By Marissa Bañez
Comedian/actor Jimmy O. Yang has a great bit about how his mom’s favorite catchphrase is “guess how much” to brag about bargains she’d gotten. That is so me!
Recently, my mind, heart, and soul have been soothed by international and domestic art, literature, history, plays, concerts, architecture, interior design, fashion, etc. This article lists 13 cultural gems hidden in plain sight, without the hassle of dealing with massive crowds usually at events and activities almost everyone knows about.
And . . . guess how much? FREE!
The bookshop of the French Institute for Cultural and Education in the landmarked Payne Whitney Mansion features the Albertine ceiling, which is “a hand-painted mural of constellations, stars, and planets . . . modeled after the extraordinary ceiling of the music room at the Villa Stuck in Munich, Germany, crafted by Franz von Stuck.” They also host many events. https://www.albertine.com/about-us/
The Korean Cultural Center has an art gallery, theater, cooking studio, library, and outdoor garden. Sang Young Park recently gave an author talk there about his international best-selling book, Love in the Big City. https://www.koreanculture.org/
The Church of Sweden has a charming café downstairs and a quietly beautiful church upstairs, both done in gorgeous blond wood. https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/newyork. A few blocks south is the Scandinavian House, which has an art gallery, as well as a bistro and a shop. On exhibit in the gallery until August 2nd is Nordic Echoes — Tradition in Contemporary Art, billed as “the first major traveling exhibition of contemporary Nordic folk arts and cultural traditions from the Upper Midwest[,]” where most Scandinavian-Americans live. https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/
The Czech Center of New York presents programs in “visual and fine arts, film, literature, music, architecture, design, fashion, science, and social innovation.” They recently presented a haunting and thought-provoking one-man play, Kafka’s Ape, which showed the universality and continuing relevance of Franz Kafka’s A Report to an Academy, written over a century ago. The play was described as an “unsettling exploration of what it means to adapt as an ‘other’ within society.” https://new-york.czechcentres.cz/en/about-us
The Tibet House is the cultural center of H.H. The Dalai Lama, consisting of a gallery, lecture hall, a Buddhist shrine, library, and more. On current display are magnificent pictorial representations of the Tabo monastery complex, which dates back to the 11th century and continues to function today. https://thus.org/
The Irish Hunger Memorial is an outdoor permanent installation designed by Brian Tolle, an internationally renowned artist, “to raise public awareness of the events that led to the [Irish potato] famine of 1845-52 and to encourage efforts to address current and future hunger worldwide.” Within the memorial is an authentic reconstructed famine-era cottage and paths lined with vegetation native to Ireland. https://bpca.ny.gov/place/irish-hunger-memorial/
The Austrian Cultural Forum is an architectural wonder designed by Raimund Abraham, and the forum provides guided tours of the building and its art exhibitions. The forum recently presented a chamber music concert featuring pieces by Haydn, Mozart, and Shubert. It also presents many theater performances, concerts of different types of music, and other events. https://acfny.org/
The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology boasts of “a permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the eighteenth century to the present.” You can also explore its collections on its website by eras, garment type, accessories, jewelry, and (to quote Carrie Bradshaw, “Hello, lover”) shoes!!! https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/
Pete’s Tavern, established in 1864, is a New York literary institution. O. Henry wrote his classic book, Gift of the Magi, while eating and drinking there in 1903. His booth is commemorated with his picture and early editions of the book. https://www.petestavern.com/
The New York Public Library has many events and classes at its many branches throughout the city. I took advantage of a terrific 8-week acting course and an origami class. https://www.nypl.org/events/calendar
The Salmagundi Club bills itself as a “center for American art since 1871.” Housed in the last surviving landmarked brownstone on lower Fifth Avenue, the club has a vast and varied collection of art on display throughout three floors and a fascinating collection of very old books in its library. They sponsor numerous events, including live original plays in which non-actors (like me) play a part. I’ll be playing a character in the next play, scheduled in late July. I also participate in their writing workshop, where aspiring writers of any genre can write and read their written works in a safe and encouraging environment. https://salmagundi.org/
The Liszt Institute/Hungarian Cultural Center New York sponsors art events and performances, such as the recent concert called “Night of the Organs,” during which several Johann Sebastian Bach pieces were played beautifully on a special organ designed specifically for his music. https://culture.hu/us/new-york
The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice has an indoor garden/forest and a gallery highlighting artwork that “engage with issues of justice, dignity, and fairness.” They also sponsor discussion panels and other presentations. https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/the-ford-foundation-center-for-social-justice/
These represent just the tip of the iceberg of what’s freely offered in Manhattan. New York is a vibrant and creative – but expensive – city, so if we can access the vibrancy and creativity without any expense, why not? As they say, “if it’s free, it’s for me!”
Marissa Bañez, an attorney and children’s book author, is a frequent contributing writer for The FilAm and for other Filipino-American news outlets. Her books, ‘Hope and Fortune’ and ‘Hues and Harmony (How the Rainbow Butterfly Got Her Colors)’ are available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
