offering outdoor space and a private bar.

Thompson Hotels is an award-winning boutique lifestyle hospitality brand – part of Hyatt’s global brand portfolio – featuring a collection of stunning, dynamic properties located in urban and resort destinations throughout the U.S. and Mexico

Thompson Washington D.C. is now open with rates from $359 per night. To celebrate the hotel’s debut, Thompson Washington D.C. is offering an Explore the Neighborhood opening package, which includes two tickets to U Street dining tour with Carpe D.C. Food Tours, roundtrip tickets to Georgetown or Old Town Alexandria with Potomac Riverboats, welcome drinks for two at Anchovy Social and overnight accommodation with rates starting at $459. For reservations and more information, please call 202.916.5200 or visit www.thompsonwashingtondc.com, Follow @thompsonwashingtondc on Facebook and Instagram.

Properties currently under development include Thompson Dallas, Thompson San Antonio, and Thompson Denver. Follow @ThompsonHotels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates. For more information, please visit www.thompsonhotels.com.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 20 premier brands. As of September 30, 2019, the Company’s portfolio included more than 875 properties in over 60 countries across six continents. The Company’s purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to attract and retain top colleagues, build relationships with guests and create value for shareholders. The Company’s subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences, vacation ownership properties, and fitness and spa locations, including under the Park Hyatt®, Miraval®, Grand Hyatt®, Alila®, Andaz®, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Zilara™, Thompson Hotels®, Hyatt Centric®, Caption by Hyatt, Joie de Vivre®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Place®, tommie™, Hyatt Residence Club® and Exhale® brand names, and operates the World of Hyatt® loyalty program that provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its valued members. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

“¡Pleibol!” Slides Into Smithsonian Fall 2020

Exhibition Will Explore Latina/o Impact Through Baseball Artifacts, Stories and Photos

Before he was a World Series champion, Anthony Rendon, the former Washington Nationals third baseman and current Los Angeles Angel, was an ordinary kid; signed up for youth baseball at the YMCA in Houston. His childhood jersey and “first” baseball card will be on view in the upcoming Smithsonian exhibition, “¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues/En los barrios y las grandes ligas” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History beginning Oct. 9, 2020.

Anthony Rendon’s YMCA baseball card. Major League Baseball Player Anthony Rendon pictured at age 5 on a Houston YMCA Giants T-ball league card. The front is emblazoned with “Superstars” and the back includes his height of 3 ft., 10 in. Gift of Rene and Bridget Rendon to the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Rendon’s story, like that of many baseball-loving families in Latino communities, shows passion and dedication to the game. The bilingual exhibition will capture the excitement of the sport and will highlight how Latinas/os have transformed American culture and society through the lens of baseball, the national pastime.

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) will be traveling a version of “¡Pleibol!” to 15 cities through 2025. In Washington, D.C., the exhibition opens in the museum’s Albert M. Small Documents Gallery and will feature more than 60 artifacts and objects such as baseball cards, programs and scrapbooks.

Throughout the 20th century in the United States and Latin America, baseball provided Latino communities a path for a better future. Workers in agriculture and industry in the United States used baseball as a means to make ends meet and as a socially acceptable space to find community and organize for rights and justice.

“‘¡Pleibol!’ presents major league stories, but it is first and foremost rooted in communities and the reality of who was allowed to play ball and where,” said Margaret Salazar-Porzio, curator in the museum’s Division of Cultural and Community Life. “The story we tell shows how Latino communities played, celebrated and changed the game.”

Booking.com Announces 20 Epic Unique Places to Stay to Kick Start 2020 New Year’s Resolutions With a Trip, for Travelers Across The U.S.

Booking.com Offers Exclusive, Themed Experiences for the 72%* of Americans Interested in Traveling to Help Achieve New Year’s Resolutions

This holiday season, Booking.com, the global travel leader with a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, is encouraging consumers to book a trip to help kick start 2020 New Year’s resolutions. In an effort to offer inspiration, Booking.com is custom designing 20 incredible experiences available for guest bookings, with each “Resolution Suite” themed to align with 20 of the most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2020. With 72%* of Americans interested in taking a trip to help kick start their resolution, Booking.com is encouraging consumers to #BookYourResolution to help them come true.

Located at 25 Broad Street in downtown Manhattan at the Broad Exchange Building, the 20 exclusive suites allow guests to aspirationally enter an accommodation tailored to their resolution, and exit in true “new year, new you” fashion with an assortment of related activities, affirmations, and amenities. The 20 resolution suites for 2020, which will be exclusively available on Booking.com, will feature all the must-have necessities for nailing that New Year’s promise to yourself. From Finding Your Funny to becoming Financially Savvy, guests can literally—and figuratively—check into their resolution by reserving their desired experience on Booking.com, including:

• Be More Active: a space that motivates and empowers to hit those athletic aspirations
• Spend Quality Time With Your Pet: the ultimate haven and adventure for your furry friend
• Read More: a bookworm’s paradise connecting readers with literary legends
• Become Financially Savvy: an educational yet fun bootcamp for finding your financial mojo
• Be Adventurous: step-up the explorer inside you through thrilling new challenges
• Recommit To Romance: a blissful escape to reconnect and rekindle with your partner
• Make Time To Unplug: a sojourn to solitude: relax, unwind, and disconnect
• Be More Stylish: the sartorial spot for the stylish (or not so stylish) set
• Prioritize Family Time: getting together has never been this easy
• Learn To Dance: shall we dance? The answer to cutting a rug or taking a turn around the dance floor
• Study Another Culture: think global while staying local
• Learn To Code: build that bridge to the future by flexing tech skills
• Turn Your Passion Into A Business: monetize that favorite pastime of yours
• Practice Self-Care: reinvigorate your inner-self in a wellness setting that’ll make you go ‘spa’-aaah
• Meet New People: up your extrovert game by learning how to mix and mingle
• Be The Best Host: channel the entertainer in you with tips and tricks
• Find Your Funny: laughter is always the best medicine and this spot has got the formula
• Volunteer: learn the art of giving back and making meaningful connections
• Snap The Best Shot: from family photos to beach sunsets, amp up photography skills
• Cook Up A Storm: create culinary magic by learning this tasty craft

Starting on January 13^that 12:00 PM EST, consumers will be able to reserve their desired resolution experience for two-night stays beginning January 17th for $20.20. The resolution suites range from one-bedroom to two-bedroom apartments, with full modern kitchens, bathrooms with luxury amenities and custom programming to help guests kick-start their resolution in style. A full list of the resolution suites can be found by visiting https://www.booking.com/articles/epic-suites-to-spur-on-ny-resolutions.html.

