Gould Memorial Library, the last surviving major public building designed by Stanford White, emerged from a collaboration between a visionary educator, a generous donor, and two artists who, 15 years earlier, created the Veteran's Room at the Armory. Collaborations in architecture can be fraught, and while the result was a great work of architecture, the design and construction of the library was no exception. The story begins in 1895 when New York University moved from Washington Square to University Heights and extends to the present, where today Gould forms the centerpiece of the landmark campus of Bronx Community College. Sam White's lecture will trace a process that was rarely linear, occasionally messy, and begins with a cameo appearance of Gould Memorial Library on the silver screen.

Samuel G. White is a founder and consulting partner at PBDW Architects, a New York firm focusing on designs that introduce new interventions to historic settings. The firm's work ranges from the restoration of Park Avenue Armory, the Palace Theatre, and Astor Courts to the reconfiguration of the New-York Historical Society, additions for Saint David's School and Packer Collegiate Institute, and new designs for Learning Spring Elementary School, and the Moise Safra Center.

White is the author of The Houses of McKim, Mead & White, Nice House, and Stanford White in Detail, which will be published in late October. He is co-author with Elizabeth White of McKim, Mead & White: The Masterworks and Stanford White Architect. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, an Academician of the National Academy of Design, and a former adjunct associate professor of Fine Arts at New York University. White is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania.

This video is now live,?however, you may view the talk at your leisure.

Previously in the series:

The Presidents Versus the Press: The Endless Battle between the White House and the Media From the Founding Fathers to Fake News
Harold Holzer, Author & Historian
Watch the Video

In with the "New Movement": American Artists in New York City, 1870-1900
Thayer Tolles, Curator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Watch the Video

Providing a Platform for Women Painters: Scribner's Monthly/The Century and the Promotion of Female Artists in Late 19th Century Print Media
Page Knox, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University
Watch the Video

SEASON SPONSORS

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

Join us tomorrow at 2:00PM EST as we celebrate Part II of the Armory and National Black Theatre''s 100 Years | 100 Women initiative marking the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote. Hosted by?Maya Wiley (University Professor, The New School), the Virtual Watch Partywill offer sneak peeks of newly-commissioned artistic works and creative responses to this milestone anniversary with special guests Susan Herman, Jari Jones, Tantoo Cardinal, Rita Dove, Catherine Gray, Sayu Bhojwani, and?Kasibahagua Ta?no Cultural Society.?

You don''t want to miss this must-watch event, featuring works by?Joselyn Kaxhyek Borrero, Zo? Buckman, Staceyann Chin, Karen Finley, Ebony Noelle Golden, Andrea Jenkins, Shola Lynch,?Meshell Ndegeocello, Toshi Reagon, Martha Redbone, Peggy Shaw & Lois Weaver (Split Britches), Carrie Mae Weems, Deborah Willis, and many more. Register now.

100 YEARS | 100 WOMEN
Celebration of Commissions: A Virtual Watch Party
Tuesday, August 18 at 2:00pm EST
Free; Advance Registration Required

SEASON SPONSORS

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

Interrogations of Form is?supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council. The Armory's Artist-in-Residence program is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

100 Years | 100 Women is presented with lead partner National Black Theatre and nine New York City-based cultural partners: Apollo Theater; The Juilliard School; La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club; The Laundromat Project; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of the Moving Image; National Sawdust; New York University (Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts; Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation; and Institute of African American Affairs & Center for Black Visual Culture); and Urban Bush Women.

In case you missed it, tune in now to experience the?100 Years | 100 Women Virtual Watch Party, celebrating the reveal of newly-commissioned artistic works created in response to the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote. Hosted by Maya Wiley, the Watch Party offers sneak peeks of commissioned works, as well as appearances by special guests?Sayu Bhojwani, Tantoo Cardinal, Rita Dove, Catherine Gray, Susan Herman, and Jari Jones. Watch now.

Read more about the creation of the project in Vogue.

