Start 2019 right with a visit to Peninsula Gallery. Curator Johnny Mullen has put together a smart exhibition of upcoming artists. “Strange Form of Life” features Lars Fisk, Clare Grill, E Hause, Matt Kleberg, Jim Lee, Meg Lipke, and Graham Wilson. Open weekends 1-7pm. Through Feb 3. 352 Van Brunt St.
And while you’re in the vicinity, Pioneer Works continues its “Disassembler” exhibition by the Greek artist Maria Antelman through Feb 10. 159 Pioneer Street.
Jalopy Theater hosts Alaskan fiddler Ken Waldman for “From Red Hook to the Real Alaska.” While coming from the great north, the evening will mostly be an exploration of Red Hook’s own folk music, past and present. Waldman will be joined by Max Hatt & Edda Glass Hen’s Teeth (Janie Rothfield & Nathan Bontrager) DuoDuo Quartet (Maeve Gilchrist, Nic Gareiss, Natalie Haas, Yann Falquet) Mark Kilianski, Nate Sabat, and others. Waldman aims for a “festival feel,” so active (and spontaneous) collaborations are encouraged. Performance is at 8pm. GA is $15. 315 Columbia St
Through Feb 10, Kentler International Drawing Space features the sui generis artist Meridith McNeal. “A Portrait of My Mother” collects recent watercolors of objects once owned by the artist’s mother. 353 Van Brunt.
Through Jan 20, The Heights Players launch a production of Ed Gracyzk’s classic “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” (1976). It’s 1975, and six women in a James Dean fan club reunite after 20 years to reminisce and confront their youth and buried secrets. The curtain rises at 8pm for the two-hour play, and GA is $20. 26 Willow Pl
Soloway gallery closes its exhibition of Elizabeth Bonaventura’s “What About Standing People and Animals?” “Bonaventura’s new work depicts creatures and personages traveling through schematic hilly landscapes in saturated hues of blue, red and green. Partly dressed people and animals parade along the strong horizon stopping occasionally to talk, play or fight. Bonaventura’s people, tattooed, blue-haired, oddly proportioned and costumed might have deserted a circus sideshow, while her monsters appear to have made their way from the outer edges of an early map of the world onto center stage….Lively gestures and expressions combine with the rich palette to create an atmosphere both enticing and baffling.” 348 South 4th Street
The artist-archiver Jason Simon shows three, rare 16mm French films from the 50s and 60s at Light Industry on Jan 8: “Les Enfants du musée,” by Agnès Varda; “Le Mystère de l’atelier quinze,” by Alan Resnais; and “Olympia 52,” by Chris Marker. The films starts rolling at 7pm, and GA is $8. 155 Freeman Street
Greenpoint Terminal Gallery closes its “Weird Flex” exhibition on Jan 12. Featuring Michael Dotson and Royal Jarmon, who play with popular images from Disney and NASCAR to look at the dynamics of marketing, art-world pretension, and the manipulation of perception. 67 West St #320
It’s the last day to see “1Ensemble,” a minimalistic group show “intuitively arranged”
at Cathouse Proper. There are some intriguing works by Shari Mendelson, Aga Ousseinov, and Danilo Correale. Friday-Sunday, 12-6pm or by appointment. 524 Court Street (enter through Huntington Street, 2nd fl)
Pioneer Works hosts Wikipedia executive director Katherine Maher, author of “How to Be Black” and comedian Baratunde Thurston, and the marine biologist and in-house science scholar Ayana Elizabeth Johnson for a discussion on knowledge and power. It’s the second in Pioneer Work’s “Science & Society” series. 159 Pioneer Street.
Black Ball Projects finishes its run with “Bitches Talkin,” a dual exhibition by Tamar Halpern and Eileen Quinlan. See our review of the show by Will Drickey. Open weekends 12-6pm. 384 Bedford Ave.
From Jan 24-27, Kane Street Synagogue hosts the 15th annual Brooklyn Israel Film Festival. The three featured films include “Siege”; “Echo”; “Operation Egg”, then on Jan 27, the festival wraps up with three half-hour short films: “Strings,” “Across the Line” and “Welcome and Our Condolences.” Single tickets are $18. Festival passes are $36. Check out kanestreet.org/film/biff2019/ or call 718-875-1550 for various times.
The Solomon Guggenheim launches its first phase of a major retrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe 30 years after the artist’s death. Through July 10, the first phase shows early Polaroids and iconic self-portraits. The second phase, July 24 – Jan 2020, mixes Mapplethorpe’s self-portraits with artists who explore identity and self-representation in similarly incisive ways (Catherine Opie, Lyle Ashton Harris, Rotimi Fani-Kayode). 1071 5th Ave, Manhattan.
The children’s musician Amelia Robinson, who performs as Mil’s Trills, spearheads the 9th annual Mil’s Trills 9th Annual Winter Bash at ShapeShifter Lab. Expect full-scale bands as well as performances by budding 7-9 songwriters. 3-4pm. $10 in advance, $15 at door, family rate is $45, and babes in arms are free.18 Whitwell Place
Kentler International Drawing Space celebrates the life’s work of musicians Herbert Brün and Frederic Rzewski with “Time and Truth: 50 years of music for Percussion.” In the small gallery space, percussionist Allen Otte will combine electronics and marimba in tandem with the Meridith McNeal, “Portrait of My Mother.” 353 Van Brunt.
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