ART OFF THE WALL: Ai Weiwei, Salsa Party & 'Summer School' Among July 2014 Public Programs at the Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum will present a variety of public programs for adults, teens, and kids in July. Public programs include talks, late night events, performances, screenings, and hands-on workshops for children and adults that amplify the Museum's exhibitions and permanent collection, serve its diverse public, and support learning through the visual arts.

Highlights for July include Art Off the Wall: According to What?, an evening celebrating the artist Ai Weiwei featuring an ensemble spoken-word performance directed by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai and a workshop with the Asian American Oral History Collective; a special Salsa Party evening of dancing and music; a workshop on Art, Activism, and Public Space and "Summer School," a series of classes presented in partnership with Pioneer Works.

The full schedule follows:

Thursday, July 10, 6- 9 p.m.

Salsa Party

Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor

Free with Museum admission

Some of Brooklyn's best salsa dancers come together for the Museum's semi-annual after-work Salsa Party. The party begins with a dance lesson and continues with salsa dancing and performances by professional dance teams.

Saturday, July 12, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, July 13, 12-2 p.m.

Workshop: Art, Activism, & Public Space

Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor

Tickets: $35, includes admission to Ai Weiwei: According to What? on Saturday and lunch on Sunday. Museum Members receive a reduced rate of $25.

Martha Bowers, faculty member at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, leads this two-part workshop on performance art for social change. This special class looks at the development of site-specific performance with an emphasis on projects that include activist agendas. Using various mediums, participants will complete short assignments inspired by Ai Weiwei and work toward creating a final hypothetical site project that will be shared for critique during the Sunday session. Recommended for adventurous adults with some experience in at least one of the following: dance, theater, spoken word, poetry, photography, or visual art. To purchase tickets, visit www.museumtix.com.

Thursday, July 17, 7:30-9 p.m.

Drop-In Drawing

Meet in the Rubin Lobby, 1st Floor

Materials fee: $7 for Museum Members; $8 for non-Members

Explore artists' processes, build professional drawing skills, and meet others who share your interests. All ages welcome; no experience necessary. R.S.V.P. to drop-indrawing@brooklynmuseum.org.

Saturday, July 19, 2 p.m.

Discussion: "Asian American Youth for Political Change"

Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor

Free with admission to the ticketed exhibition Ai Weiwei: According to What?

Join educator and activist Dan Ping He for a facilitated conversation with community groups about how young Asian American activists engage in political action. Speakers include: Primi Akhtar, Ya-Ya Network, Sadie Speaks, New York; Angel Sutjipto, RAISE: Revolutionizing Asian American Immigrant Stories on the East Coast; Betty Chen, Asian Youth in Action/CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities; and Lauren Quijano, Anakbayan, New York.

Thursday, July 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Art Off the Wall: According to What?

Museum-wide

Tickets, $18, include admission to Ai Weiwei: According to What?

An evening of performances and interactives inspired by the work of Ai Weiwei. Program includes an ensemble spoken-word performance directed by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, a workshop with the Asian American Oral History Collective, a dance performance by Wildcat!, and a calligraphy workshop. To purchase tickets, visit www.museumtix.com.

Thursday/Tuesday, July 10 & 15 and July 17 & 22

Summer School with Pioneer Works

Classes are $45, which includes admission to the Museum and a ticket to the exhibition Ai Weiwei: According to What?. Advance registration is required at www.pioneerworks.org.

This summer the Brooklyn Museum is partnering with Pioneer Works to present a series of classes, inspired by the Museum's exhibitions and collections, that explore how artists perceive, access, and approach ideas through the use of diverse tools. Each class takes place in two sessions, one at the Brooklyn Museum and the other at Pioneer Works in Red Hook.

Classes Offered:

The History of Visualization (From Camera Obscura to 3-D Printing)

Thursday, July 10, at Brooklyn Museum; Tuesday, July 15, at Pioneer Works

A class led by Robyn Renee Hasty and David Sheinkopf that explores the interrelationship between technology and the way we view the world. From the fifteenth-century camera obscura to the desktop 3-D printer in the twenty-first century, technology has revolutionized art and design. In the first session, we will cover the history of these developments through demonstrations and materials in the Brooklyn Museum archive. During the second session, participants will experiment with lenses, optics, drawing machines, projection, camera obscura, and 3-D scanning and printing. Advance registration is required at www.pioneerworks.org.

Tools for Impossible Ideas (Approaching Civic Freedom through Public Art)

Thursday, July 17, at Brooklyn Museum; Tuesday, July 22, at Pioneer Works

This class led by Nancy Nowacek examines relationships between people and public space, how the city can be used as a framework for imagination, and definitions of public space and "the public." The first session will explore the methods and strategies behind a selected group of public art projects. In the second session, participants will collaborate on a project that puts these strategies to work. Advance registration is required at www.pioneerworks.org.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Admission: Contribution $12; students with valid I.D. and seniors $8. Free to members and children under 12 accompanied by an adult. Group tours or visits must be arranged in advance by calling extension 234.

Directions: Subway: Seventh Avenue express (2 or 3) to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum stop; Lexington Avenue express (4 or 5) to Nevins Street, cross platform and transfer to the 2 or 3. Bus: B41, B69, B48. On-site parking available.

Museum Hours: Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; first Saturday of each month, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Pictured: Ai Weiwei (Chinese, b. 1957). Ai Weiwei, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 1983. Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio. © Ai Weiwei.

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