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

100 Years | 100 Women is part of Park Avenue Armory's Public Programming series Interrogations of Form, which?is?supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council. The Armory's Artist-in-Residence program is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

100 Years | 100 Women is presented with lead partner National Black Theatre and nine New York City-based cultural partners: Apollo Theater; The Juilliard School; La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club; The Laundromat Project; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of the Moving Image; National Sawdust; New York University (Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts; Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation; and Institute of African American Affairs & Center for Black Visual Culture); and Urban Bush Women.

Dear Friends, 

In the wake of George Floyd's murder (preceded by the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Rana Zoe Mungin, Breonna Taylor, and so many others) and the continuing outcry of devastating pain and grief across America, we write to express solidarity with the Black community and with all those who, through peaceful protest, seek justice for acts of violence against people of color by law enforcement. We stand with all those devoted to dismantling the systematic racism that has long pervaded this country.

During this time of deep mourning and reflection, made more complicated by the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has disproportionately affected communities of color, Park Avenue Armory affirms our commitment to stand up for equal rights, treatment, respect, and opportunities for all, and to protest and actively oppose discriminatory behavior of all kinds. As an institution, we re-dedicate ourselves to working diligently to maintain a safe, inclusive, embracing, creative home for the widest possible expression of artists and audiences.

Park Avenue Armory is grateful to the essential workers who continue to protect us during this pandemic. We are happy to share stories of science, care, and wellness from the?Health Matters blog created by our sponsor NewYork-Presbyterian.

LAST PATIENT IN COVID RECOVERY UNIT GOES HOME??

Watch as tears flow as Agustin Tlathuetl sees his children for the first time in months and thanks his caregivers at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center for giving him a second chance at life.

HOW TO MANAGE KIDS'' SCREEN TIME DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

With children's time on devices surging, here are?six ways parents can handle tech habits in the household and, yes, cut themselves some slack.

HOW TO PREVENT BACK AND NECK PAIN WHILE WORKING FROM HOME

During this new era of telecommuting, experts from NewYork-Presbyterian Och Spine Hospital explain how to optimize posture, set up home office equipment, and find time to move.

MY COVID-19 STORY

In their own words: life on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic at NewYork-Presbyterian.

Join us next Tuesday, August 18 at 2:00pm EST?for a Virtual Watch Party celebrating Part II of the Armory and National Black Theatre''s?100 Years | 100 Women?initiative?marking the centennial anniversary and complex legacy of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote. Launched earlier this year,?100 Years | 100 Women asked a diverse group of more than 100 artists, activists, scholars, students, and community leaders who self-identify as women or gender non-conforming to creatively respond to this milestone anniversary.

The Watch Party, hosted by Maya Wiley (University Professor, The New School), will feature appearances by Susan Herman, Jari Jones, Tantoo Cardinal, Rita Dove, Catherine Gray,?Sayu Bhojwani,?and the?Kasibahagua Ta?no Cultural Society, as well as sneak peeks of the commissioned artists'' work, including a cinematic portrait by filmmaker Shola Lynch. Additional commissioned artists include?Zo? Buckman, Staceyann Chin, Karen Finley,?Ebony Noelle Golden, Andrea Jenkins, Meshell Ndegeocello, Peggy Shaw & Lois Weaver (Split Britches),?Toshi Reagon, Martha Redbone, Carrie Mae Weems, Deborah Willis and many more. Collectively, their work interrogates not only the complex legacy of women's suffrage through their various lenses and practices, but also reflects this volatile year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, #BlackLivesMatter, and a divisive election season.

100 Years | 100 Womenis presented with lead partner National Black Theatre and nine New York City-based cultural partners:?Apollo Theater; The Juilliard School; La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club; The Laundromat Project; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of the Moving Image; National Sawdust; New York University (Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts; Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation; and Institute of African American Affairs & Center for Black Visual Culture); and Urban Bush Women.

Register now?for access to the Virtual Watch Party on August 18, and follow @ParkAveArmory on Facebook,?Instagram, and Twitter, for more information about the event and participants.