The 20 Booking.com resolution experiences for 2020 are a part of Booking.com’s new creative marketing campaign, which debuted on a national level December 23 across TV and digital channels. The integrated campaign highlights how “there’s a booking for every New Year’s resolution” showcasing how Booking.com makes it easier to book a trip for any occasion, including to kickstart a New Year’s resolution, through key features such as search filters and a user-friendly mobile-optimized experience.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Presents the First Major Museum Exhibition to Explore the Achievements of Native Women Artists

Nationally Touring Exhibition Opens in Washington, D.C., Feb. 21, 2020 at Its Renwick Gallery

Women have been a predominant creative force behind Native American art, yet their individual contributions, for centuries, have largely remained unrecognized and anonymous. In the first major thematic exhibition to explore the artistic contributions of Native women, “Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists” celebrates the achievements of these Native women and establishes their rightful place in the art world.

Christi Belcourt; Métis, born 1966; The Wisdom of the Universe, 2014; Acrylic on canvas; Unframed: 171 × 282 cm (67 5/16 × 111 in.); Art Gallery of Ontario; Purchased with funds donated by Greg Latremoille, 2014; 2014/6. © Christi Belcourt

The critically acclaimed exhibition “Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists” was organized by Jill Ahlberg Yohe, associate curator of Native American Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Teri Greeves, an independent curator and member of the Kiowa Nation. At the core of the exhibition is a firm belief in the power of the collaborative process. The Minneapolis Institute of Art formed an all-female Exhibition Advisory Board, which included Native artists, curators and Native art historians, to generate new interpretations and scholarship relating to the art and its makers, offering multiple perspectives that explore traditional and contemporary voices and techniques foundational to the art of Native women.

The presentation at the Renwick Gallery includes 82 artworks dating from ancient times to the present, made in a variety of media, from textiles and ceramics to sculpture, time-based media and photography. This exhibition is multi-lingual with wall text and labels presented in the artist’s Native American or First Nations languages, as well as English, aiming to present the works in the context of each artist’s own culture and voice. “Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists” is on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum from Feb. 21 through May 17, 2020. Robyn Kennedy, Renwick Gallery manager, is coordinating the presentation in Washington, D.C.

“We are honored to present this groundbreaking and bold exhibition, designed by and for Native women artists, that showcases their powerful voices and artistic traditions,” said Stephanie Stebich, the Margaret and Terry Stent Director at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “We are also delighted to work with our sister Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, in offering dynamic programming to explore questions of modern Native identity and artistic practice. This exhibition also reflects the important work of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative focused on amplifying women’s voices, reaching new audiences and empowering future generations.”

“Hearts of Our People” highlights the traditional and integral role of Native women artists in serving the cultural, economic, diplomatic and domestic needs of their communities, reaching beyond longstanding conventions of treating these artworks as unattributed representations of an entire culture. The exhibition is organized according to three overarching themes: “Legacy,” “Relationships” and “Power.” These themes are a testament to the underlying purpose with which Native women have historically made art and enable visitors to note variations in the works of art created for similar purposes across time and Native cultures.

“Legacy” examines the way in which Native women artists acknowledge their lineage by creating works that simultaneously embody the experience of previous generations, address the present moment and speak to the future. Fiber work by D.Y. Begay (Navajo) and sculptural works by Cherish Parrish (Ottawa/Pottawatomi) are featured in this section of the exhibition.

“Relationships” explores the concept of connectivity and reciprocity that exists beyond the human world to include animals, plants, places and living and nonliving elements. Christi Belcourt’s (Michif) painting “The Wisdom of the Universe” and the intricate bead work of Nellie Two Bear Gates (Gathering of Clouds Woman, Iháƞktȟuƞwaƞna Dakhóta, Standing Rock Reservation) highlight this link.

“Power” encompasses works created for diplomacy and influence to empower others and for the empowerment of oneself. Photography by Rebecca Belmore (Anishinaabe) and Rosalie Favell (Métis [Cree/English]), adornments by Keri Ataumbi (Kiowa/Comanche) and Jamie Okuma (Luiseño/Shoshone–Bannock), and shoes embellished by Jamie Okuma (Luiseño/Shoshone–Bannock) represent the spiritual, social and political power Native women hold.

Free Public Programs: Opening weekend events at the Renwick Gallery (Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W.) include a land acknowledgement and welcome by Gabrielle Tayac (Piscataway Nation) Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, at 10 a.m., and a gallery talk at noon by Ahlberg Yohe and Greeves, organizing curators of the exhibition. The museum will host a film screening Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m., at the museum’s main building (Eighth and F streets N.W.) as part of the annual Mother Tongue Film Festival, which celebrates cultural and linguistic diversity by showcasing films and filmmakers from around the world.

The museum is organizing a symposium in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian Saturday, March 28, 2020, at 2 p.m. The program, which will take place at the National Museum of the American Indian (Fourth Street and Independence Avenue S.W.), features artists Jolene Rickard (Tuscarora), Carla Hemlock (Kanienkeháka), Anita Fields (Osage) and Kelly Church (Ottawa/Pottawatomi); a panel discussion will be moderated by Greeves and Ahlberg Yohe. Additional information about these programs is available online at www.AmericanArt.si.edu/events.

The accompanying catalog, Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists, includes essays, personal reflections and poems by 20 members of the Exhibition Advisory Board and other leading scholars and artists. It is available for purchase ($39.95) in the museum store.

