All across the five boroughs, we're bringing arts and culture right to your back yard!
In addition to providing library cardholders with free passes to museums and theaters, Culture Pass works with partner organizations to bring unique cultural programming to branches across the city. Check out the schedule below to see when and where we'll be next.
JANUARY
Photographic Storytelling
1/7/2023 - 2:00pm - Stapleton Branch, 132 Canal Street, Staten Island
Presented by the Alice Austen House Museum
Join Alice Austen House photographic teaching artists to be introduced to the world of portraiture. Alice Austen (1866-1952) was a Victorian photographer who documented her world and the people of the late 19th century. In this hands-on lesson we will draw inspiration from Austen's vintage photographs to direct and take portraits with a focus on camera angle, framing, composition and personal narratives. Participants will present their work to the group and take home their original B&W portrait. More Info
Ages: Older Adults. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Family Art Workshop
1/14/2023 - 12:00pm - Harry Belafonte Branch, 203 West 115th Street, Manhattan
Presented by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Join the Guggenheim Museum at the Library to explore the work of the artist Nick Cave. Take inspiration from his creative materials and social justice focus to create your own collaborative sculpture as a family. More Info
Ages: Families with children 5-12. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Photographic Storytelling
1/18/2023 - 1:00pm - Fort Hamilton Branch, 9424 4th Avenue, Brooklyn
Presented by the Alice Austen House Museum
Join Alice Austen House photographic teaching artists to be introduced to the world of portraiture. Alice Austen (1866-1952) was a Victorian photographer who documented her world and the people of the late 19th century. In this hands-on lesson we will draw inspiration from Austen's vintage photographs to direct and take portraits with a focus on camera angle, framing, composition and personal narratives. Participants will present their work to the group and take home their original B&W portrait. More Info
Ages: Older Adults. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Who is Florence Price?
1/21/2023 - 1:00pm - Queens Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Queens
Presented by the Kaufman Music Center
Published by Schirmer Books of Wise Music Group, Who is Florence Price? is a new children’s book written and illustrated by students at Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School, New York City’s only K-12 public school that teaches music as a core subject. The book tells the story of a brilliant musician who prevailed against race and gender prejudices to become the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and be performed by a major American orchestra in 1933.
The program includes a reading of Who is Florence Price? by the student authors. Special Music School musicians will also perform music composed by Price, including “Fantasie No. 1 in G minor” (1933), “Fantasy in F sharp minor” (1940), and “Adoration” (1951). More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Family Art Workshop
1/28/2023 - 3:00pm - Ridgewood Branch, 20-12 Madison Street, Queens
Presented by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Join the Guggenheim Museum at the Library to explore the work of the artist Nick Cave. Take inspiration from his creative materials and social justice focus to create your own collaborative sculpture as a family. More Info
Ages: Families with children 5-12. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Posters on Coasters
1/30/2023 - 3:30pm - DeKalb Branch, 790 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn POSTPONED
Presented by Poster House
Bring out your inner designer for Poster House’s Posters on Coasters teen event. Inspired by the travel posters featured in our exhibition Air India’s Maharaja: Advertising Gone Rogue, this program will allow you to highlight your favorite far-off destination through the creation of a pair of stylish coasters. Gift them to a worthy friend or make them the perfect accent piece for your coffee table. More Info
Ages: 13-18. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
FEBRUARY
An Introduction to Traditional Chinese Dance
2/1/2023 - 3:30pm - Mitchell-Linden Branch, 31-32 Union Street, Queens
Presented by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts
Join us in this interactive workshop for all ages featuring dancers from Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, who will lead participants through the basic elements of movement and practice of traditional Chinese dance training, including demonstrations of the lion dance, ribbon dance, and fan dance. More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Dyeing with Autumn's Colors
2/2/2023 - 6:00pm - Crown Heights Branch, 560 New York Avenue, Brooklyn
Presented by the Wyckoff House Museum
Using plants and flowers grown at the Wyckoff House Museum’s farm, participants will learn a brief history of using natural dyes on clothing and textiles and how they can apply this knowledge to their own wardrobes using materials from the garden or grocery store. We’ll touch on textile history, the pH scale, and color theory as we guide you through the steps to dye clothes at home! Limited materials will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Who is Florence Price?
2/6/2023 - 6:30pm - Brooklyn Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
Presented by the Kaufman Music Center
Published by Schirmer Books of Wise Music Group, Who is Florence Price? is a new children’s book written and illustrated by students at Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School, New York City’s only K-12 public school that teaches music as a core subject. The book tells the story of a brilliant musician who prevailed against race and gender prejudices to become the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and be performed by a major American orchestra in 1933.
The program includes a reading of Who is Florence Price? by the student authors. Special Music School musicians will also perform music composed by Price, including “Fantasie No. 1 in G minor” (1933), “Fantasy in F sharp minor” (1940), and “Adoration” (1951). More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
La Clave the Key: A Musical Journey from Africa to the (so-called) New World
2/11/2023 - 1:00pm - Bronx Library Center, 310 E Kingsbridge Road, The Bronx
Presented by the Bronx Music Heritage Center
Master musician and educator Bobby Sanabria leads the audience on a sonic journey tracing the roots of many of popular forms of music in the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States from their origins in west and central Africa, in particular, the 5 beats known as la clave which guide the structure of the music. More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Afro-Latin Soul: The Soundtrack of NYC
2/13/2023 - 4:00pm - Lefferts Branch, 103-34 Lefferts Boulevard, Queens
Presented by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts
Join us for a lecture/demonstration with multi-instrumentalist Steven Salcedo exploring the history of how Afro-Latin music was born out of the New York City melting pot of the 1950s and 1960s, leading to the birth of funk and hip-hop through the lens of Latin music icons Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and more. More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.
Kora Music Concert
2/22/2023 - 4:30pm - Morrisania Branch, 610 E 169th Street, The Bronx
Presented by the Bronx Music Heritage Center
Traditional Musician/instrumentalist Salieu Suso will present a composition on health and longevity in light of the public health emergency, called “Simaya ning Jatakendeya.” More Info
Ages: All Ages. Duration: 1 hour. Language: English.