100 YEARS | 100 WOMEN
Celebration of Commissions: A Virtual Watch Party
Tuesday, August 18 at 2:00pm EST
Free; Advance Registration Required

SEASON SPONSORS

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

Interrogations of Form is?supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council. The Armory's Artist-in-Residence program is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

SEASON SPONSORS

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

Armory memberships are the ideal gesture for the art and theatre enthusiasts among your friends and family, and now is the perfect time to purchase a gift membership and keep the performing arts an essential part of New York life.?

Working closely with city and state governments, we have advocated for the safe reopening of large flexible venues like the Armory. Our newest commissions by Bill T. Jones and the trio of Christine Jones, Steven Hoggett and David Byrne are designed to keep attendees safe, while ushering in the return of live performing arts to New York City. Your contribution supports the development of these works and helps us bring live performing arts back to New York City.

You can help transform our artistic community and give the gift of live performances this holiday season!??

Not interested in giving the gift of membership? Consider making a donation to help support our efforts to bring the New York cultural scene back to life.?

This year marks the centennial anniversary of Edith Wharton's great novel, The Age of Innocence. This lavishly illustrated lecture will explore Edith Wharton's New York, both the New York of the 1870s that is portrayed in The Age of Innocence, and the New York of Edith Wharton's life, from her birth as Edith Newbold Jones in a building still standing at 14 West 23rd Street in 1862 to her move to Paris in the first decade of the new century. We will see how much of the world of The Age of Innocence can still be seen in the streets of New York (surprisingly, a lot more than you'd think). We'll also look at the New York world she knew and wrote about in many works besides The Age of Innocence (such as The House of Mirth and The Custom of the Country), and in so doing cut a broad swath through 40 years of New York's cultural history and social geography to see a city that is in some ways very remote from our own, and in remarkable ways very familiar to us more than a century later.

Francis Morrone is an architectural historian, writer, and the author of 13 books, including Guide to New York City Urban Landscapes (W.W. Norton, 2013) and, with Henry Hope Reed, The New York Public Library: The Architecture and Decoration of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (W.W. Norton, 2011), as well as architectural guidebooks to Philadelphia and to Brooklyn. He is the recipient of the Arthur Ross Award of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Landmarks Lion Award of the Historic Districts Council, and New York University's Excellence in Teaching Award, and was named by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the "Thirteen Best Tour Guides in the World."

This video is now live,?however, you may view the talk at your leisure.

Previously in the series:

The Presidents Versus the Press: The Endless Battle between the White House and the Media From the Founding Fathers to Fake News
Harold Holzer, Author & Historian
Watch the Video

In with the "New Movement": American Artists in New York City, 1870-1900
Thayer Tolles, Curator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Watch the Video

Providing a Platform for Women Painters: Scribner's Monthly/The Century and the Promotion of Female Artists in Late 19th Century Print Media
Page Knox, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University
Watch the Video

Playing with the Varsity:?Stanford White and Louis Comfort Tiffany?at Gould Memorial Library
Samuel G. White, Founder & Consulting Partner, PBDW Architects
Watch the Video

SEASON SPONSORS

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

"We can be that glimmer of hope."

-Rebecca Robertson,?Founding President and Executive Producer

We hope to reopen soon for socially distant indoor performances in our 40,0000 square foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall.

We are happy to share this article by Michael Paulson of?The New York Times, highlighting the efforts of leaders of flexible cultural spaces so we can open safely and soon.?Read the article.

Help us be that glimmer of hope.?Consider making a donation today to help keep the arts alive in New York City.

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, the Altman Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, The Kaplen Brothers Fund, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.

Our friends at NewYork-Presbyterian have put together this list of ways that families can safely celebrate Halloween and have a Spooktacular evening. Read on for tips from pediatrician Dr. Gopi Desai, and visit their Health Matters blog for the full article.

1. WEAR A MASK, WASH YOUR HANDS, AND PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING?

"Staying outside, trying to maintain distance, washing hands, wearing masks, those are really the big things. Avoiding group activities indoors is going to be key as we get into the chillier months," says Dr. Desai.

2. DON''T GO TRADITIONAL TRICK-OR-TREATING

If you want to trick-or-treat, look for ways to participate in one-way trick-or-treating.?The key is to minimize contact wherever possible.