The exhibition’s presentation at the Renwick Gallery is the third stop on a multi-city national tour. Following its closure in Washington, D.C., the exhibition will travel to the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it will be on view June 28, 2020–Sept. 20, 2020.

“Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists” is organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

Nat Geo WILD and Sun Valley Film Festival Launch Seventh Annual Wild to Inspire Short Film Contest to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Grand Prize Includes Festival Screening and Filmmaking Expedition Abroad

In partnership with the Sun Valley Film Festival, Nat Geo WILD announces the seventh annual Wild to Inspire short-film contest. This year, the contest is seeking short films inspired by the milestone 50th anniversary of Earth Day. National Geographic has a storied history of inspiring people to care about the planet and is now looking for films to help with this mission. Films should celebrate the natural world, inspire viewers to work toward a planet in balance in the 21st century and draw a connection to the Earth Day anniversary.

The grand-prize winner will receive a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid excursion to one of the far corners of the globe to find out firsthand what it’s like to be a National Geographic filmmaker. Past winners have traveled to Africa and Peru.

U.S. residents are invited to submit a short film of three minutes or less using the submission platform Submittable™. Up to three finalists, announced in early March 2020, will receive an invitation to attend SVFF, which unites filmmakers and industry insiders from around the world, in Sun Valley, Idaho, March 18-22. At SVFF, the finalists will screen their films for festival attendees and before a panel of judges that includes Nat Geo WILD executives. The grand-prize winner will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony.

“National Geographic has always been at the forefront of storytelling excellence, having redefined the natural history genre throughout the decades,” says Chris Albert, EVP of global communications at National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD. “Which is why it’s so relevant to inspire the next generation of filmmakers who are eager to put our planet in the spotlight and encourage guardianship and sustainability through heightened awareness of our living, breathing and dynamic planet.”

Since 2012, the Sun Valley Film Festival has invited fans and filmmakers to America’s first ski resort to celebrate the magic of storytelling. The year-round Sun Valley Film Initiative develops professionals and illuminates the process of filmmaking, propelling emerging voices with grants and education. Each March, SVFF celebrates with a slate of cutting-edge films and TV premieres, industry panels, engaging Coffee Talks with entertainment luminaries, a Screenwriters Lab led by award-winning writers and a series of parties culminating with the spectacular SVFF Awards Bash. The 2020 SVFF will be held March 18-22. SVFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. (Learn more at sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.)

“Sun Valley is committed to bringing together the best and brightest in filmmaking while also celebrating the aspiring creators whose work deserves our attention,” says Teddy Grennan, executive director of the Sun Valley Film Festival. “Screening Wild to Inspire finalists during our annual festival is just one way this contest helps foster new talent.”

Nat Geo Channel Is Bringing Back the Best of Its 2019 Programming for You to Binge Over the Holidays.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Catch up on all your NGC favorites from the past year, including The Hot Zone, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Running Wild with Bear Grylls and more!

See why IndieWire named National Geographic one of the top five Best Television Platforms of 2019!

Don’t forget to plan movie night! Academy Award-winning documentary film Free Solo airs Dec. 26 at 9/8c.

Tune in for two full weeks of marathon programming beginning today.

That’s a wrap! National Geographic is saying goodbye to 2019 with some of your all-time favorite National Geographic Channel programs of the year. From the dangerously frigid Alaskan terrain to the 3,200-foot summit of El Capitan, explore breathtaking sights, heart-pounding adventure and groundbreaking science from wherever you’re spending the holidays. After a year of such amazing content, we won’t judge if you stay on the couch for the whole two weeks.

This year’s breadth of programming continued to break boundaries through thrilling exploration, risk-taking and transcendent storytelling. Highlights of the two-week blitz include the following:

• To kick things off, Nat Geo is exploring new life and old legends with Expedition Amelia: Bob Ballard’s Search (Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.), on the search for renowned aviator Amelia Earhart’s remains, and episodes of Lost Cities with Albert Lin (Dec. 23 at 9 and 10 p.m.), as the National Geographic Explorer uncovers the greatest mysteries of ancient cities from El Dorado, to Stonehenge, to Petra!
• You thought the cold weather was tough! Catch the animal kingdom’s most epic survival stories as Bear Grylls guides you through Hostile Planet (Dec. 24 at 11 a.m.), showcasing the world’s most extreme environments and the animals that have adapted to cruel evolutionary curveballs.
• The year 2019 was a milestone one for the multi-Emmy-winning series Life Below Zero (Dec. 25 at 9 a.m.) as it celebrated its 100th episode. Meet some of the toughest individuals in the world as they attempt to survive in the most unforgiving and remote corners of America. After watching all day, tune in to a new special episode on Dec. 25 at 9 p.m.
• Spend the holidays with some of Hollywood’s most beloved celebrities as they push physical and mental limitations on Running Wild with Bear Grylls (Dec. 26 at 9 a.m.). With guests including Brie Larson, Cara Delevingne, Armie Hammer, Channing Tatum, Bobby Bones and more, you won’t want to miss the chance to catch up on the boldest season yet.
• Grab some popcorn (and your seats!) — don’t miss the Academy Award-winning documentary film Free Solo (Dec. 26 at 9 p.m.), as climber Alex Honnold sets out to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the world’s most famous rock, 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, without a rope.
• Looking for some not family-related drama? Tune in to Nat Geo’s most-watched scripted series yet, The Hot Zone (Dec. 28 at 5 p.m.). An edge-of-your-seat thriller inspired by Richard Preston’s international bestseller, The Hot Zone recounts the appearance of Ebola on U.S. soil in 1989 and the courageous heroine who put her life at risk to stop this deadly killer. These episodes will include never-before-seen enhancements with real archival footage, scientific interviews and more, diving into the true story behind this lethal outbreak.
• Forget your classic holiday libations! Gordon Ramsay serves up a taste of adventure in Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (Dec. 29 at 9 a.m.) as he travels across the globe to learn about local flavors. His journey takes him to Peru’s Sacred Valley, Alaska’s panhandle, New Zealand’s rugged south, Morocco’s mountains, Hawaii’s Hana Coast and Laos’ Mekong River.

