By Tracy Zwick

Art, music, film, and literature – fall’s cultural kickoff is underway in New York City, with one of its blockbuster exhibitions opening this weekend on West 86th Street!  

Let’s Weekend! 

September 20 – 23, 2024

Sèvres Extraordinaire! Sculpture from 1740 until Today: Bard Graduate Center, 18 West 86th Street; Opens Saturday, September 21, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Closed Mondays, Open till 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays); Tickets $6-$15, Free admission the first Friday of each month

Truly extraordinary, you don’t need to know much about French porcelain to appreciate this first-of-its-kind presentation of sculpture from the famed Sèvres manufactory in Paris. Many of the objects here have never been exhibited outside of France, from 18th-century Greek-inflected works commissioned by Louis XV’s official mistress, Madame de Pompadour, to contemporary sculpture in porcelain by visionaries including Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, and Jim Dine. The 200-or-so objects range from Rococo to Neoclassical, from Romantic to Surrealist to Art Deco, and Pop Art. They tell a story of art and cultural history, and of French royal and political power. The show also makes accessible to novices and experts alike the process by which porcelain and these sui generis constructions are made. An atelier on the fourth floor includes interactive displays alongside implements and materials that came directly from Sèvres. There’s a badger-hair brush, once essential for its precision, but no longer made due to restrictions on using badger hair, and tools made with agate and other fine minerals for polishing and burnishing. Visitors can explore stations with molds, clay, and quartz, along with videos and text explaining, among other things, the famous “Sèvres blue,” which has evolved over centuries. Did you know porcelain “dances” when it’s fired? 

Movie, Memoir, and Music at Symphony Space: “The Women“ (1939), Friday, Sept. 20 at 7:00 p.m., Tickets $18; “Brown Girl Dreaming, with Jacqueline Woodson & Friends,” Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. (tickets $15-$35); both at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at West 95th Street

You pick: a classic flick on Friday evening, or a night of song and conversation about identity, memory, and the power of storytelling on Saturday. On Friday, Symphony Space is screening “The Women” (1939), a satirical comedy in black and white about the lives, loves, and rivalries of Manhattan socialites, centered on a woman who discovers her husband’s infidelity. It features Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford, and true to its title, not a single male. On Saturday, celebrate the decennial (every ten years) of Woodson’s verse-memoir “Brown Girl Dreaming,” through the musical stylings of Toshi Reagon and friends, and conversations about the text and music with Roxane Gay and Woodson herself, among others. 

Morningside Lights, Saturday September 21, beginning at 8:00 P.M. in Morningside Park at 116th Street and Morningside Avenue, then proceeding along Morningside Drive and entering the Columbia University Campus through the Amsterdam Avenue gate; Free 

This annual community event features art-centric lanterns built by volunteers from Columbia University and surrounding neighborhoods during a week of free public workshops that culminates in this nighttime parade, which evolves into a mobile, glowing art gallery on Columbia’s campus. You can carry a lantern, no sign-up or experience required! But be sure to show up by 7:00 p.m. for rehearsal at 120th Street and Morningside Avenue. Lanterns are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. This year’s theme is “100 Years of New York Art” and the lanterns reflect and celebrate the last century of New York arts and artists. It’s presented by Columbia University’s Miller Theater and Friends of Morningside Park in collaboration with the local community. 

Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo” Midnight Release Party: Book Culture, 536 West 112th Street, 11:30 P.M., Signed Copy Ticket $30; Regular Ticket $16 (does not include book) 

Fans of “Normal People,” “Conversations with Friends,” and “Beautiful World, Where are You?” unite! Book Culture is hosting a party in honor of Rooney’s latest, “Intermezzo,” this Monday at its West 112th Street location (between Broadway and Amsterdam). There’ll be games, snacks, drinks, novelty items, and after-hours browsing among fellow Rooney readers. The author will not be there, but who knows who else will turn up! An excerpt of the new novel appeared in The New Yorker’s July 1st issue. 

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