3. DON''T AGONIZE OVER SANITIZING EVERY PIECE OF CANDY

Washing hands remains important, but parents shouldn't feel the need to wipe down every piece of candy - especially if you're only bringing home individual goody bags.?

4. GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR AT-HOME FESTIVITIES

Zoom costume parties, pumpkin carving, and physically distanced outdoor costume parades with a small group are great, lower- to moderate-risk options.

Today's the day! With your help, we can support and deepen our School Partnership Initiative at our eight Partner Schools.

As the fall semester begins with many challenges to overcome, the Armory is committed to collaborating closely with administrators and teachers at each partner school to create tailored and responsive residencies and other artistic experiences that offer all students the opportunity to engage in creative communities.

Making a donation today ensures that we continue to provide one-of-a-kind education for all students in our community. Time is running out to have your gift matched! Donate by midnight to double your impact.

Park Avenue Armory''s arts education programs are supported by generous grants from the Leonard and Judy Lauder Fund, The Thompson Family Foundation, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Citi Foundation, the Zelnick/Belzberg Charitable Trust, the Hearst Foundations, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Emme and Jonathan Deland, the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, Lester and Enid Morse, Sanford L. Smith, Jane and Robert Toll, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, Con Edison, Adam R. Flatto, Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan, Sylvia and Leonard Marx, Jr., Stacy Schiff and Marc de La Bruy?re, the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation, the WME Foundation, Krystyna Doerfler, Janet Halvorson, the Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation, the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and the Michael Tuch Foundation. Additional support has been provided by members of the Armory''s Education Committee and generous donors to the Armory''s Gala.

The Armory''s arts education programs are also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and are supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council.

Snowflake Party in a Box + Digital DJ Dance Party
Sunday, December 13, 2020
2pm-3pm Ages 3-9 | 3pm-4pm Ages 10-13

We are excited to announce that Park Avenue Armory will transform our annual Snowflake Lounge benefit into a magical at-home party on Sunday, December 13. This year participants will receive a specially-curated kit of creative activities including, holiday crafts, cookie decorating, and tempting treats sent directly to your home. Additionally, our whimsical Snowflake digital party, featuring a DJ dance experience and TikTok-style dance challenge, adds to the holiday merriment for your kids and teens. Snowflake-at-Home is the perfect way to celebrate with your friends and family nearby and across the country!

Now in its ninth year, Snowflake Lounge has become one of the major family holiday events of the season, raising essential funds to support the Armory's artistic mission and acclaimed Arts Education Program. This year a portion of the proceeds from packages will send Snowflake-at-Home creativity kits to our underserved NYC public elementary partner school, welcoming students to share in the festivities.

Order your Snowflake-at-Home package today and we look forward to seeing you at the digital party!

Event Sponsor

Today through July 15, enjoy a rendezvous with the 2020 Festival d''Aix-en-Provence''s #TheDigitalStage-a 100% free and online festival organized by Pierre Audi, the Marina Kellen French Artistic Director of Park Avenue Armory. The thrilling lineup of programs includes various past Armory performers and creatives, several of which we''ve highlighted below. Visit the Festival''s official website for links to the performances, which will be streamed on ARTE and France Musique and via the Festival''s social channels. Some programs may not be available for viewing in the US. Happy viewing!

TUESDAY, JULY 7: "WHAT ARE THE FABLES FOR OPERA TODAY?" 

What words and what opera stories can best express today's socioeconomic, political, and environmental realities and the vivid thoughts and emotions they evoke in us? 

1 PM RECITAL
Marie-Laure Garnier, soprano 
C?lia Oneto Bensaid, piano 
Program: Jean Sibelius, Kaija Saariaho (Circle Map) 
Concert Recorded: Friday, June 26, 2020 at the H?tel Maynier d'Opp?de  
Directed by Philippe B?ziat 
Filmed by Camera Lucida Productions, Arte France 

3 PM OPERA
Philippe Boesmans' Pinocchio introduced by Stephane Degout

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8:  "KEEP DREAMING: REINVENTING SPECTACULAR ENCHANTMENT"

Given the difficult circumstances the world is living through today, we must continue dreaming, and must therefore rediscover the key to artistic enchantment. While the great aesthetics of the past still inspire us, the current crisis has shown the importance of new technologies, as both alternative media and creative spaces. 

