Salsa Party, 2022. (Photo: Kolin Mendez Photography)

In-person programming welcomes community members to the Museum

The Brooklyn Museum kicks off its robust lineup of 2023 programming for adults and children this January, featuring a teen night inspired by Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech,” a convening held on the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, and a talk with renowned artists José Parlá and Hank Willis Thomas. Additional programs includeclasses, tours, and special events that amplify the Museum’s exhibitions and collections, serve the surrounding community, and support learning through the visual arts.

Masks are optional in the building (except for the Auditorium, where masks are required). Certain events and programs may require masks or proof of vaccination; please review your tickets closely for up-to-date information. Museum Members enjoy complimentary or discounted tickets and early access to public programs.

The full schedule is as follows:

Salsa Party
Thursday, January 12, 6–9:30 pm
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor Free; reservations encouraged.

Salsa season continues with monthly dance-filled evenings hosted by Balmir Dance Society! Start the night with a class led by professional dancers at 6 pm, followed by live music, social dancing, and performances by Brooklyn’s best Latin dance teams.

Pop-Up Performance: Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra Sunday, January 15, 2–3 pm and 3:15–4:15 pm Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor
Free with Museum admission.

Hear music performed by members of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the Museum’s orchestra in residence.

Artist’s Eye: José Parlá with Hank Willis Thomas
Thursday, January 19, 7–9 pm
Beaux-Arts Court and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor Tickets are $16 and include Museum general admission.

José Parlá celebrates the release of his new publication Ciclos: Blooms of Mold in this edition of Artist’s Eye, the Museum’s series of intimate talks by contemporary artists who bring fresh perspectives to our special exhibitions. He is joined by his friend and fellow artist Hank Willis Thomas to discuss Parlá’s five large-scale landscape paintings featured in Brooklyn Abstraction: Four Artists, Four Walls.

For Freedoms News Special Report: News from the Inside Saturday, January 21, 2–3:30 pm
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Register in advance and pay what you wish (suggested admission: $10).

Join renowned artist and activist Bryonn Bain (Lyrics from Lockdown) and transformative justice practitioner Claudia Peña (UCLA Prison Education Program / For Freedoms) as they host a For Freedoms News Special Report. The program focuses on the injustice of mass criminalization as seen through the eyes of people who are currently and formerly incarcerated or impacted by this system.

On stage at the Brooklyn Museum, Peña and Bain will coanchor a live show that includes a segment called “News from the Inside,” featuring an incarcerated correspondent reporting from prison. The artist-commentators will discuss the correspondent’s accounts with audience members.

This program is presented as a follow-up to For Freedoms News, an artist-led reimagining of television news launched during a fall 2022 residency at the Brooklyn Museum.

50 Years since Roe: A Convening on Reproductive Justice
Sunday, January 22, 12–5 pm
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art Forum, 4th Floor; Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor; Overlook Gallery, 4th Floor
Free; reservations encouraged.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, join us for an afternoon of art, film, and storytelling. This program also marks the opening of Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter: Ain’t I a Woman, an exhibition that examines the ongoing fight for reproductive justice and incarcerated women of color’s pivotal role in this movement.

Art History Happy Hour: NFTs
Thursday, January 26, 7–8:30 pm
The Norm Restaurant and Bar, 1st Floor
Tickets are $45 and include a specialty cocktail, small bites, and after-hours admission to Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech.”

The Museum’s popular Art History Happy Hours continue with an evening of conversation around non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, presented in collaboration with writer Nato Thompson.

Teen Night: “Art of Imagination”
Friday, January 27, 5–7:30 pm
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor Free; reservations required.

January’s Teen Night, a teen-led program centered on art and activism, features a range of art-making, performances, and much more, inspired by Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech.”