The National Arts Club | 120 Years of Arts Education and Excellence
The mission of The National Arts Club is to stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts.
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VIRTUAL: Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, author of “Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century," traces the shifting roles of women over the 20th century through the era’s most iconic dresses on Friday, January 27 at 3 PM (ET).
See Greg Colson’s “Snap Shot” in our galleries through January 28.
In “Snap Shot,” Colson explores the tension between different kinds of gestures, conflicting notions of intention and accident, the big picture and small details. His “Pie Chart” paintings draw out the humor and rhythm in our social patterns, reflecting our obsession with efficiency, data, and analysis—which are typically seen in the sleek nonmaterial setting of the computer screen. These woks convey a sense of distraction that is, in Colson’s words, “the condition of our lives in the information age, where the trivial and significant are put on an equal footing.”
To learn more, please visit nationalartsclub.org/exhibitions.
It's time to talk fashion! Erin Beatty, founder of Rentrayage, will discuss how her fashion label sources its materials to create beauty and value. Join The National Arts Club on Wednesday, January 25, at 6 PM (ET). This is a virtual event. To register for free, please follow the link in our bio.
Inspired by Louise Bourgeois, Rentrayage is a French word to mend and to “make whole again.” In today’s world, fast fashion is a major contributor to landfill waste. Creating sustainable fashion addresses the need to limit our footprint by creating style from that which already exists.
Rentrayage (), based in Brooklyn, NY, was created out of this concept as a company dedicated to sustainable fashion. Erin Beatty, founder of Rentrayage, will discuss how her fashion label sources its materials to create beauty and value from what has been discarded.
Examine the ideal–or not-so-ideal–Greek woman on Wednesday, January 25 at 6:30 PM (ET).
Jenifer Neils, Elsie B. Smith Professor emerita of Liberal Studies at Case Western Reserve University and former Director of American School of Classical Studies in Athens, discusses how by viewing the imagery of ideal and less than ideal women, Greek artists portrayed females within a misogynist society.
This program is presented in collaboration with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout visits the National Arts Club on Tuesday, January 24 at 6:30 PM (ET) with her latest novel “Lucy by the Sea.”
With her trademark spare, crystalline prose, Strout follows the indomitable heroine of “My Name Is Lucy Barton” through the early days of the pandemic in “Lucy by the Sea.”
Our annual one-act play festival returns on Monday, January 23 at 6:30 PM (ET).
For this year’s festival, we present a series of short, compelling, meaningful works that reveal heightened interactions among people—not only for the characters involved in the story, but also for all of us out there in the audience.
Today's the day; honor MLK!
On Friday, January 20, we present the National Arts Club Medal of Honor to fashion designer Naeem Khan.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Khan () cultivated a vast knowledge of textiles under the watchful eyes of his grandfather and father, both of whom designed intricate clothing worn by Indian royal families. Khan moved to the United States as a teenager and launched his career as an apprentice for legendary American designer Halston where he immersed himself in the ethos of modern restraint and learned the craft of draping and cutting fabric to create a clean, elegant and timeless silhouette.
Khan launched his eponymous label in 2003, and since that time his collections have adorned glamorous women around the world including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Rachel McAdams, Michelle Obama, Queen Noor of Jordan, and the Princess of Wales, when she was the Duchess of Cambridge. In 2008, he was inducted as a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Enjoy a performance by young pianists Ryan Lu and Yidi Ding on Wednesday, January 18 at 7 PM (ET).
The evening includes traditional Chinese music in contemporary arrangements, works by African-American legend Florence Price, and virtuoso showpieces by Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Liszt.
On view: “Psycho!Geo!Graphic: Melvin (Grave) Guzman”
Melvin (GRAVE) Guzman is a mixed media and performance artist. Balancing abstraction and mysticism, Grave transforms the mundane, constantly experimenting with fragments of what is close at hand and of the city to transcend both his and our collective states of being.
“Psycho!Geo!Graphic” examines a two-year acclimation to a new type of existence in New York during which the artist assembled a collection of compartmental cartographies—fragments of places—part of the whole he endeavors to convey employing a sort of nomadology of techniques, gestures, and tools. Objects infused with the entropy of the city modulate this contained reality, much like they do the topography and existential possibility of the city, in a holistic, hopefully graphic, expression of a metaphysics of subsistence.
This exhibition is on view through January 28. To learn more, please visit nationalartsclub.org/exhibitions.
Joan of Arc is believed to have been born (January 6) in 1412. This sculpture of the famed heroine sits atop a mantle in our historic parlors. It was created by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973), a leading sculptor of the early 20th century and an Artist Life Member of the National Arts Club.
📸: Evan Joseph
Internationally-renowned dance photographer Costas shares photos and talks about his new book, “Dancing Women,” on Thursday, January 12 at 6 PM (ET).
A dance lover's dream, the book reflects Costas’ commitment to taking photos of dancers in action rather than posed-for studio settings. His subjects range from the Ailey Company to the Bolshoi to New York City Ballet.
Vodka expert Harold Joyce dives into the 600-year evolution of the spirit on Thursday, January 12 at 6 PM (ET).
Learn about the distillation process and various types of vodka currently being made. Sharing from Joyce’s personal collection of bottles, guests will experience a variety of versions of the spirit.
A belated look back at our NYE party.
It's going to be a great year at the NAC!
📸: Kyle Wagner
Learn about the Bronx’s rich musical and cultural heritage on Wednesday, January 11 at 6:30 PM (ET).
Folklorist Elena Martinez and jazz musician and educator Bobby Sanabria, artistic directors of the Bronx Music Heritage Center, introduce the vision of the venue using slides and videos.
Greg Colson’s “Snap Shot” opens in our galleries on January 7.
In “Snap Shot,” Colson explores the tension between different kinds of gestures, conflicting notions of intention and accident, the big picture and small details. His “Pie Chart” paintings draw out the humor and rhythm in our social patterns, reflecting our obsession with efficiency, data, and analysis—which are typically seen in the sleek nonmaterial setting of the computer screen. These works convey a sense of distraction that is, in Colson’s words, “the condition of our lives in the information age, where the trivial and significant are put on an equal footing.”
This exhibition is on view through January 28. To learn more, please visit nationalartsclub.org/exhibitions.