1 PM RECITAL
Jakub J?zef Orlinski, countertenor
Michal Biel, piano 
Program: Georg Friedrich H?ndel, Henry Purcell, Tadeusz Baird, Pawel Lukaszewski 
Concert Recorded: Sunday, June 28, 2020 on the Place de l'Archev?ch?  
Directed by Philippe B?ziat 
Filmed by Camera Lucida Productions, Arte France

THURSDAY, JULY 9: "ARTIST MOBILITY AND THE CHALLENGE OF BORDERS" 

One of the persistent unknowns of this year's festival has been: Will artists be able to cross international borders? This is but a new iteration of a problem that already exists for many artists for economic, geopolitical, and institutional reasons. What role can networks play to address this issue? 

3 PM OPERA
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni 

FRIDAY, JULY 10: "THE 2020 EDITION: REIMAGINING THE FESTIVAL" 

The production presents a different way of rethinking opera's role in our culture, as a cross between permanence and renewal. 

3 PM OPERA
Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress  
Featuring Paul Appleby, tenor and Julia Bullock, soprano

SUNDAY, JULY 12: "ARTISTIC CREATION AND HUMANITY'S IMPACT ON THE WORLD"

How can we take on the extreme challenges of the Anthropocene, this era on which humankind has left an irreversible impact? The performing arts have tackled the subject in a concrete way, by addressing the issue of eco-responsibility and examining the concept of Anthropocene as it is manifested in works of art. 

1 PM RECITAL
Christian Gerhaher, baritone (2013 & 2015 Park Avenue Armory Recitalist, St. Matthew Passion)
Gerold Huber, piano
Program: Franz Schubert, Alban Berg
Concert Recorded: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at the H?tel Maynier d'Opp?de
Directed by Philippe B?ziat
Filmed by Camera Lucida Productions, Arte France 

THURSDAY, JULY 14: "NEW FORMS, AND A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUDIENCE" 

Artists and cultural institutions endeavor in general to renew artistic forms and practices, in order to improve their integration within their cities. 

1 PM RECITAL
Sabine Devieilhe, soprano (2017 Park Avenue Armory Recitalist)
Mathieu Pordoy, piano
Program: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Strauss
Concert Recorded: Friday, June 26, 2020 at the H?tel Maynier d'Opp?de
Directed by Philippe B?ziat
Filmed by Camera Lucida Productions, Arte France 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15:  "BUILDING A FUTURE: THE FESTIVAL IN ITS OWN REGION" 

#TheDigitalStage will be finishing with a flourish, with a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Duncan Ward. The concert, to be performed at Saint Luke's in London, will be specially dedicated to the people of Aix. 

1 PM CONCERT
London Symphony Orchestra
Duncan Ward, conductor
Program: Leonard Bernstein, Gabriel Faur?, Hector Berlioz, George Gershwin
Concert Recorded: Monday, July 13, 2020 at LSO St Luke's, London 

3 PM OPERA
Richard Strauss' Elektra

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT FESTIVAL-AIX.COM: "KEEP CREATING: INNOCENCE"

This program is structured around the theme of family units shattered by unspoken tragedy. 

RECITAL
Magdalena Kozen?, mezzo soprano  
Sir Simon Rattle, piano (St. Matthew Passion) 
Program: Johannes Brahms, Anton?n Dvor?k, Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Bohuslav Martinu, Leos Jan?cek 
Concert Recorded: Saturday, June 27, 2020 at the Clo?tre Saint-Sauveur  
Directed by Philippe B?ziat 
Filmed by Camera Lucida Productions, Arte France 

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and send you warm wishes for a happy and healthy new year! This past year has been challenging, but because of your support, Park Avenue Armory continues to work to allow artists to create, students to explore, and even wider audiences to experience epic, adventurous, relevant work that cannot be done elsewhere in New York. May 2021 be a year of health and joy!