In addition to the marathons highlighted above, there’s even more. Don’t miss your chance to watch wildlife prosper in America’s National Parks (Dec. 24 at 5 p.m.) or explore the depths of the oceans with all kinds of sharks (When Sharks Attack beginning Dec. 30 at 9 a.m.) (yes, that rhyme was intentional). And better yet, see what’s in store for 2020 with a sneak peek of the reimagined Brain Games hosted by Keegan-Michael Key (Dec. 29 at 10 p.m.).

For more information on the two-week best of Nat Geo Channel marathon, visit www.natgeotv.com

The Fives Hotels & Residences in Riviera Maya Announces a Line-Up of Events to Celebrate the Holidays

Guests of all ages can spend the festive season immersed in the local Mexican culture at these five-star properties

As the holiday season quickly approaches, The Fives Hotels & Residences invites travelers to switch the snow for sand and celebrate with the Riviera Maya as a tropical paradise backdrop. Under its All Senses Inclusive concept, the brand will hold a series of authentic local experiences, sumptuous gastronomic offerings, live music and more for travelers looking to spend this holiday season abroad.

The Fives Hotels & Residences

At The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences, the night before Christmas will be a memorable evening with a series of traditional festivities for guests of all ages. The property’s main plaza will transform into a traditional Mexican posada, allowing visitors to experience the observance of a Mexican Holy Night. The family-friendly evening will be complete with piñatas, hot chocolate, churros, amongst other mouthwatering delicacies. On Christmas Eve, guests can also choose from 15 unique dining venues, while the favorite Flavors Restaurant will serve traditional holiday dishes to its international fare menu including roasted turkey, apple purée, cod, and pork.

To ring in the New Year, guests have several options as three luxurious five-course dinners will be held on-site at Sea Olive, Pizco and Mestizo restaurants. The sumptuous menu will include lobster bathed in champagne beurre blanc and spicy butter, lamb rack with scalloped potatoes & pea purée, and chestnut cheesecake with blackberry and Moet rose perfume.

To close the night, the five-star property will offer guests waiting for the clock to strike midnight a memorable New Year’s Eve show held at the main infinity pool from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Guests will be able to enjoy live music by a DJ, a traditional show playing tribute to local Mayan culture, fireworks, lucky grapes for each stroke of midnight, and more.

The Fives Downtown Hotel & Residences, shielded between the lively city bustle and the breathtaking Caribbean coastline, will offer visitors an unforgettable holiday season with a scrumptious three-course Christmas dinner serving Mexican specialties such as tamales, pozole, and more. The dinner will be priced at approximately 49 US dollars per person.

The Fives Downtown will wait for the clock to strike midnight with a lively rooftop party presenting a five-star dinner, open bar, midnight fireworks, live DJ, grapes for the countdown and the best views of Playa del Carmen. The dinner and party will be priced at approximately 166 US dollars per person.

For families and friends seeking holiday fun in the sun, The Fives Beach offers the best meld of activities, cultural immersion, and relaxation with lavish accommodations in one, two, or three-bedroom residences-style suites for ultimate comfort. For more information and reservations, visit https://www.thefiveshotels.com.

Carnegie Hall Presents Le Vent du Nord and De Temps Antan in an Exciting Program Celebrating the Music of Quebec

On Friday, January 24 at 8:30 p.m., two widely popular groups from Quebec—Le Vent du Nord & De Temps Antan—come together in Zankel Hall for an exuberant performance of traditional and contemporary dance tunes of French-Canadian culture. In a program entitled QuebecFest!, the groups perform on a host of instruments that include hurdy-gurdy, jaws harp, guitar, and accordion with richly harmonized songs and instrumentals.

Le Vent du Nord and De Temps Antan. Photo Credit: https://do617.com/

Le Vent du Nord and De Temps Antan teamed up together in 2016 and have performed traditional Quebec folk music (often called “trad” in colloquial Québécois French) throughout Quebec, the US, France and Switzerland, and at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall. In 2018, they released a recording that was awarded Album of the Year—Traditional at the Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries (ADISQ).

The award-winning Le Vent du Nord (The North Wind) is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement and a key group in the renaissance of Quebec’s traditional music. The group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions, while enhancing its hard-driving soulful music (rooted in the Celtic diaspora) with a broad range of global influences. Since its inception in August 2002, Le Vent du Nord has enjoyed meteoric success, performing well over 2,000 concerts over four continents and receiving several prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros, two Junos (Canada’s Grammys), a Félix at ADISQ, a Canadian Folk Music Award, and “Artist of the Year” at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala. The group has appeared regularly on Canadian, American, French, and UK television and radio; played recently at major festivals such as Celtic Connections, WOMAD Chile, WOMADelaide, and WOMAD New Zealand; and collaborated and performed with a diverse range of artists, including Väsen, Dervish, The Chieftains, Breton musical pioneer Yann-Fañch Kemener, Québecois roots legend Michel Faubert, singer Julie Fowlis, and the trans-Mediterranean ensemble Constantinople. Le Vent du Nord also created a symphonic concert, providing a bridge between the symphonic and Quebec traditional music. In 2018, the band—Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Demers and Réjean Brunet—became a quintet when André Brunet joined the ensemble.

De Temps Antan (Of Olden Times) is regarded as the most powerful trad trio in Quebec. Its members— Éric Beaudry, David Boulanger and Pierre-Luc Dupuis—have been brilliantly and skillfully exploring and renewing the Quebec traditional repertoire since 2003. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, these three virtuosos blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found in traditional Quebec music. Their sets include ancient songs, new tunes, uncontrollable fits of laughter, dusted-down verses, and the occasional unplanned side trip. De Temps Antan has five albums to its credit, including Ce monde ici-bas which won ADISQ’s 2014 FELIX Award for Best Traditional Music Album, and has toured North America and Europe. All three musicians have been members of various Quebécois groups, including the iconic La Bottine Souriante.

