NEW YORK — A large fiberglass sculpture in the shape of a military drone hovers 25 feet above the High Line, the elevated public park on Manhattan's West Side. Although from afar it might be mistaken for the real thing, this drone is a piece by artist Sam Durant, who uses the work to discuss the terrorism of surveillance.
Looking at "Untitled (drone)" in the middle of a bright day is the perfect way to start a whirlwind art tour of New York City. In the span of a long weekend, it's possible to take in a good amount of art that will sustain you for months.
Day 1: High Line, Chelsea & Lower East Side
Grab a scone and coffee at Whole Foods Market on 10th Avenue on the West Side. It's steps from the 30th Street entrance to the High Line, where you begin with "Untitled (drone)," surrounded on all sides by the shiny metallic structures of New York City. In 2017, Durant's "Scaffold" appeared in Minneapolis' Sculpture Garden, but it was taken down following protests from Dakota leaders, and led to an extensive reconciliation process with the Walker Art Center.
Walk down part of the High Line toward 23rd Street. The elevated walkway is built into old railroad tracks, melding the past and the present in one experience. Most of the public artworks on the High Line rotate every 12 months or so, giving the park the feel of a 1.5-mile-long outdoor gallery. Some areas along the way, like a strip of old tracks where trees spring up from the ground, feel like art installations in and of themselves — reminders of historic Manhattan.
Exit the High Line at 23rd Street and then enter the Chelsea Arts District, where dozens of established art galleries await. Start at Lehmann Maupin (501 W. 24th St.), representing an array of international artists including Catherine Opie (whose photographs of Minnesota ice houses are currently on view in "Five Ways In" at the Walker).
Pop upstairs to the Hill Art Foundation (239 10th Ave.), a public exhibition and education center that works with contemporary artists such as Kevin Beasley, whose sculpture, performance and sound installation explore protest, labor, family and Black identity.
Down the street is a variety of contemporary galleries. Check out Yossi Milo Gallery (245 10th Ave.), then head down 24th Street to catch shows at classic spaces like the Gladstone Gallery, blue-chip galleries Matthew Marks and Luhring Augustine, and Jack Shainman, a hip gallery known for introducing international artists to the U.S. market. Be sure to drop into Greene Naftali (508 W. 26th St.), known for representing cutting-edge artists including 2022 Whitney Biennial artist Aria Dean.
Once you've gotten your Chelsea fill, which should take at least two hours, take the F Train downtown to the Broadway-Lafayette station to hit the New Museum on the Lower East Side. Before you exit the station, spot Mel Chin's permanent installation "Signal" (1998), with six blue-tile figures symbolically connected by long lines, representing the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, who were among New York state's original inhabitants.
At the seven-story New Museum (235 Bowery, $18, timed admissions recommended), the exhibition "Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott," featuring 40 years of paintings with satirical takes on race, beauty and American culture, opens June 30.
Day 2: Midtown & Upper East Side
MoMA (11 W. 53rd St., timed admissions $14-$25) is one of the busiest and biggest museums in New York. No matter what you're looking for, you'll find something you want to see, whether it's European modernism, lesser-known artists from Africa, architecture from contemporary China, or a spotlight on a younger, emerging artist. Although you don't have to exit through the gift shop, it's recommended, with everything from magnets with your favorite artwork to handy leather-bound notebooks and full-sized art posters.
Rally to the Upper East Side, where more museums await. Challenge yourself to see how many you can pack into one afternoon. Choose from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum and Neue Galerie on 5th Avenue, the Frick Collection at 1 E. 70th St. at the Asia Society at 725 Park Ave.
At the Met, don't miss "Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room," which re-creates Seneca Village, a thriving 19th-century community of mostly Black landowners and tenants that existed just west of the Met in today's Central Park. In 1857, the city used eminent domain to seize it and displace residents. The period room re-creates this place, and it's a welcome change from the typically colonial domestic spaces of museum period rooms.
Day 3: Downtown & back
Save the best for last. Take the train downtown to start at the African Burial Ground National Monument (290 Broadway), the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground for free and enslaved Blacks in North America. Then walk to the National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green), where there is a show on view of Dakota modern artist Oscar Howe (through Sept. 11).
Lastly, book it back to near where you started: the Whitney Museum of American Art (99 Gansevoort St.) in the Meatpacking District, next to the southern entrance of the High Line. There, you can catch the 2022 Whitney Biennial, on view through Sept. 5, which includes Minnesota-based artists Dyani White Hawk and Pao Houa Her, and Minnesota-born artist Adam Gordon. Grab a late lunch around the corner at the classic Hector's Café & Diner (44 Little W. 12th St.), and choose from omelets, salad platters, tacos, burritos or sandwiches, topped off with a cup of coffee.
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