Staff Pick

Staff Picks: Holiday Edition

The “snowfall” that we captured from Kara Walker’s A Subtlety (2014) was among our notable moments of 2014.

The “snowfall” that we captured from Kara Walker’s A Subtlety (2014).

As the world winds down for the holidays, the Art21 staff brings you their recommendations for including some art in your annual festivities.


“Julie Taymor is doing The Magic Flute at The Met, and tickets are only available till January 5. Highly recommend just for her staging, and the libretto has been translated into English. It’s on the cover of last week’s Time Out, and it blew me away. $25 tickets are available day of performance, but it’s a lottery, and it’s cold out there!”

Kate TavernaArt in the Twenty-First Century Editor
December 20 – January 5


“James Turrell’s classic ‘Skyspace,’ Meeting, at MoMA Ps1 is a must-see. Go during sunset and watch the installation’s lights change with the sky. While you’re there, check out Sascha Braunig’s Shivers, a series of psychedelic trompe l’oeil figures that somehow read like otherworldly landscapes.”

—Kelly Olshan, Arts Administration Intern
Meeting is a long-term installation
Shivers will be on view until March 5, 2017


“If you’re traveling home for the holidays, take time to find the local art museum that you’ve probably been too busy to visit on earlier trips. Recently over Thanksgiving I saw the exhibition African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the David C. Driskell Center at the Susquehanna Art Museum in my hometown of Harrisburg, PA.

It was incredible to see the work of so many artists I’ve had the privilege of making films with just down the block from the movie theater where I worked in high school and developed my interest in cinema. It was a reminder that despite all of the attention paid to major museums in big cities, it’s important to value the work done by smaller institutions that are directly embedded into communities.”

Ian Forster, Producer


“Stay warm and visit the Guggenheim to see Agnes Martin. Download the museum’s app to your phone or request one of the museum’s audio guides, and walk-through the exhibition as you listen to Agnes Martin describe her philosophy, work, and process. Truly fascinating.”

Lolita Fierro, Associate Manager of Development
On view through January 11, 2017


Is there an exhibition or artwork you’ve fallen in love with recently? Leave your own pick in the comments below!