Soprano Renée Fleming Leads Second Year of SongStudio, an Innovative Workshop Celebrating the Art of the Vocal Recital

Public Master Classes and Talks by Ms. Fleming, Gabriel Kahane, Soprano Julia Bullock, Hartmut Höll, and Mezzo-Soprano Elīna Garanča

Young Singers and Pianists from Around the Globe Selected to Participate

Tickets to Public Master Classes and Young Artist Recital On Sale Now

From January 13–18, 2020, renowned soprano Renée Fleming will mentor 10 aspiring young singers and 10 collaborative pianists from around the world in the second year of SongStudio, an innovative program exploring the future of the vocal recital. Building on Marilyn Horne’s remarkable work with The Song Continues, the intensive workshop will bring emerging vocalists and pianists together with leading artists and composers for a week of instruction and performance at Carnegie Hall.

“I’m hoping to spark more creative thinking about the art form and how it can be expanded,” said Renée Fleming. “I want to encourage singers to be intellectually curious and adventurous in their approach to song repertoire; to think outside the box in their choice of repertoire, including music beyond the standard classical literature; and to experiment with new performance elements.”

The week will feature vocalists, collaborative pianists, and other artists from a wide variety of disciplines lending their insights and expertise. Gabriel Kahane will serve as SongStudio’s composer-in-residence, working with the singers and pianists on selections from his diverse vocal music. On Tuesday, January 14 at 7:30 p.m., he will join Ms. Fleming for a discussion and master class dedicated to his vocal writing, with performances by SongStudio artists.

A public master class with acclaimed mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča follows on Thursday, January 16 at 4:00 p.m.

Sopranos Julia Bullock and Renée Fleming will be in conversation on Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Ms. Bullock’s recent production, Zauberland, as well as her approach to creative programming and choosing collaborators.

All participating singers and pianists will receive private coaching throughout the week, learning from teachers, coaches, and collaborative pianists Javier Arrebola, Craig Terry, Hartmut Höll, and Gerald Martin Moore. Brian Zeger and Craig Terry will lead sessions on recital programming with the SongStudio artists. There will be a master class by Mr. Höll, focused on the art of the collaborative pianist, on Friday, January 17 at 4:00 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. that evening, Ms. Fleming will lead a public master class for participants.

The week will culminate in a final “Young Artist Recital” on Saturday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m. in Zankel Hall.

Following a rigorous audition process open to talented young singers and collaborative pianists from around the world, twenty artists have been selected to participate and paired by faculty, coming from Russia, Armenia, Canada, Colombia, Australia, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States:

• Natalie Buickians, Soprano/Sandy Lin, Piano
• Meghan Kasanders, Soprano/Cameron Richardson-Eames, Piano
• Anneliese Klenetsky, Soprano/Anna Smigelskaya, Piano
• Kady Evanyshyn, Mezzo-Soprano/Nara Avetisyan, Piano
• Xenia Puskarz Thomas, Mezzo-Soprano/Richard Fu, Piano
• Eric Finbarr Carey, Tenor/Tomomi Sato, Piano
• Randy Ho, Tenor/Celeste Marie Johnson, Piano
• Dominik Belavy, Baritone/John Robertson, Piano
• Johnathan McCullough, Baritone/Michael Sikich, Piano
• Laureano Quant, Baritone/Toni Ming Geiger, Piano

Living Well/Travel: MO BAR at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore Introduces New Menu

MO BAR at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, recently listed on World’s 50 Best Discovery will launch the second volume of its menu series, drawing inspiration from the travels taken by Bar Manager Michele Mariotti and his team since the bar’s opening in late 2018. Building on the first menu’s theme of “People of the Sea”, the progressive new menu concept invites guests on a whimsical journey across Asia Pacific.

In each destination, the group partnered with local experts to explore the markets and meet purveyors to discover herbs, spices and ingredients unique to the location. This menu has been curated to pay homage to the cities visited and features 16 drinks, including non-alcoholic options, ensuring a beverage to appeal to every palate. Highlights include:

Mandarin Oriental Singapore Dining – MO Bar

• The T And T was inspired by Hong Kong, when Michele worked alongside Jay Khan of COA. With a tequila base, the drink utilises lemon verbena and fig leaves, ingredients sourced from a farm in northern Hong Kong.
• The Harvest Queen features Agricole Rhum from south of Hanoi, combined with apple and guava in a shaken, fruity tipple.
• The Chiang Mai-inspired Expedition celebrates the coffee plantations of the region and combines green coffee, grapefruit and vermouth.
• The Silk Market, a temperance cocktail with Mandarin cordial, fermented honey and corn is served in a unique vessel made of preserved cloth from pineapple fibre.

Widely known as “the city in a garden”, Singapore is an ideal destination for a weekend getaway or luxurious retreat. Located in the heart of Marina Bay, Mandarin Oriental, Singapore’s prestigious address is highly accessible to various attractions and fun-filled activities. Bed and breakfast rates are available at the hotel, priced from SGD 429 for two people sharing.

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore is one of the world’s foremost luxury hotels. It is the only hotel in the city that has been awarded Five-Star status for both accommodation and spa in the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide for eight consecutive years (2012 to 2019). This award-winning property has a prime location, close to the financial hub, with easy access to nearby luxury boutiques and entertainment venues, and minutes away from Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. The hotel features an impressive atrium lobby with 527 rooms and suites. Facilities also include the Oriental Club Lounge, an intimate spa, extensive meeting and banqueting facilities, five renowned restaurants and two lounges overlooking the spectacular Marina Bay.

Sir Bryn Terfel Returns to Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage in Recital with Pianist Natalia Katyukova

Performance Marks Terfel’s First Recital at Carnegie Hall in Ten Years

On Sunday, February 9 at 2:00 p.m., beloved Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel returns to Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage for a recital featuring works by Ireland, Quilter, Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, selections from Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel as well as additional selections to be announced from the stage. He is joined by pianist Natalia Katyukova. This concert marks his first recital at Carnegie Hall in ten years; for his complete performance history please click here. The full program is listed below.

