By Tracy Zwick
Spring has sprung and it’s not just the forecast that looks spectacular. Take this weekend to make a plan to see the magnificently renovated Frick Collection, just a quick walk, bike, or bus ride across Central Park, when it reopens to the public in a few weeks — or when it reopens to members next week.
On Sunday, you can learn about Hebrew illuminated manuscripts on Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, and on Monday you can hear the often-overlooked histories of female musical-theater writers. Celebrate trans joy and resilience on Saturday at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine just ahead of International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Let’s Weekend!
March 28th to 31st, 2025
The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th Street, opens for member previews Thursday, April 3rd, with public opening April 17th; membership and ticket information here
The Frick Collection, after a five-year, $330 million renovation and expansion, began allowing media in for previews recently and I’m here to tell you: buy your tickets now and visit as soon as it formally reopens to members next Thursday and to the general public in a few weeks. It’s glorious (see some of the renovated interior below).
Flowers are blooming not only in the museum’s just-restored gardens, but inside the newly public second floor, the erstwhile domestic quarters of the mansion where the Frick family lived, which had previously been used mainly for office space. Ukrainian sculptor Vladimir Kanevsky’s commissioned porcelain flowers punctuate a stroll through these intimate settings, which include Henry Clay Frick’s bedroom where the painting he woke up to each morning and saw just before he closed his eyes each night has been rehung.
To supplement the world-class collection of mostly 13th-to-20th-century European art, there’s a new cafe, a boutique, dedicated education spaces, and myriad events and exhibitions – including a festival of music in the new 218-seat Selldorf Architects-designed auditorium and a Vermeer exhibition beginning June 18th. As Axel Rüger, the Frick’s brand-new director, told a small crowd last Wednesday: “The Frick is Back.”
Celebrate Trans Joy and Resilience: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at West 112th Street; Saturday, March 29th from 12 to 2 p.m.; free
International Transgender Day of Visibility is observed every year on March 31st, but the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will offer a special noonday prayer service this Saturday with the Right Rev. Matthew F. Heyd presiding and Aaron Scott, Officer for Gender Justice of the Episcopal Church, preaching. TRANScend ambassadors will provide music, and the service will be followed by a festive reception. The service will be livestreamed.
Learn About Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts and Make Your Own: Fordham at Lincoln Center, 113 West 60th Street, 109 McMahon Hall, Sunday, March 30th at 11 a.m.
Interested in Hebrew Illuminated manuscripts, hand-written texts decorated with rich colors and often biblical or religious imagery? This workshop will introduce participants to the subject and invite them to create their own. Rabbi Katja Vehlow, a medieval Jewish historian, will discuss medieval Hebrew Haggadot in the Ashkenazi and Sephardic styles. Deborah Ugoretz, a Brooklyn-based master cut-paper artist and teacher, will also be on hand. Supplies including watercolors, colored pencils, markers, and metallic papers will be provided.
Book Discussion: “Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that History Books Left Out”: NYPL Library of the Performing Arts, enter at 111 Amsterdam Avenue between West 64th and 65th streets, Monday, March 31st from 6 to 7:30 p.m; free
In honor of Women’s History Month, theater historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper will discuss her new book and host a performance by Badia Farha from Broadway’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” Alyse Alan Louis from “TEETH,” and Ruiran Xum from “The Jonathan Larson Project.” Tepper will introduce attendees to some of the more than 300 inspiring women featured in her book, with behind-the-scenes photos and stories about the likes of Betty Comden, Jeanine Tesori, Dolly Parton, and Sara Bareilles.
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Can’t wait to get back to the Frick and this makes me even more excited! Super photos.
No kiddin, this is Fricken awesome.
The Frick is an absolute jewel. I remember the velvet rope that kept visitors from accessing the 2nd floor. Cannot wait to get up there and see the rooms where they lived. Cafe sounds like a nice addition too! And it’s beautiful walk from the UWS. Will get tickets, thanks!
And don’t forget “Bark in the Park – 5K Fun Run & Walk”
Central Park – New York, New York | 3.30.2025
8:30 am – 12 pm
A race for all dogs’ health.
Bring your favorite furry friend.
Bark in the Park will get you out-and-about in Central Park while also
supporting an organization working every day to help all dogs live longer, healthier, happier lives.
https://riney.vet.cornell.edu/bark-in-the-park
Check out this fun, pup-focused Cornell Vet College and Riney Canine Health Center event!