We wanted to take this opportunity to look back at some highlights from this unprecedented year.

COMMEMORATING 100 YEARS OF WOMEN''S SUFFRAGE

2020 marked the centennial of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote.?Park Avenue Armory, with lead partner?National Black Theatre?and nine other multi-disciplinary cultural institutions across New York City, created the?100 Years | 100 Women?Project, a two-part multi-disciplinary initiative. Collectively, the partners nominated 100 artists, activists, scholars, students, and community leaders to respond to the centennial and its complex legacy. Commissioning partners included the?Apollo Theater;?The Juilliard School;?La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company;?The Laundromat Project;?The Metropolitan Museum of Art;?Museum of the Moving Image;?National Sawdust;?New York University?(Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts; Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation; and Institute of African American Affairs & Center for Black Visual Culture); and?Urban Bush Women.

The commissions evolved throughout the year in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, and in anticipation of the?November elections. Exhibited on August 18, 2020, as part of a?virtual watch party,?commissions are still available to view on the project archive website, 100years100women.net.

A VIRTUAL VAUDEVILLE WITH TAYLOR MAC

Christmas as calamity-2020 Ibsen Award winner, MacArthur Fellow, and former Armory Artist-in-Residence Taylor Mac and long-time collaborators, designer and fellow Artist-in-Residence Machine Dazzle, Music Director Matt Ray, and producer Pomegranate Arts joined together to celebrate the holidays in all of their dysfunction for the digital premiere of Holiday Sauce.Pandemic! Filmed in part at the Armory, Holiday Sauce. Pandemic! blends music, film, burlesque, and random acts of fabulousness to reframe the songs you love and the holidays you hate.?

Called "the perfect pick-me-up" by The New York Times, the virtual celebration is available for on-demand viewing now through Saturday, January 2, 2021.

A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT AFTERWARDSNESS

"The experience was real, a feast after famine-and a taste of what going to the theater in New York could be like in coming months."
-Brian Seibert, The New York Times

As part of our planning to re-open for socially distanced performances in the Armory's soaring Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the Armory engaged choreographer Bill T. Jones to create his latest commission Afterwardsness. This new dance work, in rehearsals and filming in October 2020, addresses the confluence of the Black Lives matter movement and systemic racism along with COVID-19, and the desire to have reached an end point to these twin pandemics.

The New York Times published a firsthand look at the creative process behind this commission in this exclusive preview article. On resuming in-person rehearsals, Bill T. Jones told Seibert, "It was profound, and I thought, 'This is what we do.'"

GET READY TO DANCE AT SOCIAL! the social distance dance club

"Social dancing is the antidote to social distancing."
-Christine Jones, Armory Artist-in-Residence

Brian Seibert's New York Timesarticle also shed light on SOCIAL! the social distance dance club, a new participatory work created by Armory Artists-in-Residence Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett with collaborator and acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist David Byrne (American Utopia). Also in rehearsals at the Armory this October, this Armory commission creates a moment of cathartic release and powerful healing by harnessing the energy of collective joy and connection by moving together in a socially distant and safe manner.

ENJOY THE MALKIN LECTURE SERIES FROM HOME

The Malkin Lecture Series presents scholars and experts on topic relating to the Park Avenue Armory and its pivotal role in the civic, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of New York City in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

This year, we have been thrilled to present the lectures virtually, covering a range of topics including the politics, art, architecture, and literary history of the Gilded Age. Guest speakers for this year's Malkin Lectures include author and historian Harold Holzer, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Thayer Tolles, Columbia University Professor Paige Knox, Founding & Consulting Partner of PBDW Architects Samuel G. White, and architectural historian and writer Francis Morrone.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2021

We hope you are as excited about these new works as we are and will consider supporting the Armory during this critical time for the future of live performance in New York City.?

Support for Park Avenue Armory's artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, the Altman Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, The Kaplen Brothers Fund, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory''s Artistic Council.? ??