Program Information

Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Sir Bryn Terfel, Bass-Baritone/Natalia Katyukova, Piano

• JOHN IRELAND “Sea Fever”
• JOHN IRELAND “Vagabond”
• JOHN IRELAND “The Bells of San Marie”
• ROGER QUILTER “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal,” Op. 3, No. 2
• ROGER QUILTER “Weep You No More, Sad Fountains,” Op. 12, No. 1
• ROGER QUILTER “Go, Lovely Rose,” Op. 24, No. 3
• ROGER QUILTER “Fair House of Joy,” Op. 12, No. 7
• JOHANNES BRAHMS Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121

1. Denn es gehet dem Menschen wie dem Vieh
2. Ich wandte mich, und sahe an
3. O Tod, wie bitter bist du
4. Wenn ich mit Menschen- und mit Engelszungen redete

• ROBERT SCHUMANN “Belsatzar,” Op. 57
• FRANZ SCHUBERT “Trinklied,” D. 888
• FRANZ SCHUBERT “Ständchen,” D. 889
• FRANZ SCHUBERT “An Sylvia,” D. 891
• ROGER QUILTER Three Shakespeare Songs, Op. 6

1. Come away, death
2. O mistress mine
3. Blow, blow, thou winter wind

• RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Selections from Songs of Travel

1. The Vagabond
2. Whither Must I Wander
3. Bright Is the Ring of Words
4. I Have Trod the Upward and the Downward Slope

Additional selections to be announced from the stage

Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel has established an extraordinary career, performing regularly on the prestigious concert stages and opera houses of the world.

Photo of Sir Bryn Terfel by Mitch Jenkins / DG, Natalia Katyukova by Kristin Hoebermann

After winning the Song Prize at the 1989 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, Sir Bryn made his professional operatic debut in 1990 as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with the Welsh National Opera. He made his international operatic debut in 1991 as Speaker in Die Zauberflöte at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels and made his American debut in the same year as Figaro with the Santa Fe Opera. Other roles performed during his career include Méphistophélès in Faust; both the title role and Leporello in Don Giovanni; Jochanaan in Salome; Scarpia in Tosca; the title role in Gianni Schicchi; Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress; Wolfram in Tannhäuser; Balstrode in Peter Grimes; Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Sir Bryn marked his 50th birthday and twenty-five years in the profession with a special gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall, presented by Hollywood star Michael Sheen. The celebrations continued at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre, where he sang Scarpia in a special concert performance of Tosca with the Welsh National Opera.

Recent performances include Holländer in Der fliegende Holländer for the Zürich Opera; Falstaff at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the world premiere of an original show by Robat Arwyn and Mererid Hopwood—Hwn Yw Fy Mrawd—chronicling the life of the film star and singer Paul Robeson at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff as part of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Gaddi’s At The Peninsula Hong Kong Earns Its First Michelin Star And Spring Moon Receives A One Star Rating For The Fourth Consecutive Year

Hailed as one of Asia’s most revered dining destinations since opening its doors in 1928, The Peninsula Hong Kong received a double seal of approval from the Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020. World-renowned French fine-dining institution Gaddi’s was awarded one Michelin star, and refined Cantonese restaurant Spring Moon garnered a coveted Michelin star for the fourth consecutive year.

Chef Trento, Chef Xavier, Chef Albin and Chef Lam leads the Michelin-starred Gaddi’s and Spring Moon Fine Dining Restaurants at The Peninsula Hong Kong.

Gaddi’s at The Peninsula Hong Kong just earned its first Michelin star

Gaddi’s Chef de Cuisine Albin Gobil

Acclaimed by guests and gastronomes the world over since opening in 1953, Gaddi’s is consistently commended as one of the city’s most sophisticated French fine-dining restaurants. Leading Gaddi’s golden culinary trio is Chef Albin Gobil, who transports guests on captivating epicurean adventures brimming with creativity and refinement. Chef Gobil describes his cooking style as “modern classic” with a deceptively simple and elegant approach to his gastronomic art. Striving to combine the best of past and present, Restaurant Manager Michele Drusacchi ensures that Gaddi’s sumptuous interiors and superlative cuisines are matched by impeccable service. Chief Sommelier Bojan Radulovic is a passionate storyteller who enriches each dining experience with expert anecdotes about more than 700 labels from the world’s leading vineyards on the extensive wine list.

Spring Moon, the fine dining Cantonese restaurant at The Peninsula Hong Kong has recieved a one star rating from the Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020 for the fourth consecutive year.

Winter Travel: Miami Beach Invites Travelers to Take a Micro-cation to Start the New Year

Beach-goers will find perfect options to eat, play and stay over a long weekend in early 2020

With two, post-holiday long weekends just around the corner, Miami Beach is ready and eager to welcome visitors looking for a micro-cation, a short but noteworthy getaway that’s less than five days, to start a new travel year. A three-day micro-cation to Miami Beach is the perfect solution for Americans looking for some rest and relaxation without taking too many PTO days in 2020.

Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (PRNewsFoto/Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority)

“Miami Beach is the perfect destination for a micro-cation, giving travelers easy access to pristine beaches, cultural experiences and opportunities to rest and recharge in the new year,” says Steve Adkins, Chairman, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA).”There are two long weekends in the first two months of 2020, as well as a major sporting event. We expect to welcome thousands of travelers over the Martin Luther King, Jr. and President’s Day weekends to Miami Beach, which is like no other place in the world, and offers an optimal mix of options to eat, play and stay.”

“Deep in the winter months, there is no place better to renew than Miami Beach,” notes Grisette Marcos, Executive Director, MBVCA. “A long weekend is the perfect opportunity to travel here. Convenient and easy to reach, Miami Beach offers travelers across the country and around the world a seamless vacation with warm weather and top-rated beaches, restaurants, a range of retailers and various entertainment choices. Travelers should book their vacations now.“

Start a new travel year on Miami Beach and escape the winter weather with a mirco-cation over a long, holiday weekend.

What to do, where to stay and what to experience while on Miami Beach; there are dozens and dozens of options. We’ve gathered a small sampling below. Visitors can also download the Miami Beach app at http://www.miamibeachapi.com/ and follow @ExperienceMiamiBeach on Facebook, Instagram and @EMiamiBeach on Twitter to learn more.

