Cultural Center sights in New York City
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A
Lincoln Center
This stark arrangement of gleaming Modernist temples contains some of Manhattan’s most important performance spaces: Avery Fisher Hall (home to the New York Philharmonic), David H Koch Theater (site of the New York City ballet), and the iconic Metropolitan Opera House, whose interior walls are dressed with brightly saturated murals by painter Marc Chagall. Various other venues are tucked in and around the 16-acre campus, including a theater, two film screening centers and the renowned Juilliard School.
Built in the 1960s, this imposing campus replaced a group of tenements called San Juan Hill, a predominantly African American neighborhood where the exterior shots for…
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B
Japan Society
Fresh, rotating exhibitions of Japanese art, textiles and design are the main draw at this cultural center. Its theater hosts a range of films and dance, music and theatrical performances, while those who want to dig deeper can browse through the 14,000 volumes of the research library or attend one of its myriad lectures.
Founded in 1907 by a group of NYC businesspeople with a deep admiration for Japan, this nonprofit society has played a large role in strengthening American–Japanese relations. Its expansion into a full arts and cultural center was thanks in no small part to philanthropist John D Rockefeller III, an ardent fan of the country.
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C
Tibet House
With the Dalai Lama as the patron of its board, this nonprofit cultural space is dedicated to presenting Tibet’s ancient traditions through art exhibits, a research library and various publications, while programs on offer include educational workshops, open meditations, retreat weekends and docent-led tours to Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. Exhibits here tend to attract a diverse and passionate crowd, and have recently ranged from ‘Modern Buddhist Visions by Pema Namdol Thaye, ’ with traditional Tibetan tangka painting and sculpture, to ‘Masterpieces of Contemporary Buddhist and Hindu Tantric Art, ’ featuring works from a special collection. Open on Saturdays by…
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D
National Arts Club
This club, founded in 1898 to promote public interest in the arts, boasts a beautiful, vaulted, stained-glass ceiling above the wooden bar in its picture-lined front parlor. Calvert Vaux, who was one of the creators of Central Park, designed the building, originally the private residence of Samuel J Tilden, governor of New York and failed presidential candidate in 1876. The club holds art exhibitions, ranging from sculpture to photography, that are sometimes open to the public from 1pm to 5pm (check the website for schedules). Other events include sketch classes, jazz lunches and French lessons.
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