EAT

Mama Joon is housed inside the new Life House hotel. This restaurant boasts Mediterranean dishes with a Miami twist including mezze platters, roasted cauliflower and meat kofta. Diners can also enjoy the outdoor terrace overlooking the waters of Collins Canal.

Seattle Museum Month Offers Big Savings in February

New Museum Openings Enhance Month Of Significant Discounts At More Than 40 Museums

Every February, savvy travelers look to Seattle, also known as the Emerald City, where big savings can stack up for arts and culture lovers of all ages with Seattle Museum Month. From Feb. 1-29, 2020, travelers who stay at any one of nearly 60 participating downtown Seattle hotels receive 50 percent off admission prices to more than 40 museums and cultural institutions. February also historically offers lower rates for airfare to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and special hotel packages to entice winter travelers. To see the full list of participating museums and hotels, visit the Seattle Museum Month website at www.seattlemuseummonth.com.

Seattle Museum Month is produced by Visit Seattle and funded by the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area (STIA), a dedicated marketing fund assessed from guests at 73 downtown Seattle hotels. The program was created to encourage travelers to visit Seattle in February and celebrate the remarkable collection of unique museums in the region.

(PRNewsfoto/Visit Seattle)

“Seattle has a richly diverse and world-renowned collection of museums that draw people to our city year-round, but Seattle Museum Month offers unparalleled discounts for our visitors,” Visit Seattle Senior Director of Cultural Tourism Tracey Wickersham said. “Engaging hands-on experiences with history-making computers, vintage pinball machines, and experiential music galleries where you can look, listen and re-create some of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest moments mean our museums entertain as well as educate. You’ll find mind-blowing gardens made of glass and ancient artifacts that explore all facets of life on earth, and art from around the globe. A trip to Seattle for Museum Month will make memories that last a lifetime.”

Seattle Museum Month celebrates with a host of museum openings that give travelers the opportunity to explore Seattle’s cultural legacy.

Photo by: Dennis Miller. Caption: Savvy travelers look to the Emerald City for deep discounts on arts and cultural attractions all February with Seattle Museum Month. Travelers who stay at any one of nearly 60 participating downtown Seattle hotels receive 50 percent off admission prices to more than 40 museums and cultural institutions. The newly reopened Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is among those participating this year.

The Seattle Art Museum hosts the grand re-opening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum February 8 and 9. After a two-year renovation and expansion, the museum reopens with a reimagined collection installation that breaks boundaries with a thematic, rather than geographic or chronological, exploration of art from the world’s largest continent. Set in Seattle’s picturesque Volunteer Park, the historic Art Deco-era museum underwent a $56 million renovation and expansion to more fully display one of the largest collections of Asian art in the nation. Visitors wishing to attend the historic re-opening weekend on February 8 and 9 can reserve free timed tickets online. Beginning Feb. 12, Museum Month passes will be accepted.

Photo courtesy of Visit Seattle. Caption: Every February, savvy travelers look to the Emerald City where big savings can stack up for arts and culture lovers of all ages with Seattle Museum Month. February also historically offers lower rates for airfare to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and special hotel packages to entice winter travelers. To see the full list of participating museums and hotels, visit the Seattle Museum Month website at www.seattlemuseummonth.com. (PRNewsfoto/Visit Seattle)

With 16 million objects in its collections and infinite stories to tell, the recently re-opened Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture – the oldest museum in Washington state – welcomes visitors to an entirely new experience. Locally known as The Burke, the museum is located at the north end of The University of Washington Seattle campus and re-opened in October 2019. The new building designed by Olson Kundig creates unprecedented opportunities for visitors to see university faculty, researchers and students uncovering dinosaur skeletons, analyzing insects and collaborating with Native communities every day.

Enjoy renowned favorites as well like Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), The Museum of Flight, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and explore other regional museums, like LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, USS Turner Joy Museum Ship in Bremerton or the Bellevue Arts Museum in downtown Bellevue.

Seattle Museum Month discounts are only valid for guests staying at one of the participating hotels, up to four people, during hotel stay dates. Visitors must present an official Seattle Museum Month guest pass at participating museums to redeem the discounts.

Mandarin Oriental to Manage Luxury Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced today that it has signed a management contract to manage, and ultimately brand, the iconic Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Group will take over management of the property starting January 1, 2020. It will be Mandarin Oriental’s second hotel in the United Arab Emirates following the opening of Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai in early 2019.

Mandarin Oriental to Manage Luxury Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi

The hotel will be rebranded as a Mandarin Oriental property, following a phased renovation over two years, during which time the hotel will remain open. The work will encompass significant upgrades to guestrooms and recreational amenities, as well as new food and beverage facilities.

The Emirates Palace hotel sits on a 1.3-kilometre private beachfront, featuring 394 guestrooms and suites, 12 restaurants and bars, 40 meeting rooms, a concert grade auditorium and a ballroom that can accommodate up to 2,500 people. Leisure facilities include a marina, two swimming pools, a spa and two fitness centres.

“This is a unique opportunity to manage one of the most high-profile properties in the Middle East and will be an excellent addition to our portfolio in the region. We look forward to bringing the Group’s exemplary service standards to Abu Dhabi and to introducing the brand to a new audience,” said James Riley, Group Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi is centrally located in the heart of the city, conveniently situated for both leisure and business travellers. The Grand Mosque and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre are a short drive away. The Marina Mall is nearby and the commercial centre of the city is also easily accessed. The hotel is 40 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 90 minutes from Dubai Airport.

The property is owned by Emirates Palace Company, a subsidiary of the government of Abu Dhabi. The hotel, which is a fine example of Arabian design, was conceived to host the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and remains the preferred venue for several high-profile conferences in the public and private sector. It is also well recognised for welcoming several heads of states, foreign dignitaries and celebrities.

“The partnership with Mandarin Oriental represents an important milestone and aims to propel the property’s profile into a new era,” said His Excellency Sultan Dhahi Sultan Al Humairi, Managing Director of Emirates Palace Company (EPCO). “We look forward to a mutually prosperous and fruitful relationship with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group,” he added.

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2020 With The Peninsula Shanghai And Welcome The Year Of The Rat With Glamorous Michelin Experiences

The Peninsula Shanghai welcomes the Chinese New Year with authentic family experiences to bring joy and prosperity for The Year of the Rat. Peninsula guests and local residents can ring in the New Year with a range of customs and traditions, welcoming the most important occasion in the Chinese lunar year. Throughout the festive period, a canopy of red lanterns will decorate the hotel forecourt and festive plum blossoms will decorate The Lobby. Guests will be welcomed by 6.5 metre traditional Chinese paper-cutting with intricate detailing and New Year blessings – a decoration which has become one of The Peninsula Shanghai’s Spring Festival traditions.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

As tradition states, The Peninsula Shanghai (No. 32 The Bund 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Road Shanghai 200002 The People’s Republic of China. +86 21 2327 2888. PSH@PENINSULA.COM) will once again host its spectacular Lion Dance performance by the award-winning Ha Kwok Cheung dance troupe from Hong Kong at The Lobby on January 25, 2020 and at Yi Long Court every evening from January 25to 31 January, 2020. A fantastic show to behold, The Peninsula’s Lion Dance performance is a picture-perfect moment for the entire family in anticipation of the new year.

Chinese New Year Pudding

Sharing a sumptuous reunion banquet with family and friends is perhaps the ultimate highlight of the Spring Festival holiday. One Michelin-starred Yi Long Court will present Chef Tsui’s delectable eight-course Chinese New Year menus with two options: the Treasure and Longevity menus.

The Peninsula Pages with Chinese New Year Lanterns

On Chinese New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, diners at Yi Long Court can enjoy three quintessential delicacies from Southern China. Poon Choi, a luxurious Chinese casserole with premium Yunnan truffle, prickly sea cucumber, abalone and oysters, is served in two versions, Fortune and Fame and Fortune and Treasure. Lo Hei is a sumptuous raw fish salad that groups of guests stir together as they make a wish for the year ahead.

Las Vegas Raises A Glass To 2020 With Glamorous New Year’s Eve Events

The Entertainment Capital of the World to Offer Dazzling New Year’s Eve Experiences

Saying goodbye to another year, Las Vegas visitors can give 2019 a proper farewell with exciting New Year’s Eve events. The Strip and Downtown Las Vegas will ring in 2020 with astounding entertainment, pyrotechnic displays, mouthwatering culinary offerings and much more.

Las Vegas Logo (PRNewsFoto/Las Vegas Convention…)

Raise a Glass with the Stars

• Christina Aguilera will have guests saying “come on over” as she wraps up this leg of her “Christina Aguilera: The Xperience” residency at Zappos Theater inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, with four shows on New Year’s Eve weekend Dec. 27-28 and 30-31. Join the chanteuse for a special countdown to midnight at the Dec. 31 show.
• One of the world’s greatest rock bands – Journey – will bring the crowd inside The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to their feet with four shows on New Year’s Eve weekend Dec. 27-28 and 30-31.
• Celebrate with Lady Gaga as she puts on three shows New Year’s Eve weekend at Park Theater inside Park MGM. The superstar will perform her famous pop hits during LADY GAGA ENIGMA Dec. 28 and 30. And close out the decade in style on Dec. 31 at LADY GAGA JAZZ & PIANO with stripped-down versions of those hits alongside music from the Great American Songbook.
• Maroon 5 will bring their annual New Year’s Eve shows back to Mandalay Bay Events Center for the ninth consecutive year, Dec. 30 and 31.
• Jam out with rock band The Offspring at the Pearl Theater inside Palms Casino Resort on Dec. 30 and close out the year with an intimate performance by Puerto Rican superstar OZUNA on Dec. 31.
• Straight up ring in the new year with Paula Abdul as she performs her greatest hits at the Flamingo Las Vegas on Dec. 31.
• Guests looking to slay the remaining hours of 2019 can join multi-platinum artist LIZZO as she bring her captivating performance to The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Dec. 31.
• Say adieu to 2019 with pop rock band Third Eye Blind at House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino also on Dec. 31.
• American reggae and dub band Stick Figure will ring in 2020 at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas with a New Year’s Eve performance on Dec. 31.

Leave it all on the Dance Floor

• Drai’s Nightclub at The Cromwell will host a star-studded, four-day celebration to ring in 2020 from Dec. 28 to Dec. 31, with performances from artists Trey Songz (Dec. 28), Meek Mill (Dec. 29), Gucci Mane (Dec. 30) and Future on New Year’s Eve.
• Hakkasan Nightclub inside MGM Grand Hotel and Casino will celebrate New Year’s Eve weekend in style with five days of stellar performances by DJ Shift (Dec. 27), Fergie DJ (Dec. 28), rapper DMX (Dec. 29), TIËSTO (Dec. 30) and Steve Aoki bringing it home on Dec. 31.
• GRAMMY Award-winning rapper Drake continues his partnership with XS Nightclub at Encore Las Vegas with a New Year’s weekend performance Dec. 30.
• Chart-topping DJ duo The Chainsmokers will kick off the 2020 countdown on Dec. 31 at XS Nightclub at Encore Las Vegas with hits like “Call You Mine” and “Something Just Like This.”
• Rapper and songwriter Tyga will light up the JEWEL Nightclub stage inside ARIA Resort and Casino on Dec. 31 for a rousing night of dancing to number one hits.
• Celebrate with electronic dance music sensation Calvin Harris at Omnia Nightclub inside Caesars Palace on New Year’s Eve for an unforgettable celebration as he spins his greatest hits into 2020.
• Lil Jon will have the whole club screaming “yeah!” as he closes out 2019 at 1 OAK Nightclub at The Mirage Hotel & Casino.
• Mustard will ring in the new year on Dec. 31 at Marquee Nightclub inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas with complimentary champagne at midnight for all.
• Keeping the party going, TAO Nightclub at The Venetian Las Vegas will host a special performance by iconic rap artist NAS on New Year’s Eve.
• Shut down the old and ring in the new on Dec. 31 with the sounds of T-Pain at LIGHT Nightclub at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.